Dedication Takes A Lifetime, But Dreams Only Last For A Night
Dreams Only Last For A Night
The twenty-year-old man sat on the dock and watched the waves crash rhythmically against the shore. The sun was in its peak in the sky and it cast an almost eerily orange glow over the Maryland landscape. His messy brown hair ruffled gently in the cool September breeze while he closed his heavy lids over his eyes and leant his head against one of the large wooden posts beside him. He sat there for what seemed to be forever, until the sun was threatening to disappear beyond the horizon and he felt the beginning of the rain splatter on his face. Then, the thunder crashed and a bolt of lightning struck through the sky. It was time to go home.
It had been three months since she had disappeared, but much to Alex’s dismay, the pain did not subside nor did it become any easier to bear. He had gone to her house that Sunday afternoon with the intention of asking Maria to marry him. However, when he had arrived, there were several police cars surrounding her apartment building. He had ran to her door as fast as he could, completely forgetting about his original plan for that moment, and found that it was the source of all the commotion. The door stood wide open, nearly off its hinges. There was police tape blocking it off as well. Alex had tried to find out what was going on, but the police would tell him nothing. Several neighbors were crowding around the scene, but none of them knew anything, either. It wasn’t until the next day that the police had concluded that the love of Alex’s life had literally been taken from him.
Each night, Alex would dream of Maria. Upon waking, he would make his way to the docks -- their special place -- and sit until sundown before he would go home and start all over again. He knew it wasn’t a healthy thing to do, as his family and band mates had incessantly reminded him, but Alex didn’t care. By doing this ritual, it made him feel closer to her in a way. It gave him a sense of hope that he wasn’t sure he could find anywhere else. He couldn’t get her out of his head, but truthfully, he didn’t think it was such a horrible thing that she was there in the first place.
He made his way home from the docks yet again, stripped down to his boxers, and crawled into bed. He turned over and set his alarm before pulling the blankets over his head and falling asleep once again.
The alarm hadn’t done much good. He woke up at two in the morning with a million thoughts racing through his head. It was a strange feeling to wake up without her there beside him, after all. It seemed as though every morning he awoke, his heart stopped momentarily as he realized why she was not there, but it was even worse when he woke unexpectedly. He sat up and blinked, before noticing that his eyes were becoming misty, both from lack of sleep and from the impending tears that he was trying so hard to hold back. The detectives had contacted Alex just the day before and said that they were closing the case. There was not enough evidence left behind to uncover a suspect in Maria’s disappearance.
They were giving up, and there was a very slim chance that Maria would ever be coming back. Now, Alex needed to ease his pain.
He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where he pulled out a bottle of vodka from the liquor cabinet. He didn’t bother with the niceties this time. Instead, he picked the bottle up, walked to the living room, stretched his slender body onto the welcoming sofa and began to down the contents of the container. Within just a few minutes, Alex’s head had become quite fuzzy and his senses were past being dull. He lay quietly on the couch, unmoving, and staring off into space, though he did occasionally manage to lift his arm to take another drink of the Bacardi.
An hour later, and the vodka was gone. Alex leant his head against the soft armrest of the sofa and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, he was met with a bright light. He opened his eyes, and was surprised at what was now standing in front of him.
“Maria?” he mused, unbelieving.
The beautiful girl that was standing next to the couch smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, Alex, it’s me.”
“I’m dreaming,” he concluded. He then took a look at the empty bottle in his hand and sighed. “Or hallucinating.”
Again, Maria smiled, and she sat down next to Alex on the sofa. “Baby, you’re not dreaming and you’re not hallucinating. I promise. Although, I really wish you hadn’t drank all of that because of me.”
It seemed that the appearance of his would-be prospective fiancée had managed to sober Alex up quite quickly. He took another glance at the bottle and shook his head, as if he were ashamed of himself. “I know, I’m sorry… It’s just…they closed your case, Maria. They said you were…they said you were probably gone.”
Maria suddenly looked saddened at his words. “I am.”
“You’re…? No, you’re right here,” he said. He reached out and wrapped her small hand in his own. “See?”
Maria smiled sadly, “Alex, I’m here because I need to tell you something. I’m terrified to speak, but you’d expect that from me. I am home now. It’s certainly sooner than I expected it to be, but the clouds are my home now. Do you understand? I’m not coming back again. I’m here to say goodbye.”
Alex shook his head, uncomprehending. He stuttered his words, because he was presently incapable of forming a coherent sentence. Maria leaned in and pressed her lips to his gently. It was not the kind of kiss that was full of undying lust and passion, but it was perfect nonetheless. She pulled away after a few seconds and stared into his eyes. She had always been amazed by his beautiful brown eyes.
“I have to leave now.”
“Don’t,” Alex pleaded. “Just…just stay. Please?”
“I can’t. I don’t belong here anymore. You have to let me go.”
He didn’t want to feel the absence of her warm hand in his; he wanted it there for eternity. But if he was to believe what she was telling him, there would be no chance of that. They would be together a long, long time from then, but they couldn’t stay together now. Maria was really gone. She was right, he had to let go. And he did.
“I love you,” he promised.
Maria smiled genuinely this time. “I love you, too. By the way, I would have said yes.”
With those last words, she was gone.
