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These dreams had to come from someone’s memories. But were they his or visions for someone else?
Over the past couple of years, he often had suggestive dreams, full of clues he was meant to follow. It was how he decided to travel to Egypt to find the Secret Gift, after all. Out of the blue. On a whim.
A whim that led to the discovery of a lost Egyptian Pharoah and her celestial dragon mate.
But the difference between those dreams and the ones he just awoke from was that he at least recalledsomesnippet or shred of the experience. Between dreams to find dragons and their mates across time and space, and dreams of his past life or lives, Ben’s head was often a muddle these days. He couldn’t make sense of it all.
What hedidrecall as he sat with both hands braced beside him on the edge of his bed were the emotions.
Wonder. Joy. Sadness. Hurt…
So muchhurt.
He sighed long and deep, as if he could expel the strange mood with his breath and inhale some sense and clarity. He got up and took a quick shower, washing away the cold sweat toemerge brand new. Then, he rode his second-hand motorcycle into town and stopped byDrink of Me, the café-by-day-diner-and-bar-by-night hangout for locals.
“Hey handsome,” Mike greeted him from behind the counter, while she rung up an order for another customer.
“Want your usual?”
“That’d be great,” Ben said with a smile, and went over to the back table where he always sat.
Except, there was an elderly lady there. Ruth.
She occasionally came into the café for a hot drink and baked treats, and she always sat at his table. They decided long ago that whenever they were here at the same time, they might as well sit together and enjoy each other’s company.
Ben greatly enjoyed getting to know people and learning from their experiences, appreciating new perspectives.
Ruth’s eyes crinkled at the corners when she saw him.
“Haven’t seen you in a while, Benjamin.”
Only a few people ever called him by his full first name, only Ere and apparently Ruth. Everyone else called him Ben.
“I recently returned from Egypt,” he shared as he took his seat across from her. “Then, I had to spend a couple weeks in NYC for a lecture and to catch up with colleagues. It’s good to be home for a while.”
They paused to place their orders with Mike when she came by. Ruth got white chocolate latte and a freshly-baked scone, while Ben added a bacon and egg croissant to his usual drink.
As she walked away, Ben looked around after her, searching for a particular face.
“Are you looking for someone?” Ruth asked, noticing.
Ben turned back to her.
“I was just curious. I thought…”
He frowned slightly when the rusty wheels of his mind ground to a halt.
“I don’t know why I can’t ever remember her name…one of the waitresses here. I ordered a large latte, and according to my uncle Ere, she can do miracles with the foam.”
Ruth hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t say anything, clicking away at the knitting she always carried with her.
Ben shook his head to clear it. For the life of him he couldn’t recall the waitress’s name no matter how he tried.
“How about you?” he asked, refocusing on Ruth.
“Do you like living here? Is this home now that you’ve been here…what…two, three years?”
Ruth lifted one of her shoulders in a small shrug.
