Dream Me Home

Marta learns her friend, and love, can enter others' dreams.

         Marta sat alone in her bathroom, knees to her chest. Her black curls dangled down off her shoulders. She held her phone in front of her. Her heart pounded as she typed out message after message and erased it just as quickly. She wanted to let Nadia know how she felt, but she knew it would turn her world upside down. They had been friends their whole lives; would it be worth it to risk breaking that for love? She didn't have the answer. She just sat on the cold tile in silence typing and erasing.
         "You almost done? Dinner is ready," a voice said through the door.
         Marta jumped and nearly launched her phone, "yea ill be right out, sorry." She quickly stood and turned on the sink to break up the silence. She washed her hands and gave herself a long stare down before leaving the bathroom.
         "Oh, babe that looks great!" Marta said as she came into the dining room.
          Tim had made enchiladas with beans and rice and had them served and presented masterfully. "I thought you needed a good meal after having a shitty day," he said.
          "You're too sweet," she said over the lump of guilt in her throat.
          They ate their meal and eventually wound down for bed. Tim fell asleep in less than five minutes as he always did. Marta pulled her phone out and recomposed her message to Nadia, her best and long-time friend. Just as she was about to erase it, her phone slipped from her hand. She quickly recovered and grabbed at it. While flipping the phone back to its normal orientation she saw something that made her heart sink into her stomach. The message had sent. "Shit," she said audibly into the night that only responded by amplifying her words. Tim stirred and rolled onto his side.
          She scrambled and sat up in bed. Three dots appeared on her screen, notifying her that Nadia was typing back. The empty pit in her stomach dug a larger hole as she waited. She watched the three dots move in sequence for what felt like a lifetime.
          Finally, the message came through. Marta began to read and as she did, she began to smile. The corners of her mouth reached as hard as they could for her ears. She was elated and relieved. As if she got to finally drop a sled that she had been pulling her whole life. The two exchanged messages into the night mostly talking about their mutual love for each other. As morning crept, Marta couldn't keep her eye lids from snapping shut any longer. Nadia's final message to her read, 'I'll see you soon,' and she drifted off to sleep.
          "I told you I would see you soon," Nadia said.
          "This is a dream, you aren't actually in front of me," said Marta.
          "I've been able to do this for a while now. Enter other people's dreams."
          Marta took a step back, and a tide of black void writhed around her. Shadows of images and locations ripped around her. "What? How? How would I know this isn't just a dream?"
          Nadia slowly stepped towards her, stealing eye contact until finally standing nose to nose. "Green Olive", she whispered before she slid her nose across Marta's which brought Nadia's lips against hers in a kiss. They embraced and the void of images of places that could-be or would-have-been continued to swirl around them.
          Marta snapped awake to her alarm on her phone. She flipped it over and stopped the alarm only to see she had one message. It was from Nadia, and it read, 'Green Olive'. Marta sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She just stared at the words. She reached up and put her fingers to her lips remembering the kiss.
          Tim flung the bathroom door open in a rush getting ready for work. Marta jumped in a panic. "You ok babe?" Tim asked.
          Marta stuttered at first and caught her breath, "yea. Sorry. Sorry. Just a weird dream."
          "Ok." He kissed her forehead. "I gotta get going. You still seeing Nadia today?"
          "Oh, Nadia. Yea. We are supposed to hang out."
          "Alright, well, have fun."
          And Tim was out the door.



