Man of My Dreams

         In his arms looking up into his vibrant blue eyes, with the music of a 120 waltz in my ears and the swish of yellow chiffon around my legs, I was in heaven.  He was so handsome in his white dinner jacket and black bow tie, his dark wavy hair just a shade too long.  Dance after dance, we were together, with only brief separations to honor my dance card.  He was attentive and funny, and I enjoyed the envious looks from my friends as they danced by in the arms of their escorts.  All too soon, the last song was announced, the floor filling with other couples, the gentlemen in evening clothes, and the ladies in full-skirted dresses in the colors of the rainbow.  Flashes of light came from the jewelry worn at throat and ear, adding to the splendor of the evening.  When the orchestra struck its final note, the couples gave a round of applause.  He placed my stole around my shoulders, his hands brushing my skin briefly before he offered his arm to lead me outside.  On the sidewalk, with the twinkling stars above us, he kissed my hand.  And the alarm went off. 
         Darn!  He's gone.  I will miss his sparkling eyes, his dimpled smile, until I see him again.  Meanwhile, I have to earn a living, so I hurry to the shower, tossing my yellow sleep shirt on the floor, and gaze longingly at the bed and my sleeping cat as I go off to work.  It seems to take forever to get to work in the warm June rain, and I get into my cubicle just as the clock shows 8:30.  My dripping umbrella splashed my desk, so I dry it with a tissue, glancing at my hand as if I could see the marks of his lips there.  The phone rings, plunging me into the day's work.  A customer service rep talks all day long, and the day goes fast.  In the blink of an eye it is lunchtime, another blink and it is 5:00.  As I leave the building, the sun peeks tentatively through the clouds, as I go to the corner bistro to meet Sharon for dinner.  I wonder how long it will be until I can break away and return to my apartment, hopefully to see Allen again. 
         Sharon is not only my sister, but my best friend.  We meet for dinner every Monday to catch up with each other's lives.  She has arrived ahead of me, and the diamond on her left hand sparkles as she waves to me from the table.  Her short blond hair and upturned nose give her a pert look, and the gold earrings frame her face perfectly.  We are a contrast in coloring-she the tall, slender blonde and me, short and chubby with mousy hair and hazel eyes.  I used to feel invisible when I went out with her, but now that I have Allen, I feel like an equal.  How much self-confidence I have now, knowing that a man loves me.  And not just any man, a very handsome one.  "Are you and Frank still dating," Sharon asked me.  "No, I am seeing someone else," I replied with a small smile.  "He must be something, from the look on your face.  Anyone I know?"  "No, I don't think you know him," I demurred, changing the subject.  How would she feel if she knew that the man I'm in love with is only a dream?  Would she think I've gone off the deep end?  If Mom were alive, I could talk to her and she would understand, but Sharon takes after our dad. It is after nine when I finally unlock the door of my apartment, tired. 
         I remove my make-up, don my pink nightgown, the one with the soft white lace, crawl into bed and set the TV timer for an hour.  My kitty curls up beside me as the pregnant woman on the weather channel gives the latest on the storms bearing down on Missouri.  Tired, I close my eyes.  Almost immediately, I hear the strains of a waltz, and when I open my eyes, Allen is sitting near me on a stone bench, a broad expanse of lawn falling away in front of us.  The peace roses directly behind us scent the air, and the music comes from the open French doors of the house to our left.  The setting sun gives Allen a ruddy look.  His navy blue suit and pink shirt might as well be made of chain mail, for he is my knight in shining armor.  He whispers, "We must return, for they will be missing us," and clasps my hand, silently bidding me rise.  My tea length dress of soft pink lawn with wide white lace on the hem makes a nice complement to his shirt, and I think what a handsome couple we make.  We walk across the stone porch, my heels making a 'click' on the floor, and enter the house to join in the dancing and fun.  Once again, we dance all night, except for the few times when we must be sociable with friends.  At the end of the evening he tells me that dancing agrees with me, for my eyes are sparkling and my cheeks glow.  "You are a beautiful woman," he whispers in my ear as he helps me into his car, "and I was the luckiest man here tonight."  At my parents' home, he slips his arm around me as we stroll up the sidewalk to the front door, unwilling to let this magical evening end.  He puts his finger under my chin and raises my face to his, his blue eyes gazing into mine, and gives me a gentle kiss, our first kiss.  And the alarm goes off again.
