Like A Dream(Connie Nye-Kaley) Like A Dream

The brilliant August sunshine lost its match against the dark grey clouds that slowly faded into the midday sky. Low rumbles of thunder loomed in the distance as a light trickle of rain fell gently upon his white painted window sill. Charles Baker and his wife Ginny had lived in their home for 60 years come that September and what a wonderful life they had lived, raising two fantastic children. Their son Sam and their daughter Sarah were now grown with children of their own. Charles spent 40 of those years working at the local hydro company and Ginny worked as a nurse at the local hospital. They had lived a modest middle-class lifestyle on a one-acre country lot just 10 km west of Belleville. His grey brick fireplace mantel was covered with framed 5x7 photos of family taken throughout the years. He spent a few minutes each day looking fondly at all the pictures, while always finally focusing on a photo of Ginny smiling while standing next to a large maple tree. That was his favourite picture. She was his perfect loving soul mate and he absolutely adored her. Ginny had sadly passed away last April of lung cancer, and while Charles was happy to see an end to her pain, he grieved his loss every single day. That Saturday afternoon was no exception as his memories flooded his mind. The three-bedroom red brick bungalow was ever so quiet today and he desperately missed the presence of his dear wife.

Charles stood by his living room window looking past the freshly mowed lawn, to the mailbox that stood at the end of his driveway. The red flag was up so he put on his black rain jacket and slip on shoes and opened the front door. With the aid of a brown wooden cane, he slowly walked down the ramp at the end of the deck. Sam had built the ramp next to the front steps 5 years ago after his dad’s hip replacement surgery. Charles couldn’t use the steps any longer due to sore joints and poor balance. As he walked gingerly down the wooden ramp and onto the paved driveway, he ignored the extreme pain in his knees and hips and focused instead on the welcome distraction of raindrops landing on his face. It felt like a cool shower and he didn’t mind getting a little wet. Once he retrieved the mail, which consisted of the gas bill and his cell phone bill, he cautiously walked back into the house. It was 5pm and that meant dinner time. Just as he was about to open a can of pork and beans, his phone rang. It was Sam.

“Hi dad, what are you up to?”

“Just getting ready for dinner.” Charles replied

“Okay, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to remind you that we are going to come by around noon tomorrow. I can’t wait to see you! Oh, and Sarah is bringing some snacks and she is baking your birthday cake so we are all set.”

“Oh, that will be lovely. I will have the tea made. It’s supposed to be a nice sunny day. I can’t wait to see everyone. Will James and Lily be able to come too?”

“Of course, Dad, they wouldn’t miss their grandpa’s 85th birthday party. We will all be there.”

“Great then, I will rest up for our visit. See you tomorrow!”

Charles hung up the phone, quite excited about seeing his kids the next day, and proceeded to use the can opener on the can of beans. His wrists were weak and he had severe arthritis in his fingers so it took every bit of might he had to turn the handle. After several tries, he finally got it open. He ate his beans on toast and then wandered into the living room, sat down in his dark blue lazy boy recliner, and turned on the TV for the evening news. While his mind was spry and his memory still sharp, his 85-year-old frail body had been drastically declining and he was experiencing relentless pain in every joint. That evening, his pain was the worst it had been since his hip replacement 5 years ago. After watching the news and channel surfing for a couple hours, he decided to take two extra strength Tylenol in addition to his other prescribed medications and vitamin supplements and then headed to bed. It was 9pm and this was his routine bedtime. Just as he got under the soft, cool blankets, Charles felt the worst heartburn he had ever experienced. It was not unusual for him to experience this at bedtime, but that night it felt different, more intense, like a burning ache in his chest. He could feel his heart pounding as his heartrate increased with fear. His breathing became shallow and he felt as if there was a 50-pound weight pushing against his lungs at every breath. Charles endured the excruciating pain for the next 5 minutes fearful of what might be happening. He became worried that he was having a heart attack. In the minutes that followed, his symptoms became worse. He sat up and reached for his phone to dial 911 for an ambulance, but before he could dial, the pain suddenly stopped and his breathing returned to normal. Relieved, he laid back down, closed his eyes and then fell immediately into a deep sleep.

