Dream Clues - Chapter 2

Author's Note: Other chapters are available for your review.
Prologue: "Dream Clues - Prologue" 
Chapter 1: "Dream Clues - Chapter 1" 
Chapter 2: "Dream Clues - Chapter 2" 
Chapter 3: "Dream Clues - Chapter 3" 

Dream Clues - Chapter 2

Scene: Restaurant.

Sandra Parker sat alone at the table gazing out of the restaurant window. She is nicely proportioned for a 36 year old. Her brunette hair is shoulder length that makes her look taller than her 5-foot-6 height. She is dressed in newly dry-cleaned blue jeans and a red sweater. She loved to have her blue jeans dry-cleaned. They may feel slightly stiff when she first puts them on, but she believes that they look professional with the ironed in seams.

The sun was high in the pre-Spring sky. The air outside was cool and crisp, but Sandra did not mind. This only meant that soon the azaleas and dogwood trees would soon be in full bloom. She loved springtime in the south. The vibrant colors and fragrant smells would soon fill her senses. The only bad part about spring in the south was the pollen. Fortunately, Sandra had not been affected by the pollen like many of her friends and family. Other than having to wash the yellow particles off her car on a weekly basis, it was not too bad.

Her mothers’ friend, Hazel Andrew, had contacted Sandra. Hazel wanted her to meet her and her husband Marcus for lunch. Hazel had frantically explained to Sandra over the phone that she had been concerned about her husband of twenty-seven years. He had not been sleeping well for weeks and it was starting to affect his job and their usually pleasant marriage. That is why she insisted that Marcus talk with her friends’ daughter, Sandra, for some dream consulting. Sandra was a renowned dream analyst in Atlanta.

Hazel had known Sandra through her Beta Sigma Phi sorority. Beta Sigma Phi is an international non-academic sorority for women. Sandra’s mother had been a lifetime member. She had brought Sandra to several meetings before she and her husband moved to Tampa last year. Hazel was convinced that once Marcus was able to understand his reoccurring dream, he could finally put it behind him, return to peaceful sleep, and regain their peace of minds.

Sandra found herself daydreaming of her college days at the University of Georgia. Sandra remembered that after earning her Doctor of Philosophy degree from UGA, her friends were surprised when she decided to focus her practice on dream analysis. Many of her classmates felt that analyzing dreams should be left to soothsayers and mystics, not educated people. Sandra disagreed. She had always been intrigued by the subconscious, and in particular, dreams. Though she did not support Sigmund Freud’s stance relating dreams to sexual repression, some of the other renowned dream analysts like Carl Jung, James Hillman, and Judith Orloff, captured her interests. She believed that if people could decipher their dreams, they could solve many of their waking problems.

Sandra found that analyzing dreams, with her years of practice, eventually became very easy – almost routine. She learned that dreams appear to follow a very distinct logical pattern. The trick was to uncover the real-life waking clues to map back to the symbols and metaphors presented within the dream for the particular individual. The meaning of the dream would be revealed once all of the clues were identified.

“Hey, Sandra thanks for meeting with us at such short notice.”

Sandra looked away from the window toward a short and stocky, broad-faced woman wearing a floral dress and practical shoes standing next to the table. Hazel was only 62 years old, but Sandra thought that she looked much older. She assumed that it must have been related to too many hours spent tanning in the hot Georgia sun. The color of her hair really caught Sandra’s attention. It was almost completely gray, but the balance of salt and pepper colors was simply beautiful. Sandra assumed that was probably why Hazel did not color her hair like many of Hazel’s friends.

Sandra pushed out her chair and approached Hazel. They exchanged a friendly hug and Sandra turned to the man standing behind Hazel.

Hazel reached down and held Sandra’s hand as she introduced her husband. “Sandra, this is my husband, Marcus.” Sandra stepped around Hazel and extended her hand toward Marcus. Marcus took her hand in his and said, “It’s nice to finally meet you Sandra. Hazel has told me so much about you and your mother.”

