The Dream [On Hold]

Chapter One

I looked around my room at the posters of my favourite groups covering the walls and couldn't help but smile because they were the reason I could get up every morning and face the world with confidence. Even though I know that my idols will never know who I am I still consider them as my inspirations. I looked at the clock on my beside table and saw that it was still too early to get up, my classes don't start till twelve noon, but I decided to get up anyway.

I could hear mom tinkering around in the kitchen as I went down the stairs. My sisters' doors weren't open yet so I'm guessing they're still fast asleep. I could smell bacon and eggs cooking. Mom heard me come into the kitchen and handed me a cup of coffee which I can never start a day without. "You're up early," said mom. "I had a really weird dream," I replied, leaning on the kitchen counter and taking a sip of the coffee. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asks. So I start telling her about it and it's only at the end that I mention that this was the fourth time I had the dream for four days in a row. She looks at me for a while, probably thinking it through, and was about to say something when my sisters burst into the kitchen.

They're both already dressed for school. Kara is her usual bubbly, organized self. Her hair was up in a neat ponytail and she was dressed in her favourite tee and jeans. Both she and Bash greeted me and mom a good morning before sitting down to eat their breakfast. Kara is 17 and is in her senior year at Hawthorne High. Mom used to worry that without me to guide my sisters through high school they would struggle a lot. Kara kind of proved her wrong. She's currently student body president and is also a member of the music club, and to top it all off, she'll be graduating as valedictorian at the end of the year.

Bash, short for Belle Ana Shine (I honestly have no idea where mom and dad got her name), is also her usual self. Her hair is all over the place and I can't help but laugh as I walk around the kitchen island to fix her hair for her. She's wearing her favourite outfit of all black, as in black jeans, black shirt, black jacket, black beanie, black bag, black shoes, and I'm willing to hazard a guess that even her underwear is black. I have this theory that Bash might have an inferiority complex, but I just keep it to myself because she seems to be managing it pretty well. Bash is 16 and is in her junior year, she surprised us all during her sophomore year by joining and becoming president of the school photography club. So I'm thinking they don't really need my help to survive high school.

Dad came into the kitchen a few minutes before my sisters finish eating. We all greet him good morning and give him a peck on the cheek. I make him a fresh cup of coffee while mom puts together his breakfast. Our family is originally from the Philippines, but my sisters were both born here in Hawthorne. We used to travel to the Philippines every year and spend our holidays there, but ever since Uncle Carl, mom's brother, passed away two years ago we haven't been back and mom can't find a reason to go back. Dad's a mechanic and he has his own auto shop across town called 'It Works'. Today he's wearing his green overalls with the shop logo on the breast pocket. My sisters and I actually helped come up with the shop slogan, "Is your car BOSCHed up? We'll MACH it work", it's a little quirky but we love it. And everyone seems to love it too, I mean I haven't heard any complaints, yet.

Mom, on the other hand is Maternity Ward Supervisor at the local hospital. She's been working there for the past sixteen years which is probably why almost everyone in town knows her. She can't go anywhere without anyone greeting her every few meters. We sometimes tease her and ask if she's running for mayor.

When dad's done with his food, he waits for my sisters to finish and drops them of at school in his pickup truck as always before going to the shop for the day.

When everyone else had left, mom asked me to wait for her in the den. I said ok and sat on the couch to wait. Mom came back with a big book in her hands. It was one of her old, leather bound books from the Philippines. She sat beside me and opened the book. It was a filled with all sorts of descriptions on dreams and their meanings. Mom flipped through it a few times before she found the page she was looking for. Then she gave it to me to read. It described my dream as a prediction that something big was about to happen in my life. When I finished reading, mom looked at me and gave me her own interpretation of my dream. She said that there was something big on the way for me and that it was okay to be afraid of it. "Sweetie, you can either accept it, or turn away from it, the decision is entirely up to you." She said. Then she gave me a kiss on the forehead and went upstairs to get ready for work. I thought of what she said for a while and realized that there wasn't anything I could do right now except wait and see what would happen.

