I dreamed that I was standing on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco, across the street from House of Bagels near the mediocre sushi restaurant. I was waiting for an Uber and people were throwing things at me. Finally my car showed up. When I got in, I discovered a homeless boy in the backseat. He was playing with one of those colorful plastic spheres that folds down into a fraction of its original size.
I woke up and realized this dream had occurred in the short span of time between my husband getting up from bed and bringing me a cup of tea. In less than fifteen minutes, I had fallen back asleep, traveled across the world, and met a young boy in the back of a gray sedan.
I decided today would be the day I get many things done in a short amount of time. In less than an hour, I showered, made two smoothies (one green, one purple) and two lunches (one sandwich, one thermos of ravioli), printed out a grant application for a school music program, edited a story, and walked my daughter to school. On the way home, I shooed ravens off a neighbor’s trash bin and recovered a milk carton and half a head of lettuce before securing the lid. I washed some clothes, packed a small duffle bag, retrieved my passport from my underwear drawer, and drove to the airport. There was a flight to London leaving in three hours. I ordered a flat white and flipped through magazines in the back of a bookstore. I charged my phone, bought some trail mix and a Pepsi Max, and boarded my flight.
During a layover in Singapore, I met a family, also traveling to London. They had a jigsaw puzzle and invited me to join them on the floor next to the window where their youngest son could watch the airplanes take off and land. The puzzle was a photograph of a basket of red apples. It was not easy but I didn’t embarrass myself and it helped pass the time. The mother asked what was bringing me to London and I said my friend Evelyn. At that moment it occurred to me that I had not told Evelyn I was coming and had no idea if she was in town. She had a job in fashion that occasionally involved dropping everything and flying to Dubai to dress a princess.
I slept on the flight from Singapore to London. When I woke up, I ate chicken skewers and watched two movies, one with Monica from Friends and one with the dad from American Pie.
I called Evelyn from the airport. She told me she was pregnant and throwing up a lot but she couldn’t wait to see me even if it meant we’d be sitting on the couch.
And that’s what we did during my visit. We sat on Evelyn’s fuchsia couch and talked and watched TV and sometimes she’d leave the room to vomit and then I’d check my phone. Everything in Perth was fine. My husband was surprised I left without telling him and I missed seeing my daughter dressed as a soldier in the Anzac assembly. But things were humming along more or less as usual.
When I returned home, I stumbled into my bedroom, closed the curtains, and fell fast asleep. I awoke to the sound of a cup of tea being placed beside me.