Sandra had never met Marcus before. She thought to herself that his appearance did not seem to fit with Hazel. He was at least 6-foot-1 with a young, muscular frame. His face seemed worn and he appeared to look tired, but other than that, you really could not tell that he was 58 years old. He could have easily passed for a much younger man. Even his brown hair did not seem to have any visible gray hairs and his green eyes were mesmerizing. In addition, he looked good in his worn blue jeans and blue long-sleeved polo shirt.

A cordial smile formed on Sandra’s face. “It’s nice to finally meet you too, Marcus. Please, ya’ll have a seat and join me.” Sandra waved for them to select a chair and be seated.

As they were taking their seats, Sandra recalled that Hazel always had some excuse why her husband did not attend the annual sorority Christmas party. Sandra always attended this sorority function with her mother and father. She thought this was odd behavior, because the Christmas party was always the highlight of the year. The food and cocktails were always the best of the best. She wondered why Marcus’ job was so important that it would keep him away from such a fun and social event.

The waiter arrived at their table, reviewed the daily lunch special, took their drink orders, and departed. Once he left the table, Sandra looked over at Marcus and said, “So tell me Marcus, what is keeping you up at night?”

Marcus took a sip of water from his glass and looked over at Sandra. “Well, for the past couple of weeks I’ve been having these bizarre nightmares. Hazel told me to write them all down. She said that would help you figure out what was really going on with me and help me fix this.” Marcus handed a small notebook over to Sandra.
Sandra reached over and took the notebook from Marcus. She sat the notebook next to her tableware and looked over at Marcus.

“Well Marcus, keeping a Dream Journal is only the first step in trying to understand what is really going on. It is a way to capture what the subconscious mind is trying to tell us. Many dreams, or nightmares using your words, have many imbedded symbols and metaphors, which I refer to as dream clues. In other words, your mind is trying to tell you something. The second component is to work closely with you and Hazel to try and better understand these dream clues. Typically, working together, we can decipher and map these clues to experiences from your waking conscious mind.” Sandra smiled at Hazel and Marcus. “It is great that you have already started capturing your dreams.”

Marcus leaned forward, positioned his elbows on the table, folded his hands, and placed his mouth on his hands. After a moment, he lifted his head and whispered, “I’m not a big believer in all of this hocus-pocus parapsychology crap, Sandra. I’m a practical man. I’m only here because Hazel insisted that I come. Convince me that I’m not wasting my time here.”

Hazel looked over at her husband. She could feel her face flush red with embarrassment. “Marcus, be nice. Sandra is here because I called her. Listen to what she has to say, for God’s sake.” Marcus continued to gaze at Sandra as if Hazel had not spoken.

Sandra sat back in her chair and looked inquisitively at Marcus. After a moment, she leaned forward toward Marcus. “Okay, I’ll take that challenge, Marcus. How many dreams have you captured in your Dream Journal?”

Marcus leaned back in his chair. “Four.”

“Give me the weekend to review your journal. Allow me to call you if I have any clarifying questions. If, after Monday, I have not provided you with a clear understanding of your dreams, we’re done. Do we have a deal?” Sandra looked over at Marcus waiting for his response.

Marcus pondered his response. “We have a deal, Sandra. Come over to our house at noon on Monday. You can provide me your analysis results and Hazel will fix lunch.” Marcus paused. “Remember, Sandra, the clock is ticking here.” His expression seemed cold and calculating. This made Sandra feel uncomfortable for some reason, but she could not figure out why.

The waiter returned to the table with their drinks. They ordered their lunch and had casual conversation as they ate their food. Hazel tried to smooth the tension at the table with small talk. She told several stories of past sorority events involving Sandra’s mother, but all Sandra could think about was Marcus’ odd behavior and the challenge. She wanted to rush home and begin her dream analysis, but that would be rude. She had to wait.

Author's Note: Other chapters are available for your review.
Prologue: "Dream Clues - Prologue" 
Chapter 1: "Dream Clues - Chapter 1" 
Chapter 2: "Dream Clues - Chapter 2" 
Chapter 3: "Dream Clues - Chapter 3"