         I still feel like dancing, but the only dance I do is into the shower to prepare for another day of work.  As I make coffee, Pansy rubs against my legs purring, reminding me to fill her bowl before I leave the apartment.  For once the bus is on time, and my regular morning driver greets me.  Frank is tall and slender, with dark hair and eyes, good-looking really, and we dated for about six months.  As he helps me out of the bus at work, he says, "I've missed you.  Do you want to see a movie on Saturday?"  "Frank, I already have plans," I respond gently, seeing his expression change slightly.  "Thanks for the ride."  I feel his eyes on me for a moment as I enter my building.  Thank God for automatic doors!  I like Frank, but there's something missing when I'm with him.  The rest of the week goes as the first-I work all day, and spend most of my nights with Allen.  On Tuesday we rent ATV's at the Metro Park and spend the day driving around the courses laid out in the park.  Wednesday we go to the museum of natural history and look at rocks, dinosaur bones, and dried plant life.  Allen buys me a cat's eye ring in the gift shop.  My heart leaps for joy, hoping one day he will replace it with something more valuable.  Thursday we go to the zoo, and I get some wonderful pictures of white tigers with my 10x zoom camera.  As he takes me home, he invites me for a wonderful weekend starting tomorrow.  He and his brother have rented a lake front cottage, and we will be staying there with Paul and his fiancé.  "Pack your bikini," he urges as he walks me to the door.  "Paul is bringing his boat and I will teach you to water ski." 
         I open my eyes at the sound of the alarm clock, and wonder for a second where I am.  Oh!  I am in my room.  The clock says it's Friday, and Pansy is in my face, meowing for breakfast.  It is so hard to swing my legs out of the bed today, after all that walking, but I do, and meet Frank at the bus stop.  "Candi, are you feeling all right?" he asks.  "You seem to be losing weight."  "I am?" I ask.  "Well, I have been busy, and doing a lot of walking."  Frank gives me a strange look, but only says, "Sure you don't want to change your mind about tomorrow?" as he helps me off the bus.  "Perhaps another time, Frank," I reply and wheel to the door of the building.  The elevator is crowded, and almost everyone has to get off so I can get out, but I make it to my cubicle ahead of the clock.  Janet, my boss, sticks her head in to say hello and then asks me if I'm losing weight.  I say I don't think so, but after she leaves I realize that my pants do seem to be a little looser.  That's great, I think, taking the first call of the day.
         Back home at the end of the day, I pack my bikini and towel with some clothes for the weekend.  Pansy jumps on the bed and begs for attention, and I absently pet her furry head.  Whoops!  I forgot to leave extra food for her while I'm gone!  I dash to the kitchen and put out extra food and water.  That should hold her until Sunday night!  I lie back on the bed, set the TV timer for an hour and wait for Allen to show up.  I hope our plans include dinner.
         Nothing can beat hot dogs cooked on sticks over an open fire on the beach.  The beach patrol made us put the fire out, so we will be using the grill for the rest of the weekend.  Paul and Betsy have gone for a walk down the beach, leaving us alone.  Sitting in the sand with Allen, drinking hot coffee from the thermos, listening to the waves wash onto the shore and gazing at the stars, I wish I could be with him always.  The next day we got up late, and headed out to the dock.  We loaded our coolers into the boat and Paul started up the big inboard.  First we just rode around the lake for a couple of hours, then Allen took the wheel and Paul put on water skis.  He popped right up when Allen hit the gas, and skied up for about 15 minutes, falling when he hit the wash of another boat.  Then it was Allen's turn.  He's not as good as his brother, but much better than anyone I have ever seen, except in the shows at theme parks.  Betsy was a little nervous, but she had a great time.  Finally Allen said it's my turn, and we jumped into the water.  He showed me how to fit my feet into the skis and how to hold the rope, and said he'd ride behind me for a little bit until I get the hang of it.  He reminded Paul to take it easy on me.  As the big boat began to move, Allen showed me how to bend my knees and pop up out of the water.  The wind in my hair was exhilarating, and we skied for what seemed like hours, but in only a few minutes we fell, laughing, into the lake.  And I knew that I love water skiing as much as I love Allen!  We ate lunch from our cooler, drifting in the middle of the lake, and then skied until almost sunset.  Back at the beach house, we had wine coolers with our hamburgers and chips.  Sunday is much the same, except I am much better on the skis and can stay up longer.  Allen thinks he is a great teacher, and so do I.  Sunday night we have sub sandwiches and sodas, then stroll down the beach, holding hands.  As the stars come out, the alarm goes off.