Alex woke up the next morning, and surprisingly was not hung-over from the excessive amount of alcohol he had taken in. He sighed and sat up before once again walking out of his front door and down to the familiar dock. It felt different to be there after the events that had taken place the night before. Everything was peaceful; calm; serene. He didn’t think much of it then, but he supposed the storm that had come was a cleansing. It started to all make sense to him then. She might be gone, but he would be okay. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small box. He opened it, took the diamond engagement ring between his fingers, and threw it into the calm, blue water. It was time for him to go home.
It had been three months since she had disappeared, but much to Alex’s dismay, the pain did not subside nor did it become any easier to bear. He had gone to her house that Sunday afternoon with the intention of asking Maria to marry him. However, when he had arrived, there were several police cars surrounding her apartment building. He had ran to her door as fast as he could, completely forgetting about his original plan for that moment, and found that it was the source of all the commotion. The door stood wide open, nearly off its hinges. There was police tape blocking it off as well. Alex had tried to find out what was going on, but the police would tell him nothing. Several neighbors were crowding around the scene, but none of them knew anything, either. It wasn’t until the next day that the police had concluded that the love of Alex’s life had literally been taken from him.
Each night, Alex would dream of Maria. Upon waking, he would make his way to the docks -- their special place -- and sit until sundown before he would go home and start all over again. He knew it wasn’t a healthy thing to do, as his family and band mates had incessantly reminded him, but Alex didn’t care. By doing this ritual, it made him feel closer to her in a way. It gave him a sense of hope that he wasn’t sure he could find anywhere else. He couldn’t get her out of his head, but truthfully, he didn’t think it was such a horrible thing that she was there in the first place.
He made his way home from the docks yet again, stripped down to his boxers, and crawled into bed. He turned over and set his alarm before pulling the blankets over his head and falling asleep once again.
The alarm hadn’t done much good. He woke up at two in the morning with a million thoughts racing through his head. It was a strange feeling to wake up without her there beside him, after all. It seemed as though every morning he awoke, his heart stopped momentarily as he realized why she was not there, but it was even worse when he woke unexpectedly. He sat up and blinked, before noticing that his eyes were becoming misty, both from lack of sleep and from the impending tears that he was trying so hard to hold back. The detectives had contacted Alex just the day before and said that they were closing the case. There was not enough evidence left behind to uncover a suspect in Maria’s disappearance.
They were giving up, and there was a very slim chance that Maria would ever be coming back. Now, Alex needed to ease his pain.
He walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where he pulled out a bottle of vodka from the liquor cabinet. He didn’t bother with the niceties this time. Instead, he picked the bottle up, walked to the living room, stretched his slender body onto the welcoming sofa and began to down the contents of the container. Within just a few minutes, Alex’s head had become quite fuzzy and his senses were past being dull. He lay quietly on the couch, unmoving, and staring off into space, though he did occasionally manage to lift his arm to take another drink of the Bacardi.
An hour later, and the vodka was gone. Alex leant his head against the soft armrest of the sofa and closed his eyes. Almost immediately, he was met with a bright light. He opened his eyes, and was surprised at what was now standing in front of him.
“Maria?” he mused, unbelieving.
The beautiful girl that was standing next to the couch smiled and nodded her head. “Yes, Alex, it’s me.”
“I’m dreaming,” he concluded. He then took a look at the empty bottle in his hand and sighed. “Or hallucinating.”
Again, Maria smiled, and she sat down next to Alex on the sofa. “Baby, you’re not dreaming and you’re not hallucinating. I promise. Although, I really wish you hadn’t drank all of that because of me.”
It seemed that the appearance of his would-be prospective fiancée had managed to sober Alex up quite quickly. He took another glance at the bottle and shook his head, as if he were ashamed of himself. “I know, I’m sorry… It’s just…they closed your case, Maria. They said you were…they said you were probably gone.”
Maria suddenly looked saddened at his words. “I am.”
“You’re…? No, you’re right here,” he said. He reached out and wrapped her small hand in his own. “See?”
Maria smiled sadly, “Alex, I’m here because I need to tell you something. I’m terrified to speak, but you’d expect that from me. I am home now. It’s certainly sooner than I expected it to be, but the clouds are my home now. Do you understand? I’m not coming back again. I’m here to say goodbye.”
Alex shook his head, uncomprehending. He stuttered his words, because he was presently incapable of forming a coherent sentence. Maria leaned in and pressed her lips to his gently. It was not the kind of kiss that was full of undying lust and passion, but it was perfect nonetheless. She pulled away after a few seconds and stared into his eyes. She had always been amazed by his beautiful brown eyes.
“I have to leave now.”
“Don’t,” Alex pleaded. “Just…just stay. Please?”
“I can’t. I don’t belong here anymore. You have to let me go.”
He didn’t want to feel the absence of her warm hand in his; he wanted it there for eternity. But if he was to believe what she was telling him, there would be no chance of that. They would be together a long, long time from then, but they couldn’t stay together now. Maria was really gone. She was right, he had to let go. And he did.
“I love you,” he promised.
Maria smiled genuinely this time. “I love you, too. By the way, I would have said yes.”
With those last words, she was gone.
Alex woke up the next morning, and surprisingly was not hung-over from the excessive amount of alcohol he had taken in. He sighed and sat up before once again walking out of his front door and down to the familiar dock. It felt different to be there after the events that had taken place the night before. Everything was peaceful; calm; serene. He didn’t think much of it then, but he supposed the storm that had come was a cleansing. It started to all make sense to him then. She might be gone, but he would be okay. He reached into his jacket pocket and took out a small box. He opened it, took the diamond engagement ring between his fingers, and threw it into the calm, blue water. It was time for him to go home.