          Marta spent most of her morning going through dress after dress. What was she supposed to wear? She felt so giddy and excited with a dash of terrified. After exclaiming their feelings and everything now out on the table, how would Nadia react to seeing her? Are they supposed to kiss? She felt like she was in high school again going to see her first crush. In many ways, Nadia was always her first crush.
          Marta finally settled on a green sun dress with a small black leather over coat. She gave herself one last look in the mirror before she set out the door to her date.
          Turning the corner towards a small cafwith umbrella covered seating, Marta saw Nadia sitting at one of the tables. She wore jeans and a flowing blue top. Her blonde hair could be spotted from miles away. Nadia's smile melted Marta to the core as she saw her approaching. Nadia stood and they shared an embrace. Marta's mind raced and her heart fluttered as she thought about the dream kiss.
          "How did you do it?" Marta said while finding her chair.
          "That's what you want to talk about?" Nadia asked with a giggle.
          "I mean. We have a lot to figure out and unpack. But Nadia, that was incredible."
          "I don't know, really. I can just do it. If I think about the person and they are actively sleeping, I slip right into their dream."
          A waitress approached and took their orders. Just coffees with sugar and cream.
          "Often they don't remember their dreams," Nadia added.
          Marta sat stunned just studying Nadia. "Do they always know you are there?" she asked.
          "No. That's the best part. I've caught Collin dream cheating so many times."
          They both shared a laugh.
          "Collin's dreams get boring after a while."
          The waiter returned with two coffees and set down a dish of sugars and creamers.
          Marta anxiously ripped open a sugar packet and dumped it into the black oily drink. "Nadia, what about...us?"
          Nadia remained head down staring into her coffee as she stirred it. "Its complicated, Marta. We can't just up and leave our husbands."
          "I know, that's not fair to anyone. But we can't just ignore what we have, right?"
          "I can visit you in your dreams for now. Let's start there, ok?"
          They both enjoyed conversation like it was the first time getting to know each other again. Marta got to re learn who her friend really was, and they could feel their connection run even deeper than a lifetime of friendship together. After the coffee had run dry, they gave a final embrace and went their separate ways. Nadia only lived a couple blocks away from the cafas did Marta but in the other direction.
          Marta got home and was glowing. It was so much for her to process. Was her lifelong friend the love of her life? How was she supposed to love Tim the same way after this? She wasn't sure she knew where to begin but she would handle it the best she could. She looked at herself in the mirror and took a long deep breath in. She exhaled, and with her breath some of the anxieties of the unknown escaped as well.
          Tim came home and Marta gave him an awkward hug and pecked him on the cheek. They ate dinner together and Marta counted down the minutes until bedtime. She couldn't wait to see Nadia again. She took melatonin before laying down and laid on her side attempting to get to sleep as fast as she could. Being this excited took her longer to fall asleep but the melatonin eventually took hold, and she wisped away from this reality.
          A blur of past events rushed by her. Each one raked up emotions and memories. Standing in the middle of it all was Nadia. She approached slowly. "I told you I would meet you here," she said.
          "I feel like I have been asleep for ever waiting for you," Marta said.
          "Time is different in your dreams. We can be alone here though. We can live out entire lives in here."
          "Can you control the dream? Can you take us anywhere?"
          "No, my love. You can. It's your dream."
          Marta concentrated hard and eventually settled on a generic bedroom. It looked more like a hotel room. All the background details were out of focus. The walls distorted and the colors ever changing like the shimmer of a pearl.
          "Details in a dream are mostly up for interpretation," Nadia said. "You recall them when you awake, and your mind fills in the blanks. Its all a little abstract in here."
          "What do you want to do now?" Marta said bashfully.
          "Its your dream," Nadia said as she slipped closer.
          Just as she did Marta felt uneasy. She took a step back and with wide eyes she opened her mouth. A single butterfly flapped its way out and they both watched in terror.
          "What the hell is that?" Martha asked as she stumbled back.
          "Marta listen, your emotion is starting to bleed into your dream. You can reel it back in. Ill show you how to control it."
          Another butterfly escaped and another. Marta ran to the corner of the blurry room, hands over her mouth, and sank into it crying. As she began to cry, she noticed a puddle at her feet growing larger. Nadia came sloshing over and soon the room was half full of salty water.
          "Marta!" Nadia shouted. "This is starting to turn into a nightmare. I won't be able to wake up because its your dream. Ill be trapped here in this version of your nightmare if you wake up before me. Collin is out of town. Come get me." The water continued to fill faster and faster. They were both floating now as the ceiling came ever closer. "Marta," Nadia began to gurgle as her face was now tilted up to gather the last bit of breath before the whole room was submerged.
          Marta snapped awake covered in sweat. Tim was on his side with his back to her. She sprung up out of bed and ran to her door. She ran out into the night. The cold air hugged her with icy arms as she ran as fast as she could down the sidewalk. Her bare feet slapped the pavement, and she made it the four blocks to Nadia's apartment. She ripped the door open to the foyer and made her way to the stairwell. She gasped for breath as she climbed and clawed to the third floor. She grabbed the doorknob of Nadia's front door, but it was locked. She kicked. She kicked again; the shockwave slapped at her knee. She kicked a third time, and the door exploded open. Wooden shrapnel sent into the entry way.
          Marta ran into Nadia's bedroom where she lay on the bed alone, her back arched up and her body spasming. Marta jumped up on to the bed laden with silk sheets and slid to Nadia. She shook her shoulders violently. "Wake up," she shouted. She shook her a second time and finally Nadia sat up. As she did, she projectile vomited water. After the water escaped, she took in a long rattling gasp of air and fell onto her back into Marta's arms. Marta sobbed clutching her true love. Nadia coughed and wheezed and began to laugh.
          They spent the night laying on wet silken sheets just holding on to each other. Neither of them knew what tomorrow would hold. They didn't know how to explain any of this, but in that very moment, they were together.