         Monday morning already!  He didn't even have time to ask me out again.  Pansy is meowing, demanding food, and I see that her bowls are empty.  I am running late and arrive at work at ten.  Janet sees me come in and asks me to come to her office.  She gets right to the point.  "Candace," she says, "are you all right?  You have lost a lot of weight, and you didn't even call off yesterday.  I was concerned, because you always call if you aren't coming in to work.  And today you are late."  "But, today's Monday," I replied.  "No, Candace, today is Tuesday.  Now, promise me that you will at least see a doctor if this continues."  "I'm sorry, Janet.  I think my alarm clock is off.  I won't be late again," I promised.  "Don't scare me like that again," Janet said as I wheeled out of her office.  What's that all about, I wondered as I made my way to my cubicle.  But the phone was ringing, so I put it out of my head. 
         Sharon remarked on my weight loss at dinner, and I assured her that I'm fine.  "Well," she winked, "people always say that you lose weight when you're in love.  When can I meet this mystery man, anyway?"  "Soon," I promised, weakly.  What would she think if I told her about the water skiing?  She has been protective of me since I gave her Mom's key to my apartment.  I worried about her reaction until Allen stopped over and suggested we go to a square dance in town.  The evening was still young when the dancing was over, so we went to Nowhere, a little bar tucked in the back of a book store, sat at a high table for two, and had a beer.  Allen was serious as I told him of my conversation with my boss.  "Being with me won't get you in trouble, will it?" he asked.  "No, of course not," I replied.  "But I don't know how I missed going in to work yesterday."  "If you would move in with me, you wouldn't have to work there any more," he stated, his blue eyes larger than life.  "You know I don't believe in that," I said, looking down at my glass.  "Then marry me, Candi."  I looked up, surprised.
         He slid off the stool and dropped to one knee.  Taking my hand, he said, "Candace Marie, will you be my wife?"  The room began to spin slightly, the sounds of the bar far away.  "Yes," I breathed.  "Yes."  I heard applause.  Looking around, I saw that every eye in the room was on us, and people were clapping.  Embarrassed, I blushed.  So did Allen.  Someone bought us a drink, then another.  It was the happiest day, or evening, of my life.  I wasn't even sad when the alarm went off again.
         Pansy was licking my face.  She jumped off the bed and ran to the kitchen and her bowl.  I was dressing when the phone rang.  Janet said, "Candace, are you coming in to work today?"  "Well, yes," I replied.  "It's not even seven o'clock yet.  Why are you calling?"  "It's Thursday, Candace.  I don't know what's going on, but please come to my office when you get in."  And she hung up.  Thursday?  It can't be.  But the woman on the weather channel said it was.  Have I been sleeping all that time?  And not feeding my Pansy?  No, there has to be another reason.
         "Candi, I don't know what's happening to you, but you can't keep this up.  I need reliable people here, and if you have a problem, human resources have a number you can call for some help.  If it is physical, see your doctor.  But, please, do something.  I can't run my department like this, and you have been such a good worker I would hate to have to write you up."  Janet looked like she meant it, too.  "I'm sorry, Janet," I whispered, head down. "I have been having some dreams and can't seem to wake up in the morning.  I will talk to human resources.  Do you mind if I go now?"  "That's fine, Candi.  Take all the time you need," she said as I left her office.  But as I got into the elevator, I changed my mind, went to the ground floor, and caught the first bus for home. 
         Pansy was curled up on the bed, and I lay down beside her, petted her a little, and closed my eyes.  The flash from the diamond shone on the wall of the jewelry store as I removed the cat's eye ring from my finger and Allen replaced with a one carat center stone, with baguettes on the shoulders and tiny sapphires, my birthstone, burnished into the crown.  "It's beautiful," I breathed, looking into Allen's eyes.  "Quit your job and move in with me," he begged, and I nodded, willing to give up anything to be with him forever.
         "Tell me again how you found her," asked the officer, his notebook at the ready.  "I have a key to her apartment because of her disability," Sharon said.  "When she wasn't at work and didn't answer the phone at home, I let myself in."  "What did she say about this man?"  "Just that she wasn't seeing her old boyfriend Frank any more, that she had a new one.  I don't even know his name."  Sharon began to cry again, and Pansy rubbed against her leg.  The officer asked, "What about the diamond ring? It looks like it cost a fortune."  "She must have gotten engaged since I saw her Monday," Sharon replied.  "She was happy for me when I got engaged, and I never got to share her news," and she wept again, looking at the empty wheelchair beside the bed. 


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