A Cup Full of Humble Fragrance

"To the Door of the Sun"

          With a riot of annoyance about to burst, Laura lay next to Mike as he snored at a pitch that vibrated the blinds on the window. Even his sleep overpowered hers. 'He must be dreaming his dreams, common to him; the ones he usually dreams,' she thought mockingly. Maybe he was dealing in the stock market, cutting a ribbon for an opening, or walking down a city street with everyone applauding him.

         How Mike loved applause, how he wanted to be the powerful one, and how he controlled her! When she had confronted him about the control issue, Mike had replied --with his typical, offended kitten-look-- he was only protecting her and doing the best for her, but in his business he had to be careful with her safety. Laura had melted and had settled for whatever was her due as she always did when Mike looked at her so. Maybe their marriage had lasted all those years not through its own strength but through Laura's weakness for Mike. The image of their early romantic days locked in her heart, Laura consoled herself with some lame excuse that if a marriage were to survive, it would need somebody's sacrifice; his or hers, it didn't matter. What did it matter if her identity faded inside his rock-hard, tangible world?

         But at this late hour, despite his din, she had to fall asleep or she wouldn't be any good in the morning to see her grandsons off to school. The twins were staying with her and Mike while their parents attended a business conference out-of-state. It was high time now for the relaxation technique she had learned in a sleep seminar three months ago. So, inside her mind, she quoted the relaxation affirmations starting with the crown of her head, working down through her body, and loosening up each group of muscles while concentrating on the word 'peace'.

         When her thinking reached her ankles, she felt a twist through her chest as if a tube was rotating inside her. She was separating, emerging, and going up, although her body remained motionless on the bed. She was at two places at the same time. ‘Strange,' she murmured when, from the ceiling level, she saw the bed --with her form lying next to her husband's. ‘His snoring isn't that bad after all. And he looks so cute with his mouth half open.'

         She kept ascending and went straight through the roof. There, she perched on the brick Mediterranean tiles and gazed at the street under the obliquely falling white flakes.  The snow had just started holding on to the surfaces while it continued its descent in ghostly waves in the dark night. There was no moon or stars but only the light from the street lamp at the corner, a faint flickering light with a mustard-colored tinge. She felt an indescribable calm watching her neighborhood swoon inside this dream-world of snow. It was then when she saw she wasn't alone.

         "Your ticket-puncher at your service, Ma'am. Nothing to worry about, really. I'm your guide. I can take you wherever you wish." Someone, jokingly, held out something that clicked and she laughed.

         She knew him from before but she couldn't figure exactly from when or where. Had she fallen asleep and was dreaming? "Is this for real?"

         "Of course," her guide answered, "this is a commonplace event. You're out of your body. Remember this; you're not your body."

         Laura nodded. Now that her guide had said it, she did remember something vaguely. She didn't know what that was, just that it had happened before and she somehow knew it well.

         "Only for a period of time you are a spirit with a body. You, a human being as a spirit, exist independently," her guide continued. "We can go through this universe; although, I don't recommend its outer banks --for the cloudiness of course. Or we can go to other parallels if you wish."

         "Other parallels?"

         "Other universes. Other worlds. The world of the mind. The world of the heart. What would you like to know right now at this moment?"

         "What is Mike dreaming of? Really dreaming of?"

         "Oh, the dream world... Let's see." He clicked his ticket holder and handed her a piece of paper.  "Go enter the dream world and find out what Mike likes to revel in."

         In an instant, Laura found herself hovering over a couple dancing as they glided across the floor of a large room with a balcony overlooking an indigo sea with foam edged waves and a busy seaport. "Cagliari" she whispered to herself recognizing the place, "Cagliari in Sardinia."

         Laura moved in closer. Alongside the wrought-iron railing, luxuriant plants were spilling over the rims of red baked-tile pots and cascading down in multicolored flowers. A hauntingly harmonious music kept playing inside. The woman Mike was dancing with was... Laura, in a red dress and red shoes, and Mike sang to the music in his Al Martino voice, "alle porte del sole/ ai confini del mare."

         "To the door of the sun, to the ends of the sea"  Laura translated in her mind. Then she sang the rest of the song with Mike, "I will travel anywhere as long as you are there with me./ On the wings of the wind, in the arms of a storm/It is always summer weather, with your love to keep me warm."

         "He is so into this song, isn't he? Think of its words." It was her guide's voice.

         "I know I'm a dreamer, but I don't want to wake up/ Whenever you touch me I can fly to the sky"  Laura whispered recalling random lines from the song. "I have no illusions, just a heart full of lovin'/ It's a wonderful world I know, whenever you're near."

         Laura zipped back into her body at once. Mike had awakened. She gently touched him and he touched her back mumbling something in a sleepy voice.

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         "Have the boys left already?"

         "Yes, Mike. They were very good this morning."

         "Two more days and Jessie and Doug will be back. We should take a vacation, too. Don't you think?"

         Laura nodded as a positive answer.

         "Ahha! Finally. I said something you agreed with. Where would you like to go?" Mike asked.

         "To the door of the sun," Laura teased.

         Mike glanced at her with surprise. "You know, I had a dream last night with that song in it."

         "You and I were dancing on a balcony overlooking the harbor. In Cagliari."

         "You had a red dress on..."

         "And red shoes, Mike. You were singing..."

         "You were singing, too." Mike lifted his bushy eyebrows in astonishment. "But how's this possible?"

         "I will travel anywhere as long as you are there with me." Laura sang, but her tone was serious and careful when she talked again. "Simple," she answered him, "love put us together in the same dream."