Drift off to Dream

“Tabi no!”
My rambunctious two-year-old black lab and golden retriever mix darted off across the park. Though her name means “journey” in Japanese, she would be more appropriately called Houdini. Upon seeing the beautiful blonde woman 100 yards away, Tabi performed a skilled 270 degree gyration, shirking out of her collar and leash. I hauled my 230-pound frame after her, begging our apologies as soon as I thought I was within ear shot of the woman. Even though she was minding her own business, leaning against the fence looking at the solar panels in Fantasy Park, she didn’t seemed bothered by Tabi’s incessant jumping and licking. Trotting up to them, calling Tabi off, I stopped mid-sentence as I gazed into the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen. Her smile was striking as she looked up at me from her 5 foot 6 inches of height. Skintight blue jeans wrapped around a perfect figure and dove into brown cowboy boots. Tan arms and hands tucked a hair behind her ear as she matched my stare. Sensing my weakness, Tabi slinked back over to the blonde angel for more nose scratches.
“I’m so sorry,” I managed to get out as I attempted to shake the stunned look off my face. I felt like a teenage boy, shy at a middle school dance.
She seemed to see right through me and with a sly grin replied, “It’s o.k., she’s just being friendly.”
Tabi gave me a “am I in trouble?” look as she continued to indulge in the glorious scratches coming her way. Smiling up at her new friend, she seemed to say “check out my blonde roots, aren’t I pretty?”
“Thank you,” I said. Extending my hand I added, “my name is Crosby, and you’ve already met Tabi, or should I say Houdini.” At the sound of her name the furry little maniac low-crawled over to me, submitting herself for collar reinstallation.
The blonde angel replied, “I’m Olivia, pleasure to meet you both.”
Trying to keep her eyes my way, I said “I hope she didn’t get your clothes dirty, I haven’t figured out how many treats it takes to keep her from jumping on people.”
“It’s really o.k., I love dogs and she really is a sweetheart.”
Like the little vixen she is, Tabi took this compliment as her cue to roll onto her back for some tummy rubs.
“Tabi and I were headed to Starbuck’s over on the Strip if you’d care to join us. Buying you a coffee is the least I can do since she interrupted your in depth observation of the solar farm.”
Much to my surprise, she only took a moment to smile again and say, “sure, why not. We’re in Vegas right?” Moments later, the three of us were walking into the Las Vegas sunset. There had been scant time for me to digest the past fifteen minutes but I snuck some inside my brain time as we chatted quietly walking down East Washington towards the Strip. Tabi, with her doggie Spidey sense, was on her best behavior, nearly acting like she was good on a leash. The walk was only about five minutes and I’d made little progress trying to figure out why this beautiful lady was hanging out alone looking at a solar panel farm, in a random park a few blocks off the Vegas strip. I’d made even less headway determining why she agreed to go have coffee with a total stranger and his crazy dog.
Olivia waited outside with Tabi at a table while I went inside to order. She wanted a venti non-fat pumpkin spice latte with extra whip to go with my venti non-fat caramel macchiato. I was encouraged by her choice of venti, hoping it meant she wouldn’t mind talking awhile. As I came back to the table with our drinks and a bottle of water and a treat for Tabi, Tabi looked up with those soulful brown eyes and all but said, “Can we keep her?”
We spent the next thirty minutes or so covering the safe stuff, jobs- she was a lawyer, hometowns- she was from San Diego, and favorite part of Vegas- she loved the penny slots. Without trying to talk too much about myself, I shared what I could of my career in the Navy, my Virginia upbringing, and the fact I really only came to Vegas for the golf. At the mention of the Navy, she quickly looked away, and I thought I caught a touch of moisture in her eyes. We danced around any relationship type questions. I wasn’t sure if it was some sort of “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” scenario, or if she assumed it was for me, but any time the conversation started to get close to “are you married / seeing someone,” a dark cloud would drift over her. Time would stand still and she’d disappear for a moment. Though she would quickly recover, I knew there was much more to her than someone perhaps looking for a romantic rendezvous on vacation.
As obvious as it should have been, we were well into our first hour together before I asked her what she’d been doing in Fantasy Park. Tabi and I often went there because it was not usually crowded and she could run off leash for hours, chasing lizards and rabbits as they wandered through her track. At the mention of the park, Olivia threw back her cup, finishing her coffee and said, “I’m hungry, do you know anywhere to eat that will let us keep Tabi near the table?”
“Italian or burgers,” I replied.
“Burgers,” she said.
