First Dream Date

First Dream Date

It had been five years since I had moved back home after Aunt Tammy passed. She had taken me in and raised me after mom passed and I had been grateful. I took it hard when Aunt Tammy died. We were super close. During these five years, I had always had a feeling she was here, watching over me. I knew Aunt Tammy would never hurt me and there was peacefulness and security in that.

Every Saturday night, Aunt Tammy and I would watch Love At First Sight on the blue sectional that she had gotten from a yard sale. Gross! However, Aunt Tammy swore she had gotten it super deep-cleaned, so I trusted her, and the sectional became a part of our Saturday night party of two. Now, it’s just the sectional and I on Saturday nights watching the show, or better yet, the show is watching the sectional and I, as I always fall asleep early since I no longer have a physical person to commentate with.

Over the course of a year, I had incorporated wine into my reality tv night. I had gotten into the whole Keto trend and thanks to HelloFresh, the food home delivery service, I was eating healthier and cleaner five out of seven days of the week, which meant I “cheated” two days, usually Saturday and maybe on Sunday and ate whatever I wanted and now I have added glass or bottle of wine to that cheat sheet.

Being an entrepreneur can be taxing enough but realizing someone you trusted betrayed you by stealing from the very company they know you’ve built from the ground up, can be downright soul-draining. Aunt Tammy hadn’t just been my “person”, she had been my right-hand man and best employee at my accounting firm. When I moved away to start another firm in another state, I obviously left the firm in Aunt Tammy’s capable hands. It wasn’t until she had died and I had returned home that I realized good ‘ol Aunt Tammy had been stealing money from clients and myself the entire time she had been employed. Knowledge of the betrayal had crushed me. I immediately closed the second office, settled back into the house I grew up in with Aunt Tammy and five years later, I am still trying to rebuild the mess Aunt Tammy created with the first office. I was, however, able to forgive Aunt Tammy enough to stay in the house, but there were nights like our Love At First Sight Saturdays that sometimes made me angry. I often wondered if Aunt Tammy was restless because she never got to apologize in person for what she had done to me. It was enough to anger in my soul for me to drink wine on that night now.

My favorite wine had become a 2017 merlot from California, called Meet Cute. It's from a wine club company I found online called Bright Cellars and due to COVID-19, ordering online has become the new norm. Anyway, I love this merlot. Its so smooth and it smells like juicy plum and black cherry. Amazing!

Tonight’s vibe felt different. I felt a need to release somehow. I admit to drinking more than half of the bottle of merlot and I believe I watched the full episode of the show. I remember seeing a couple on the show going to dinner together for the first time as husband and wife.

I remember taking a sip of wine and thinking how it had gotten deathly chill in the living room. I pulled up the throw shawl Aunt Tammy had had on the sectional for years, over my whole body, and decided to take a really, long sip of merlot to try and shake the chill that had unnoticeably crept into my bones.

The room quickly began to spin. I lie my head back on the pillow and close my eyes to try and gain composure. I’m only half sure I’m asleep at this point but everything about this “dream” felt real. I can remember seeing a red balloon and I started to float into what appeared to be space. It was so calming. Pure blackness with beautiful glistening stars that was ever so peaceful.

As I’m floating in this magical stillness, I notice a gazebo. Beautiful LED lights adorn the edges of the roof while flashing LED lights wrapped around the poles of the gazebo for a romantic effect. As I get closer, I notice a small cylinder glass vase, with glass gems at the bottom, a tea light candle in the middle and filled with water, perfectly topped with freshly cut red roses short enough to invite uninterrupted eye contact during an intimate conversation. Someone had taken a lot of time on this creation.

As I float a little closer, I see what looks to be suspect number one. “It” appears to be a male and he begins to wave to me and instantly I float faster towards him. As I approach the table, I take notice of how handsome his spirit was. He was standing in at least 6’3, 215 pounds, short haircut, very manly smelling, and dressed to the nine. I couldn’t see his face yet it didn’t frighten me and there was a calmness I couldn’t resist.

We sat down and a waiter immediately came over to us and took our order. I don’t remember ordering but within what seemed like a blink of the eye, our waiter had returned with our meals and beverages. I had my usual Meet Cute merlot which was interesting because this “restaurant” had this Bright Cellars, exclusive club wine. Nevertheless, I was grateful. My “stranger” date ordered a 2019 sauvignon blanc and we both had sweet and smokey pork tenderloin with apple carrot slaw, mashed potatoes, and cherry sauce.

Dinner was amazing and the conversation flowed easily until it was revealed he had known my Aunt Tammy. I stopped midbite and looked at him. I asked him how. He replied by saying she had written a letter praying for a wonderful man to come into my life that would take care of me after she was gone. I didn’t understand at the time and the confusion on my face warranted an explanation. He explained that Aunt Tammy had been really sick for years and she didn’t want me to worry about getting money for her treatment so she had found a way to secretly take money here and there from the business to take care of her treatments and medicines without the business suffering or me finding out she was sick. He further explained when she got sicker, she could no longer keep up with the records and her hopes of getting better and paying me back got slimmer and slimmer. However, when she accepted the fact she wasn’t getting better her sole purpose for taking the money became so I would have money to enjoy my life with someone and not just work myself into a coma while watching Saturday night reality shows and reminiscing about my time with her. His last words to me before vanishing were to look under the cushion of the blue sectional and that he would find me shortly to make me his forever.

I jerked out of my sleep and immediately looked under the cushion. I could hear the show ending simultaneously as I found bags of cash and Aunt Tammy’s letter. It said exactly what my “stranger” date. Future. Date. Husband, said it would, except he left out the part where Aunt Tammy had asked for my forgiveness for not telling me about her sickness and how she would love me always. I teared up and held her letter close to my heart. Of course, I would forgive her. Always.

Six months later as I’m vacationing in Montego Bay, Jamaica, I meet a handsome man standing in at about 6’3, 215 pounds, short haircut, very manly smelling, and dressed to the nine. He asks me out on a date, I say yes, the rest is history.