My Soldier

My Soldier

I was in a large tent in the middle of the desert. Surrounding me were men and women in all sorts of colorful wrappings and jewelry. The women all had raven black hair, that was braided down their backs and laced with beads and leather strips. There was a small campfire inside the tent and there was music; wonderful, fast paced, Middle-Eastern flavored music, with trilling flutes, tambourines and sitar type instruments.

The women and men were dancing in a large circle around the fire. Happy and smiling, they seemed to be celebrating something. I felt my eyelids grow heavy from dancing and stepped out in the night air. It was stifling and still and the pitch black sky was peppered with stars. There, on the North side of the tent stood an army soldier in full uniform, tall and slender, with dark blonde hair. His features were ordinary, he was neither handsome nor unattractive. I stood beside the soldier, who was at least head and shoulders taller than I.

We struck up a conversation, but I don’t remember what we talked about. I do remember thinking that some day I would meet a man similar to this soldier. I knew this man would be significant, and he would have a profound effect on my life.

Later on, I did marry a man with dark blonde hair and ordinary features. He didn’t resemble the soldier in my dream, but after a year of marriage, we were going through some old photographs. I found a picture of a young boy, about thirteen, in an army type uniform. This lad DID resemble my soldier, almost uncannily.
It was my husband at age thirteen, in an air cadet uniform. It was a goosebump inducing moment!

Unfortunately, the marriage didn’t last, but the boy in the uniform gave me two beautiful children and what I consider a lifelong friendship. So I guess in essence the dream did come true!