The Dreamer

Chapter 37

Few months ago, Sarah wouldn't have guessed she would be expending her day with her daughter, whom she hadn't seen in years, and her adopted brother, whom she didn't even know existed. But here she was, handing each one a popcorn container. She bought one for herself and one for Andrew, but decided to let them have them. She could eat some scones. They sat down in the living room and turned on the TV. She sat at an empty sofa, while the two teenagers shared the other one. Half hour went by and they were all quiet, eyes on the screen, and now and then they would look at their phones. Sarah was getting frustrated. She hadn't seen her daughter in so long and it felt like a waste of time to expend the time simply sitting down. She wanted to engage with them differently, but nothing came to mind. As anxious and eager she felt about asking her about school, boyfriends, friends, her goals, college prospects, and everything in between, she held back, allowing Jessica to open up on her own. She knew she couldn't force things; it would all have to happen naturally.

The movie ended, and they all sat quietly as the credits rolled up. Finally, it was Andrew who broke the silence.

"So Jessica is your daughter?" He said.

Sarah nodded and looked at Jessica, who was looking away.

"Wow," he exclaimed.

Sarah felt her skin go cold at the possibility of the mentioning how bizarre it must be to be sharing this moment after all this time, which was true. However, Andrew didn't comment on it. Instead he laughed. "I can't believe I have a niece."

Jessica punched him softly in the arm. "Yes, I am older than you, so don't try to uncle me."

The teenagers laughed. They had bonded instantly, something Sarah wished she could do herself.

"Should we go out, maybe?" Jessica said, still keeping her eyes in the dark screen and the credits.

Sarah looked at Andrew, unsure of who she was talking to. "Yes," she said at last, realizing she was the one in charge. "Do you guys have something in mind? We could always go for a drive and figure it out."

"Actually, I was thinking we could try an escape room," Jessica said jumping from the sofa. She looked at Sarah. "I googled about this place and seems cool. I wrote down the address." Jessica's eyes sparkled with the excitement. She became self aware and sat back down, eyes back to the screen.

"I have never tried one. I'd love to go," Andrew weighed in.

"Sure," Sarah shrugged. "I don't know what that is, but let's do it."

"You basically get clues to escape a room, and we have to work together, and there is a limit of time," he said, now as excited as Jessica had been few minutes earlier.

"Alright," Sarah said, letting some of the excitement in too.

Half an hour later, they were inside a room looking at a CD collection, looking for their next clue. Jessica and Andrew were good at it, but Sarah just felt lost and confused all the time.

Through the previous clue they deciphered a hidden quote. "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." They stood frozen looking through the CDs, not sure what the quote meant. Andrew was looking through the back of all CDs, hoping to see the quote as the name of a song, but nothing. Jessica opened case after case, inspecting the CDs in detail. But there were so many, and time was running out. Sarah let her mind wander until it came back with the answer.

"John Lennon," she exclaimed. "He said that, I think. Look for The Beatles."

Jessica found only one CD by The Beatles. They opened the case and it seemed like a normal CD. But Sarah noticed that few words had been circled very subtly. The words circled said: Two, Pony, Back, 9. They looked at each other, trying to decipher the meaning behind the words. In front of them, there was a wall with multiple stickers and figures stamped on the wall. Sarah looked through them, and the teenagers did the same after they noticed she was looking for something.

"There," Jessica exclaimed. "Two ponies," she pointed her finger.

Sarah and Andrew looked closely at the sticker. Jessica tried to remove it but it wasn't possible.

"Back," Andrew said and turned. Behind, there was another wall, with multiple scribbles, numbers and letters. "Back," he said again. He looked at the ponies and then behind them. In the opposite wall, there was a scribble in the direction of the sticker of the ponies. He walked closer and saw the inscription 5_. Sarah and Jessica looked at it. They all exclaimed in unison "59". Close to the ground, there was a bookcase with multiple little cubes. /the cubes were numbered. They picked up the one numbered 59 and inside they found a key, which opened their next door. Cheering each other, they went on to the next level.

They went through two more doors before being free. They took some photos outside as the proclaimed winners. They left laughing and joking. Sarah felt as if walking in a cloud. She was expending time with her daughter, and Andrew's presence brought an air of lightness that acted as a buffer between them.

"We should go laser tagging," Andrew exclaimed, pointing at a neon sign across the parking lot that read Laser Tag.

"I don't know. That sounds. I am not sure how to play that. Plus I am forty," Sarah rubbed her neck.

"Come on," Andrew grabbed her hand. "Let's do it."

He started pulling her toward the place and them Jessica grabbed her other hand and also started pulling. Sarah felt the warmness of her daughter's hand before cooperating and walking with them. Inside, Sarah felt ridiculous running among children. Nonetheless, she ran faster than she expected, and she was definitely giving the other team hell.

Sweaty and breathless, Sarah sat down on the bench outside. The kids started walking out one by one, all drenched in sweat. Few gave her a suspicious glance while Sarah begged to see another grown up woman coming out of the room; there was none. Jessica came out, red and flushed. She sat next to Sarah.

"Oh my God, I can't believe we did this." She said. "There is not one other girl in there, only boys." She laughed.

"Tell me about it. At least you are their age," Sarah laughed too.

They shared a quiet moment, letting the experience sink in. Andre emerged with a triumphant grin.

"So he is your brother? I have more family?" Jessica asked.

"His mother. But nobody else. You had an aunt, the loveliest soul," Sarah said softly.

"Sophie! Dad told me about her. I am sorry you lost her," Jessica leaned closer to Sarah.

Sarah nodded. "Thank you."

"M... Sarah," Jessica said. "I came because I wanted to; dad didn't ask me to. I didn't want to see you at the hospital because..." She looked down. "I was embarrassed. I still am. I could have died like a dumb girl. I am not that. I am not like I behaved that night. And I was so embarrassed to be at the hospital for something so stupid. I just... I don't know... I struggle to find my place in the world and I let others influence me."

Jessica kept quiet after her confession.

"You are so brave. Finding ourselves can be challenging, but you keep going. Don't stop. Don't let anybody define you." Sarah said and wished someone had told her that. It would have changed her life a hundred percent. She wouldn't be feeling as if she had lived her life half asleep, purposeless.

"Thank you Sarah," Jessica muttered.

"We kicked ass," Andrew exclaimed loudly and excitedly.

Sarah drove them back to her apartment and offered to prepare dinner. However they agreed they wanted pizza instead, so Sarah ordered a large one.

Matthew arrived at around 9:30 to pick up Jessica. He was so curious to see her as a mess. She was always taking good care of her image, but now she definitely didn't look the part. Jessica hugged Sarah, leaving them all speechless, and then said good bye. Sarah then drove Andrew back home. Martha opened the door when the car approached. Andrew thanked and hugged Sarah before hopping off the car. Martha hugged him and he walked in, leaving his mother standing by the door. Sarah and Martha stared at each other. Sarah lifted her hand and waved gently; Martha did the same.