Dating : Dreams

…seven…eight…nine…ten.

Exhale.

…nine…ten.

Inhale.

…ten.

Exhale.

I rubbed my wedding ring and smiled.

Glancing to my right, a young lad silently observed my meditation. He shied away when I noticed but I smiled with my eyes, hoping he could read them behind my mask. His mother appeared occupied with her soft-covered novel.

He smiled back and looked out the window next to me, soon lost in the clouds slowly passing.

“Have you ever been on a plane before?” I asked.

He shook his head as his mother peered over.

“Would you like to swap seats?”

The young boy nodded. “Well, you’ll have to ask your mother if it’s okay.”

I looked at her, “It’s your call. I don’t mind an aisle seat.” As her son gave her the moon eyes, she nodded with approval and the three of us chair-swapped.

Without a word, I could feel the “Oohs” and the “Aahs” of the boy as he dreamed his dreams with the fluffy pillows in the sky. It wasn’t hard to smile the rest of the flight, especially when the best part was yet to come.

—

We landed.

I waved farewell to the family of two, found my luggage, and made my way out of the terminal. Eager to find a cab, I stepped into the brisk air, seeing my breathe for the first time in a while. Suddenly…

“Daddy!!”

I turned only fast enough to catch my two little ones in my arms. Shocked and full of joy, I hugged them tenderly as I locked eyes with my lover, whom was walking toward me so gracefully. Forgetting my luggage fallen over, I carry our family over to her and kiss her tenderly. As she rested her hand along my face, all we hear is,

“EWW!”

I can’t help but laugh. They’ve made me the richest man in the world and in my wife’s eyes all I can see is, “God, I missed you.”

–

Correspondence concerning this written work should be addressed to

Jacorry K. Lewis.