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DREAM
The perfect, crisp air rushed into my lungs as I stepped off the ferry. The town of Charmed Bay, the sleepy, coastal California city where I’d grown up, stretched along a big curving beach and overlooked the ocean. My life over the last few months had been crazy, but the sight of home managed to put a small smile on my lips.
More than that, it was winter – my favorite time of the year in California. The sky was clear and blue, and the air, while crisp from being on the coast, was not nearly as cold as other parts of the country. It wasn’t too hot nor too cold. However, I barely had a moment to appreciate the cozy blanket of nostalgia that had wrapped around me at the sight of my hometown.
“Dream!”
The familiar voice of Clarissa Watts, my best friend from high school, cut through the soft hush of the waves on the shore and the occasional cry of a seagull in the air. I turned my attention to the small crowd of people greeting the ferry’s passengers.
It didn’t take me long at all to spot her – especially since Clarissa was in the process of hurtling over the small barrier that separated the landing dock area from the greeting area. Once Clarissa was over, she stuck out her arms, a big, toothy smile on her cute as a button face. Slender and pretty with her usual big, thick braid of oak-colored hair flying behind her, Clarissa was a wild blur as she rushed over to me, a shriek of excitement shooting from her mouth.
“Holy crap!” Those were the only words I managed to get out before Clarissa threw her arms around me, squeezing so tightly I thought my eyes may pop out of my head.
“Oh, my freaking God, it’s so good to see you!”
Her enthusiasm was infectious. We screamed and hugged, and I felt the sting of a few tears in my eyes.
“It’s so good to see you too!” Under normal circumstances, I would’ve been thrilled to see my best friend in person rather than on Facetime like we were used to. But with everything that had happened recently, I was even more in need of my supportive friend.
We squeezed each other one last time before letting go and stepping back. I gave Clarissa a once-over. She was just as pretty as ever, her braid back in its usual spot draped over her right shoulder. Clarissa had always been more of the free-spirited type, and her style reflected it. She wore jeans and an oversized cardigan, a pair of pink sneakers on her feet. Even though I couldn’t see them myself, her arms were decorated with eclectic tattoos – lots of them new since I’d seen her last, at least that was what I was told
Her expression quickly turned grim.
“Um, I’m sorry about what happened.”
I shook my head, not wanting to get into it just yet.
“Thanks. But part of the reason I’m here is so I don’t have to think about it.”
I nodded toward the dock, the other passengers on the ferry greeting friends and family. Together, Clarissa and I got moving.
“I know, I know,” she said. “And we can talk about all that as much or as little as you want. I mean, you’ve probably done enough thinking about it already. But I still want to put it out there that Adam is a total prick, and I hope he gets hit by a bus.” She cocked her head to the side and made a cute little smile.
I laughed in spite of myself. “I appreciate the sentiment, gruesome as it might be.”
We headed down the dock, the sea air in my lungs invigorating me more and more by the second. After two years of living in Chicago, it was almost as if I’d forgotten what fresh air actually smelled and tasted like. Sure, I did kinda already miss the hustle and bustle of my block in Wicker Park, but I was happy to be back home.
“OK!” she said, clasping her hands together. “You’re back. And you’re here for as long as you want, right?”
“Not exactly. I mean, I did tell my manager at the advertising agency that I’d be working remotely for the time being. She didn’t seem too bothered – said I could do it for as long as I wanted so long as my work stayed satisfactory.”
Clarissa sighed and shook her head, a knowing smile on her face. “I swear, you’re wasting your talents there. You’re an amazing artist and you’re creative as hell. You’re gifted, Dream! You could do whatever you want. The worst thing I can possibly imagineis you spending the rest of your life doing touch-ups to ads for fast food websites.”
I raised a finger, trying to come to my own defense. “Hey, you try living in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country without a nine-to-five. Not exactly easy.”
She shrugged. “Then don’t live in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country. Cost of living is nice and relatively low here in Charmed Bay – at least as far as California goes - there’s a reason I’m able to make ends meet while running Blueprint.” Clarissa was referring to Blueprint Coffee, the hip coffeeshop downtown where she’d been working ever since we were in high school, and eventually took over when the owners retired a few years back
Part of me wanted to deny what she’d said, but I really couldn’t because she was right. Clarissa had managed to maintain her easy, breezy, boy-chasing lifestyle while never leaving town. Hell, she’d managed to even get her associate degree taking classes part-time at the community college, though she had to live with her parents for a few years. Charmed Bay was a tiny, coastal community in Northern California, far enough away from the higher cost of living areas in San Francisco or Los Angeles.
“Listen,” she said. “I know you had all these big ideas about moving out of your hometown to some metropolis and making it big. I get it, I do. But look how it worked out for you.”
I formed my mouth into a flat line. “Wow, you really want to just put it all right out there, huh?”
“It’s still fresh, I know. But Dream, I can’t think of any sign that your life is ready for some serious changes other than your fiancé, sorry, ex-fiancé, cheating on you.”
My heart tightened at just the thought of it. She didn’t even have to say his name; merely the word was enough to bring the horrible emotions that I’d experienced over the course of the last seven years roiling back. Clarissa must’ve sensed this. She stopped and I did too, followed by her placing her hand on my shoulder and regarding me with an expression of concern.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” she said. “I know a big part of the reason you’re here is to put all that crap with Adam behind you, not to have me play it back in totally grisly detail.”
