A Short Dream - Short Story
I know loneliness. I know it every well. Most of my life, I spent wandering from city to city hoping that I can come across someone who would effortlessly walk into my life and continue walking by my side. Don’t get me wrong though, I do not wallow in the fact I am lonely, but rather accept that it is a part of my existence. When someone asks me if I ever fallen in love, I tell them that I only fell in love once. In nearly thirty years of my life, I only knew love once.
Throughout my years, I only had one girlfriend, but this story isn’t about her. I didn’t love her. I left her before her High School infatuation became a love she would talk about for the rest of her life. To cut the bullshit, women came naturally for me. I must partly thank my good for nothing parents for the genes, and the other was that I knew how to talk to women. I dated, and I was good at that. I’m not saying that I didn’t want something serious, but I just knew if it were going to happen, I’d just feel it. I’d know it. It just didn’t happen for the longest time. Until then, I must apologize for all those girls. They meant nothing to me, just another distraction from the loneliness we all experience.
When love happened, I couldn’t say it was a day that was particularly out of the ordinary, but I must say love does make the day out of the ordinary. A few days before my evaluation for a promotion I been busting my ass off for, I attended a company party. I came right after work, work being six hours overtime. It was nearly 1am when I arrived. I disregarded the formalities and went straight towards the bar. I quickly downed three shots of Jack.
I ordered a double of Jack on the rocks before I decided to leave the bar and look for any familiar faces. I quickly scanned the room for friends and potential companions for the night. My eyes gravitated towards a woman wearing a backless red dress that tightly contoured her body. She stood by the bar at the opposite side of the room. Even though it was dark, I was certain she was incredibly beautiful. There was no doubt in my mind. I stared and waited for an opportunity to approach her. For not even a full second, she caught my glance, and then she continued talking to her friend. It was my signal. I only had one minute to approach her before my window was closed. I approached her the same way I approached many others before her.
“Did you know the average woman decides if she’s willing give her number to a man within the first 15 seconds of meeting him. I just wasted those 15seconds. So how about it?” I said.
She glanced at her friend, smiled, and agreed without saying a word. She took a pen out and wrote her information.
I glanced at the napkin and said, “It was a pleasure crossing into you Katelyn.”
I didn’t make her out to be a Katelyn, but I thanked her and walked outside the room. With the same Jack in hand, I went to the balcony to get a fresh breathe of air. Katelyn, I thought to myself, is a beautiful name. I grew increasingly fond of the name. If I ever had a baby girl, I would have liked to name her Katelyn. It’s odd to think of children when I haven’t even had a serious relationship yet. I laughed quietly to myself. I sipped ever so slowly as I stared at the view of the city. Jeff really went all out on this party I thought to myself.
A soft, feminine voice asked, “San Francisco’s beautiful, isn’t it.”
“Very much so. It’s my favorite city in America.” I responded without releasing my focus from the night sky.
After a few moments of silence she asked, “Does this normally work for you? Do all women end up following you outside?”
“To be honest, they seldom follow me out. What brings you here Katelyn?” I smiled arrogantly.
“Curiosity.”
“That’s a very honest answer. That’s something I never get. At least at events like this.”
“I’m an honest girl. I pride myself on honesty.”
“Then let me ask you a question, want to get out of here and cut the bullshit? It’s obvious you don’t want to be here anymore otherwise you’d still be with your friend inside.”
She grabbed my hand, and began furiously walking towards the elevator. My drink rushed down my throat not wasting a single drop.
“My cousin can’t see me leave. We have to hurry. By the way, I’m hungry. Know of a place”
“Like Thai?”
“Love Thai!”
We took a cab to King of Thai. My libido was getting the best of me. Though we were about to get a bite to eat, all I could of think of was going home with her. The cab ride was quiet. She took a quick nap while I prevented myself from staring. God, she was beautiful.
I woke her up when we got to the restaurant. She exited the cab and adjusted her dress, a sight that I replayed over and over again. I followed shortly after her. I wasn’t sure where this night was heading towards, but I was flexible. I had the next day off anyways.
“I’m sorry.” She said politely
“What for?”
“All of this. My cousin was about to embarrass me.”
“That wasn’t your friend?”
“She’s my cousin. She works with you, I think.”
“Never seen her.” I laughed
“It’s okay, she’s the reserved type unless she’s drunk, but in any case what’s your name stranger?”
“It’s about time you asked me for my name. It’s Ryan.” I said with a smirk.
“It’s a pleasure crossing into you as well, Ryan.” Katelyn said in the softest voice I ever heard. I’m not sure, but I think my heart skipped a beat at that moment.