It was 9am when Charles heard his phone ring. He bolted upright out of his slumber, reached surprisingly quick for his phone, and saw that it was Sarah calling. He went to click the answer button but nothing happened. The phone continued to ring until it went to voicemail. As he stared at his phone, he noticed the time and couldn’t believe he had slept that long. His daily routine generally had him up at 7am each morning. Today was different and Charles felt different. He immediately tried to call Sarah back, but his phone would not work when he clicked her number. He tried several times with no luck and just figured there was a glitch with the data on his phone. Charles decided he would try her again after breakfast.

As he swung his legs across the bed to get up, he felt so well rested and so full of energy that he decided he would go for a walk that morning. Charles stood up and found his nice beige dress pants along with a light blue golf shirt. Today was his birthday and he wanted to look his best for when his kids came that afternoon. As he swiftly dressed, he noticed something strange. His joints didn’t hurt at all and his balance was near perfect. It was a miraculous feeling and he found himself in the best mood he had been in ages. It was an amazing to be pain free and having the energy of a 10-year-old at a theme park, he waltzed into the kitchen. What happened next was nothing short of astonishing!

As Charles approached the kitchen, he saw Ginny at the stove cooking scrambled eggs. He noticed the dining room table was set for two with orange juice and toast all ready. He blinked several times. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and then opened them again. He thought he might be hallucinating and as he stepped closer, Ginny turned, smiled at him, and said in the sweetest voice, “Good morning”. Charles decided he must be having some sort of lucid dream. Perhaps he wasn’t really awake. This couldn’t be happening! He responded and asked “How is this happening?” Ginny didn’t respond immediately. She brought the eggs to the table and scooped them out onto the plates. Then said “We better eat before it gets cold.” Charles decided if this was indeed a dream, he was going to enjoy every second of his time with Ginny. He sat down and they had a lovely breakfast and talked about what the kids were up to, what the grandchildren were up to and the beautiful weather. He was really hoping that he didn’t wake up anytime soon as this was the best dream he had ever had! After breakfast, Charles felt so amazing that he asked Ginny to go for a walk with him. It was the most beautiful sunny day with a deep blue sky and puffy white clouds. He didn’t bother to grab his cane on the way out. They walked several kilometers to the park, sat on a bench by an open field, and talked for hours. It was the perfect dream.

Charles became aware of the time as it was approaching noon. In real life, their kids would be coming for his birthday celebration. He wondered if he should get home just in case his dream was to continue as present time. Together, holding hands, they hastily walked back home. Charles wasn’t sure what to expect when the kids walked in. Would they just become part of his dream as well? Would they interact with their mother as if nothing ever happened? He was so curious and definitely did not want to wake up yet. Just as the clock flashed 12:00, Charles noticed Sam’s red mini-van roll into the driveway. He was always so punctual and, in this dream, it was no different. Ginny sat on the sofa and picked up the newspaper and began to flip through the articles. Charles stood by the window and watched as Sam, his wife and two grandchildren, James and Lily, walked up the driveway.

“Dad, we’re here” Sam hollered as he entered the front door.

“No need to shout I’m right here.” Charles eagerly responded.

“Dad, where are you?” Sam walked right by Charles and into the kitchen.

Charles followed him into the kitchen. “Hi Sam, so glad to see you.”

Sam walked by Charles and shouted a little louder. “Dad, where are you? We’re here for your birthday.”

“Sam, I’m right here in front of you!” Charles shouted back.

“Dad? Dad? Dad?”

Charles didn’t know what to think. Were they playing some kind of joke?

“Grandpa we’re here! James and Lily each took turns repeating.

Charles responded once again “I’m right here in the living room with you!”

Sam went downstairs hollering for his dad, while his wife opened the door to the backyard to check for any sign of him. Sam came back upstairs and proceeded to his father’s bedroom. Charles followed.

“Oh my God! No, no, no! Dad, Dad, Dad!”

Charles stood by the doorway and looked on in shock and disbelief.
There lying in his bed, was his own pale, lifeless body. This hadn’t just been a dream. He was now on the other side, together with his Ginny.

CNK

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