Chapter 737
A new car.
It was her very first car.
“Yes, it is beautiful,” Dani answered with a brimming smile on her young face.
She rushed outside the door and touched the metallic paint cover of the hood, admiring the latest model of the car she had been dreaming of since she received her license to drive.
“What do you think?” He asked her, moving behind her as she examined every detail of the car.
“I love it.” She uttered, hugging him tightly, feeling so lucky to have him in her life.
.....
“What about my other surprise?” He asked.
Another surprise?
She looked at his old, tired face, puzzled by his words. Why did he suddenly look like he was fading in her eyes? The more she stared at his face, her vision seemed to blur, no matter how much she squinted her eyes.
“I wish I could have been a good father.” His words turned solemn as if it was full of regrets.
“But you are the greatest father.” She assured her as she hugged him again, unable to understand why his father would say such things.
Closing her eyes, she savored the feeling of being in the arms of the first man she ever loved. His hands tightened around her as if he felt the same way.
Then, her hands suddenly felt light. As if she was not holding on to anything as she slowly lost her balance. Quickly opening her eyes, she found herself alone.
All she saw was white, nothing else. She rubbed her fingers through her eyelashes, hoping to clear her vision, but it did not do anything to change the result.
“Dad!” She shouted, wondering if the white light hid him from her view.
“Dad?” She called again when he did not respond to her call. She repeated it, louder and louder.
“Dani...” A different voice responded to her call.
“Dani.” He also kept repeating, but she could not see his face.
“Dani, wake up.” Finally, her eyes opened, still blurry, but she could recognize his voice.
“I think you are dreaming.” Alex’s voice explained to her as he came closer. But it was taking her time to understand with her still perplexed mind.
Her fingers felt her face, discovering the tears that filled her eyes that might have caused her impaired vision. Then, her hands finally touched her husband’s face, trying to determine if he was real.
“Just try to relax and breathe.” His tone calmed her down, slowing her quickened heartbeat and evening out her air intakes.
Finally, after he wiped the rest of her tears with the edge of the shirt that he had removed from his body, her eyes saw his concerned face.
“I think I am ok now.” She finally uttered, still remembering portions of her weird dream as she momentarily closed her eyes.
“Are you sure?” He remained by her side, shifting to sit beside her, wrapping her in his arms. “Do you remember what it was all about?”
She rested her head at the crook of his shoulders, feeling the warmth of his bare skin against her cheeks, finding comfort in his nearness.
“A portion of it. I was still young...” She recounted what she remembered of her dream, finding the first portion as a past that she cherished most about her youth.
“But, I don’t understand the rest of my dream.” She looked at her husband, puzzled as if she wanted him to answer the missing piece. “Why did he vanish?
“It could be just a dream that your mind conjured up because of the stress. It may not mean anything.” He spoke to her softly, trying to reason with her.
He pulled her closer to him, stroking her hair gently, assuring her that it might be nothing. He did not want her to have these recurring dreams, thinking that it was something she should fear.
“I guess you are right.” She answered him, hoping that he was speaking the truth.
But she always had that nagging feeling. Some dreams were a manifestation of the past or something that might still occur in the future. But still, it could turn out to be nothing like Alex said.
“Shall we go back to sleep?” Alex offered, pulling her back down under the covers, tucking her nicely until she had closed her eyes.
Then she felt him lie down beside her, pulling her closer to his body, feeling his warm hands covering her across her chest. It was heavy, but she liked feeling his warmth, seeping through her thin nightgown down to her skin.
As the minutes ticked by, his breathing slowed down, indicating that he had fallen back to sleep.
But somehow, having him around, feeling his skin against her body, finally had given her comfort as the darkness took over her consciousness again, putting her in a deep sleep.
However, a buzzing sound disturbed the silence around her, making her disoriented as she opened her eyes. She searched for the sound, wondering if this was another dream.
Her head lifted from the pillow as her eyes scanned the room, then eventually, she changed into a sitting position, allowing her feet to dangle on the side of the bed, planting her feet on the floor. Finally, her eyes landed on the window that was still dark. But all she heard was silence except for the clock ticking on their nightstand, and nothing else created a sound.
“What is wrong?” Alex asked, squinting her eyes at him when he opened the light on his bedside.
Then, they both heard it.
He quickly grabbed his phone, which made all the buzz on the nightstand near him, and also opened the lamp that flooded the room with a dim light.
“Yes?” He answered on the receiver.
She could not understand what the conversation was about, hearing only monosyllable words coming from him.
“We will be there.” He finally said before ending the call.
From the look on his face, she could tell it was not good news. She looked at him, questioning him, but he only said a few words.
“We need to get dressed.” Dragging her out of their soft bed.
Suddenly, her mind screamed that her dream was a bad omen.