Over the next hour we skipped the formalities. I didn’t get to know her favorite color. I didn’t learn why she was in the city or why she was at that party. What I did learn about Katelyn was that she dreamt of being a Broadway actress, that her kindness extended not only to me but also others, that in high school she was an incredibly awkward kid. She showed me pictures of times before she blossomed into this beautiful that sat before me. Katelyn was right; she was an honest person.
After our late night dinner, I offered to take her home. Like other nights and so many girls, she too agreed. I called for a cab and accompanied her. During the cab ride, I wrapped my arms around her. We didn’t know each that well, but holding her felt like the most natural thing in the world. In my arms, she slowly dosed off again. For the first time in a very long time, I felt like I was at peace. The entire time I was with her I didn’t even think about work. The cab seemed far too short though it was nearly a 30-minute drive. When we hit the Mission, I delicately shook her shoulders.
“Sorry, I have a bad habit of falling asleep in car rides.”
“It’s not a problem. It’s cute actually.”
She gave a rather glare of disbelief as I smirked.
As Katelyn gave the last bit of directions to get to her place, I contemplated if I was really going to go through with it. I knew if I wanted anything serious with this woman I couldn’t sleep with her tonight. It didn’t take long or much hesitation. I decided that I was just going to take her home and call her in a couple of days. The cab parked in front of a small house on top of the Mission. She paid for the cab as I patiently waited. As she got out of the cab, she asked, “Aren’t you getting out?”
Instinctively, I got out of the cab. I thought to myself I’d just walk her to her door and catch the next cab. I’m not certain why, maybe because I already loved her then, but I was incredibly nervous as I walked her to her door. It was a very unfamiliar feeling. Dozens of girls and I never felt nervous till then. She took out her keys and paused for a moment. In that one moment of hesitation, I kissed her. She kissed me back as my hands moved to the side of her face. I held her face hoping that this kiss would never end. God knew I didn’t want to stop kissing her, but we both needed to catch our breath. I had to say good-bye before my libido got the best of me.
“Good night, Katelyn. I hope to see you again.” I took out the napkin and said, “I’ll give you a call sometime.”
I took a few steps before I heard, “Wait, Ryan. I don’t want this night to end. At least not yet.” Katelyn grabbed my hand and pulled me inside her home.
We made love that night though we had no intention of actually sleeping with each. For the first hour or so we continued our conversation where it left off at King of Thai. We connected in a way that I couldn’t really explain. We rambled endlessly about the most insignificant subjects, but we both found it meaningful. Sleeping with each other was just an extension of our connection. The gentle kisses, the soft caress of her hands, and feeling of her breathe on my neck all seemed surreal. We made love till exhaustion.
When I woke up the following day, she was still peacefully sleeping. I imagined her dreams to be wonderful in nature for she had the slightest smile as she slept. It didn’t take her long before she too woke up.
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost noon.” I said. “Wanna catch lunch?”
“Can’t. I got work in a couple of hours. I have to get ready actually.”
“I do have business to take care of as well.” I lied. I wanted to spend the day with her but I didn’t want to over stay my welcome.
We got dressed. She put some jeans and a white V-neck shirt while I wore the same suit I wore last night.
As we left her place, she asked, “Can I see the napkin?”
I handed her the napkin, and she tore it up. I didn’t really know how to react, but I was disappointed.
“How am I suppose to contact you?”
“ You don’t Ryan.”
“I want to see you again.” I said sincerely.
“I want to see you again, too, but…” I knew she meant it. Her eyes began to water up, but she stopped herself before an actual tear formed.
“Let’s just have this one night. This might be the best night of my life, and I don’t want us to ruin it.” She said empathically.
I just kept silent.
“Ryan, I don’t know if this means anything, but I loved being with you. How we are now is perfect. If we ever see each other again, it can only ruin this perfect night. If I can have this perfect memory of us, I can believe once again that love can really exist in its purest form.”
I nodded and said, “Good-bye, Katelyn. I guess this is where I thank for this short dream.”
“Good-bye, Ryan. I love you.” Katelyn said with a regretful smile.
Before I could respond, all I could see was the white back of her shirt. I didn’t want to accept it then, but I loved her, words I never got to say.
Over the years, the memory began to slowly fade. At some point, I won’t be able to recall in detail what happened that night. It’s a truth I’m learning to accept. Even now after five years, I can’t recall her touch, her smell, or even how my heart responded when we made love. What I do vividly remember was her smile as we parted ways, a regretful smile. It is a smile I share with her now.
