Some Dreams Shouldn't Come True

I walked into my favorite store. It's a place that is sort of like the television show Cheers. I say that because everybody there knows your name, and the regulars and employees are more like friends than just people you encounter. Oh, and the place is literally run by a woman named Sam (Samantha).

Over the years, I've gotten quite close to the people who work there, as they're all very hospitable. And over the years, we've gotten to know one another. So, it wasn't a surprise when Sam asked me for a favor. It was a guy kind of thing.

"Hey, is there any chance you can help me out?" asked Sam.

I nodded and told her, "Why not. What do you need?

Sam had a large box that needed to be moved. It wasn't overly heavy, but it was big enough and weighed enough that it was something someone more my size could handle than she could, or Cathy and Lyndsey, the other two who were working.

I lift stuff all the time, and even with my cancer, I can pick up a box. So she showed me where the box was. I was shocked. After all the years of going there and being somewhat observant, I had totally missed that the store had a basement level. I'd never even heard someone mention getting something out of the basement.

I went down the stairs into a fairly dark basement, used my cellphone flashlight, and found the box Sam was describing. Yep, it wasn't as heavy as it was awkward. As I turned around, box in hand, I realized I'd gotten sort of lost. The basement was bigger than I expected.

There was some light in the distance, so I carefully worked my way in that direction, finding some stairs. As I climbed the stairs, hearing people above me, I believed I was going in the right direction. Boy, was I surprised.

Getting to the halfway level, I noticed a railing, and as I continued, seeing Sam signing someone up for something, I noticed I was in an area I had never been before.

Sam told me to just drop the box over by the bar.

"Bar?" I wondered. When did they put in a bar? It wasn't long before I got the feeling that something was totally wrong with the picture. As I looked around, seeing tobacco behind the bar and a row of liquors and beers, I began to think I wasn't in Kansas anymore.

"What in the hell?" I mumbled.

Cathy asked if I wanted a drink. I had a little time and enjoyed a diet soda while I looked around at this strange but new world I was in. Everybody around me seemed to be acting normal, as if this wasn't something new. I saw some of the regulars as I checked the place out. They were playing slots, visiting, and acting as they always did.

In the middle of all the confusion, I started to look for the exit. One of the guys sitting at the bar, nursing a whiskey, was the first person I asked for directions. He wore a familiarly branded shirt from a local business, had a slight scowl on his face as if he was having a bad day, but answered me. Well, sort of.

The guy got off his seat and went to one of the doors. Opening it, there was a lot of sunlight shining in around him as he stood there, his hands on his hips.

"Finally," I sighed. I was ready to get the hell out of there. The whole scene was bizarre.

I walked past him, thanking him for his help. As I got outside, I suddenly found myself even more bewildered. I'd entered a corner building on a street full of businesses. There was a McDonald's, a Steak and Shake, a key establishment, and several other businesses.

"Where the hell am I?"

As I started looking around, I was in the middle of a highway, in the middle of a desert. Turning to my left, I could see some signs and a city. I turned back the other direction, wondering how I'd gotten to Saudi Arabia.

That was when a Mercedes smacked into me.

Waking up in bed, at home, my heart racing, I could only think, "What the hell was that?"

When it comes to dreams, that's one that I hope doesn't come true.