“Burgers it is, we can go to Fatburger down near the MGM, Tabi loves the lights and the fries.”
We grabbed a cab and continued our bizarre journey as she took my hand, pointing out the neon signs she loved most. Not the least bit surprised by any of this, Tabi laid her head on our intertwined fingers and tried not to break the spell. A tectonic shift of some kind occurred in Olivia when I’d mentioned the park and I was now dying to know what had caused it. Much too soon our cab ride ended as the cabbie pulled over in front of Fatburger. We secured one of the outside tables as the grandest of Las Vegas nights throbbed around us. The sidewalks were thronged with early evening revelers, more than a few passed close enough to love on Tabi. As the waited arrived to take our drink order, Olivia rested her hand on my arm and said, “I hope you don’t mind, but this girl likes her beer.”
My ever-growing smile answered her question as she took the lead and ordered two Shock Top drafts. Our beers arrived and we ordered our burgers, the best in Vegas some would say. Olivia raised her glass and toasting me said, “To many answered and unanswered questions.”
With that, she started a monologue and my life would never be the same again.
“You asked me about the park, why that particular park, and that particular time. You also read my hesitation to talk about our personal relationships. I’m not married or seeing anyone but I was married once. Well, I guess technically I still am. Ten years ago, my husband went missing. Like you, he was in the Navy but I never really knew exactly what he did. All I knew was it was something secret and I was probably better off not knowing. He was in Nevada for training and he and some buddies came to Vegas on their way home. One minute he was having drinks with more than ten of his friends, the next minute he was gone. His friends looked for him for days- the police, FBI, NCIS, they all descended on Vegas to help. Someone with as many secrets in his head as my husband needs to be found. Eventually they gave up and just assumed he’d snapped and didn’t want to be found. It took years to convince the Navy he wasn’t AWOL and that something had happened to him. With no body, and no evidence of any kind, it was nearly impossible. They finally agreed to list him as officially missing, allowing me to “bury” him at seven years. Sometime during the investigation, one of the agents asked me about Fantasy Park. A witness told the agent he thought he’d seen someone matching my husband’s description there. Ever since, I’ve come here on the anniversary of his disappearance, hoping he will show up. In my heart I still believe he’s alive.”
Finishing up her beer, and signaling for another, she looked at my shocked face and said, “How’s that for light dinner conversation?”
Her disarming smile had me smiling as well. “You remind me of him you know. Maybe it was because something about you is so familiar that I agreed to have coffee with you.” Looking down at Tabi she added, “Sorry Tabi, it wasn’t really you.”
Uncharacteristically silent, I finally managed to say, “I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine what it’s like.”
Olivia shrugged, the dark cloud returning. “I’ll never get over him.”
What started as a lighthearted, accidental meeting came to look very different after her soliloquy. Looking deeply into her eyes, I could not control my next actions. I took her now cold hands in mine and gently kissed her lips. Her eyes remained closed long after I ended the kiss and sat back.
“Sean?”
“No, my name is Crosby,” I managed.
“His name was Sean,” she whispered.
Without another word, she stood, kissed the corner of my mouth, lingering as she inhaled the scent of my skin. Taking a gold anchor necklace from around her neck, she placed it in my hand and walked off. Too stunned at first to follow, I tossed some money on the table and tried to follow her. She’d disappeared into the crowd leaving no way to track her down. I didn’t even know her last name. Tabi and I wandered the streets for hours looking for her. In fact, we spent many days and nights, walking the strip, trying to find the angel who’d passed so briefly through our life. Sometimes it was as if she was just a dream and we never really met her. When those doubts crept into my mind, I remembered the touch of her hand, the sot skin of her lips, and those striking blue eyes so easily clouded by loss.

The police cruiser slows as they notice a man lying on the bench. While seeing a homeless man lying on a bench is not unusual in Vegas, and specifically in this park in this part of town, the cops decide to check on him anyway. As they approach, they see his dog under the bench. She whimpers softly and low crawls out to meet them, licking at their shoes. Reaching down to pet her, they try to wake the man. He doesn’t move or acknowledge their presence. “Great, just another drunk,” one of them says. They roll the man on his back and try over and over to get a response. Something occurs to one of them, “hey, isn’t this that Navy officer that disappeared several years back? Sean something remember? Everyone and their brother was looking for this guy.”
Feeling how cold his skin is, they check for a pulse, finding nothing. Adrenaline hits their system as one calls for an ambulance and the other starts CPR. As the officer’s chest compressions try to restart the long still heart, a gold anchor necklace slides from his hand, landing in the sand in front of his crying dog.