"Maybe if I try to close my eyes, I'll fall asleep and then I'll wake up back in my real life...?" Stevie had sat in silence for a long time, letting her mind race as she tried her best to figure out what was happening.
Nothing seemed logical, not even remotely. The night before she was a member of a world famous band and then she woke up as someone's wife and mom... It didn't make any sense to her.
"I mean, I have to be dreaming, don't you think?" She glanced over at Darby, who had both hands on the wheel and eyes locked on the road in front of them.
She didn't know what to say... Her mom was acting totally out of character.
"Umm," nodding her head, Darby couldn't decide if the LA traffic was more nerve wracking, or if it was Stevie who was making her so anxious. "You think you might be dreaming?" She didn't know what she was supposed to say, because nothing seemed proper, or appropriate.
She really wanted to ask her mom if she had fallen and hit her head, or if she'd already been knocking back the bottle that morning... Both were far more believable than whatever scenario Stevie was spinning.
"That's the only explanation..." she lingered as she shrugged a shoulder casually, though nothing was even close to being casual for them in that moment.
It was awkward for both of them. Stevie didn't know Darby, not at all and Darby felt incredibly disconnected from Stevie for the first time in her entire life.
Instead of responding, the teenager just decided to stay quiet for the remainder of the car ride.
She really didn't know what to say- nothing seemed fitting. And at first, while it was kind of funny that her mother was acting so odd, it was actually becoming concerning to her.
Something was wrong and they both felt it, just for different reasons.
"Are you gonna be able to drive yourself?" Flicking on the turn signal to pull into the school parking lot, Darby's eyes finally traveled to the right for a brief second.
Stevie was slouched down, a pair of sunglasses she'd found on the floor board covering her eyes as she tried to block out the morning sun as best she could. "Oh... yeah." She assured, really forcing a smile... It wasn't easy, not at all. "I'm gonna take a nap and when I wake up, I'll be much better." She was really hoping that would make everything right again.
That's all she wanted to do- get her life back.
Nodding lightly, Darby pulled into an empty parking spot on the far end of the lot. "I really hope you start feeling better." Taking one hand off the wheel, she gave Stevie's hand a soft squeeze.
The way she felt in that moment was indescribable. It was something she had never felt in her entire life... It was the feeling of loving another human so much, it actually hurts.
She was feeling a mother's love for their child.
"I love you, mom." She mentioned as she pushed open the drivers side door.
Stevie wasn't sure what to say at first, but right as Darby was getting ready to close the door, she spoke up. "I love you, too." She did love her- she could feel it, even though she didn't understand it. "I hope you have a good day at school." She added with another very faint, very confused smile.
She didn't know why she felt so attached to Darby, especially when she didn't even know her... It was definitely the most bizarre dream she had ever had.
Returning the smile, her daughter gave her a soft wave as she began to venture towards the double doors of the high school.
Wiggling her fingers back, Stevie let out a content sigh as a feeling of relief washed over her. "Okay, just close your eyes, Stevie."
She wanted to wake up in Santa Monica at three in the afternoon with her dog, a cup of hot coffee and silk pajamas... She was ready to go back to normal.
~~
Standing in the center of the room, Stevie looked around, seeing nothing but pure emptiness. "This dream is worse than the other one..." she whispered, suddenly a little more terrified than she had been before.
"Calm down, Stevie." His voice crept through the darkness, causing her to sink back instantly.
"I don't like this dreamland bullshit, okay?" She announced, rolling her eyes lightly as the unfamiliar man finally made himself known.
For some reason she wasn't really scared anymore- she'd been there before, she just couldn't decide when, exactly.
"I've never had such vivid dreams before and I don't really like it." She added, hoping he would just send her back to her real life.
"This isn't a dream, Stevie." He had a soft grin on his face, which wasn't as soothing as he had hoped. "You made a wish..." he added.
Letting out a soft laugh, she shook her head. "I didn't wish for this." She was annoyed... really annoyed. "I didn't wish for-"
"You said that it would have been easier if you had never met Lindsey." He cut her off mid- sentence... He had heard enough of her wild rambling already.
"That wasn't a wish!" Stevie wasn't afraid to argue with anyone, not even her dreamland dude. "I didn't wish that I never met him." She kind of quieted down a moment later, suddenly realizing that being mean probably wasn't going to get her too far.
"But you believed it so much, it came true." He was so calm and relaxed... It almost made her want to cry. "So, in this life, you didn't meet Lindsey." The way he said that made her heart sink into the very pit of her stomach. "Instead, you got married right out of high school, you went to college to teach elementary, had a couple of children and settled down outside of the city." He added as he watched the tears form in her eyes.
Shaking her head, Stevie brought a hand up to shield how upset she'd gotten. "Lindsey knows I didn't mean what I said." She whispered, wiping the tears with the pad of her thumb. "Where is he? Is he okay?" She asked after he'd grown silent.
"I can't tell you that." He felt bad for her, but that was the choice she had made and it was up to her to fix it.
"I take it all back... I like knowing Lindsey." She assured, hoping that was her ticket to reality.
"You have to find your way back."
~~
"Stevie?" David's voice is what yanked her out of her deep sleep.
Jumping up, Stevie's eyes met his instantly. "Shit..." She mumbled, shaking her head out of frustration. "He was getting ready to tell me how to get home." She added as her heart continued to pound.
"What are you doing?" He was standing right outside of the car, a look of embarrassment written across his face. "Why are you sleeping in the school parking lot?" He wondered, watching as she began pushing the seat up right.
Pursing her lips to one side, her eyes fell to the floor. "I'm not feeling well today..." she didn't think she should tell him about the dream thing and the weird guy talking to her... She wasn't ready for that.
Nodding his head, David reached around her to unbuckle her seat belt. "You should go home, take a nap, make some coffee... Relax, okay?" He was worried about her... very worried. "I'll let them know you won't be in today." He held out a hand to help her step out of the car, even though she was still in her pajamas... It was quite the sight.
"How long have we been married?" That part still kind of stunned her. It was just weird.
He chuckled lightly as he led her around to the drivers side. "We've been married for thirty- six wonderful years."