After mom left for work, I got ready to leave as well. The Hawthorne branch of the University of the South Pacific or USP is only several blocks away, so I usually just take the time to walk there. After making sure I had everything I needed, I locked the doors, plugged in my earphones, clicked on my favourite playlist, put the volume on full blast, and started walking to school. This is one of the things I love about walking to the campus every day, this and the Jang Bakery that never seems to run out of freshly made bread.

I stop by the bakery to grab a couple of cream buns to eat at school. The Korean couple that owns the store, Mr. and Mrs. Jang, have gotten so used to my stopping by the shop on my way that they've started having the buns packed and ready to go before I even get there. I pulled out my earphones before going into the shop and listened to the bells above the doors tinkle before going straight in. Mrs. Jang was at the counter serving a couple of customers so I walked around the shop before going up to her. I loved their bakery, from the outside it looks just like any bakery would but once you enter you're taken to a whole other world. The walls are in a pastel shade of green, the shelves are in pastel blue, the counter is a pretty pastel yellow colour and on every space that isn't covered in bread, there are paintings and cute little cherub figurines.

I was admiring a little cherub that was holding a lamb on the far wall when I heard Mrs. Jang call my name. I looked over at the counter to see that she was done with her customers. I walked over and gave her a proper greeting. "Annyeong haseyo," I said with a slight bow.

Mr. and Mrs. Jang were surprised the first time I came into their shop a few years back. Mom had sent me over to buy dinner rolls and had I overheard them speaking in Korean, and without thinking I had greeted them in their language. They were so surprised that they stared at me for a few seconds before finally bursting out with a string of questions of which I understood about three fourths of. When they finally stopped asking questions, I explained to them that I wasn't really Korean, I only knew their language because I took a course on it when I was back in the Philippines. Then I told them that they actually scared me when they started asking all those questions. They simply looked at me and started laughing. Then Mrs. Jang gave me a hug and told me that they were so surprised when I greeted them that it was automatic that they would ask so many questions. The experience was something we would never forget and it helped us become close friends in a way.

Mrs. Jang greeted me hello as well, and yelled to the back of the shop at Mr. Bang to let him know I was here. They told me once before that having a friend who also spoke their language kind of helped them not miss their homeland so much. Mr. Bang came out with a big grin on his face. He had a paper bag in his hands which I assumed were the buns. "Annyeong haseyo Jang abbeoji," I said with a smile, I had gotten accustomed to calling them mother and father in Korean because they were so much like my parents and because they were the ones who asked me if I would call them that, they say I remind them alot of their daughter back in Korea. I was about to reach for the paper bag when, "Wait, we have a surprise for you," he said in his adorable, slightly accented English. "What is it?" I asked, looking from him to Mrs. Jang who's also got this huge grin on her face. "Will you taste test something for us?" Mrs. Jang asks. "Of course, what are friends for?" I reply with a smile. Mr. Jang pulled out a tray from under the counter and placed it in front of me.

On the tray is a bun that's slightly smaller than my fist and is perfectly browned. "What is it?" I ask. "Taste it and see," says Mr. Jang mysteriously. "Ok, I trust you." I said with a laugh and pick it up. And when I bit it, I got a huge surprise, the bread itself was nice and soft, but the filling?! It was a perfect blend of cream cheese and blueberries and I just had to close my eyes to relish the flavour. I look at the two of them in shock, "What is this?" I ask. "You don't like it?" Mr. Jang asked apprehensively. "Like it? I love it!" I practically squeal at him. "We're glad you like it," says Mrs. Jang who's still smiling. "We've named it the 'Mitchi Bun," says Mr. Jang with a laugh. "Mitchi? But that's my name," I say in confusion. "Yes it is, you remember when you told us about your favourite food, well Mr. Jang here decided to create something for you and that's what he came up with," Mrs. Jang says. I just look at them in surprise. "Really?" I ask, surprised that they even remembered my mentioning how much I loved blueberry cheesecake.

So, touched and happy, I left the shop and walked the rest of the way to campus with a smile on my face.