Month: June 2019

“What do you mean you came for me?” Jacob asked, and he stared at her hand. “I have been trying to make sense of my dream. A few minutes ago I saw you in my house,” Lila said. “Do you always follow your dreams?” Jacob asked. “The elders taught me to pay attention to my dreams, knowing they have a purpose in my life,” Lila answered.

Looking at her hand as if it were a snake would bite if he touched it, Jacob walked to the window. When he turned to face Lila, her hand was still out. A magnetic force pulled him back to her. This time he took her hand. The sight of the warm brown hand holding his pale hand jolted his system. “Did we speak when we first saw each other?” Jacob asked as he continued to look at their hands intertwined. “No, we looked at each other and walked on our way,” Lila said.

Jacob raised his eyes, and for the first time, he saw Lila smile. Her face glowed, and the room took on the warmth she offered. “Where is home?” Jacob asked. Lila laughed as she began to stroke his hand. A calm Jacob had never known filled his body. “My home is in Arizona,” was Lila’s reply.

“I have so many questions, and nothing seems to make sense at the moment. Weeks ago, I started feeling as if it was time to move. That Miami was no longer home, but I did not understand where I would go,” Jacob said. “Home is with me,” Lila offered. “And you know that?” Jacob asked. “Yes, my dream told me to come home. The destroyed beach house was the reason to come for the person,” Lila said.

Jacob laughed for the first time that day. “This feels like a science fiction movie. A hurricane upends my life, and I must leave with you and start anew,” Jacob said. “You make it sound like a bad thing,” Lila said. “But I do not know you,” Jacob countered. “Listen to your heart, Jacob. What is it telling you?” Jacob paused. His brow pinched.

“It says come home. But I am already home,” Jacob said. “Are you home, Jacob?” Lila asked. The years of loneliness seeped into his soul, and Jacob sighed. “When do we leave, I’m coming home with you,” Jacob said. “I have been wandering all over the country trying to find a home. I am coming home with you, Jacob. We are home to each other,” Lila hesitated. “No, I know you need to have a conversation with your children. This will be harder on Karen than Carl.”

Jacob’s first call was to Carl. It surprised him how supportive Carl was to his plans. Karen questioned who this woman was and why he would leave with her, but realized that her father was grown and needed to leave. Jacob’s final call was to Paul. A sixty-year friendship ended with that call. This time he took Lila’s hand and smiled. “Let’s go home.”

© 2019 Ivy Jade

In the hotel room, Jacob paced and refused the seat Lila offered. “Tell me about your dream,” Jacob asked. “Have a seat, please,” Lila said. Something in her tone stopped Jacob. He looked at her and then the chair. Several moments passed, and then he sat.

“Two weeks ago, I dreamed of a beach house. I did not see the person who lived there. The wind was blowing everything out to sea. Then the beach house broke apart, and most of it washed out into the ocean. When I woke, I heard a voice, say ‘come home.’ I had not lived here in forty years. The last time I was in Miami was fifteen years ago to bury my aunt. I have a few cousins still here, but no reason to return.”

“Yet you came,” Jacob said. “Yes, I took two days to convenience myself; there must be a reason for me to return.” Jacob stood and walked to the window. The wind had died down, but it was still raining. “Can I get you anything?” Lila asked. Jacob laughed, “Yes, my beach house,” “I wish I could,” was Lila’s reply.

“Do you always follow your dreams?” Jacob asked. “I try to make sense. As a child, my old relatives told me to pay attention to my dreams.” “I still do not know why you walked by my beach house that first night, I saw you,” Jacob said.

Lila smiled. “I was walking, and something or maybe someone drew me in that direction. When I passed your beach house, I felt an awareness. It was not strange but comforting. It was as if I knew you.”

“But you did not stop or speak,” Jacob said. “I did not know you, and that would be rude to walk up,” Lila said. “Okay, but what about after Paul came to see you,” Jacob asked. “I was not sure I wanted to speak with you after talking to Paul. If you were as rude as he was, I did not want to have anything to do with you.”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Jacob asked. “I had committed for one week, then the approaching hurricane left me stranded. Well, not stranded, but not able to change my plans and leave early. Since you had not approached me, I decided you did not want to talk with me. Then pieces of the dream, I had forgotten returned. It was your beach house, and I saw you standing out front looking at the remains of your house.”

“You didn’t tell me that in the basement. Why not?” “Jacob, would you have believed me?” He shook his head. “Probably not, then I would have tried to leave and see about my house.” “You would have risked your life for a beach house?”

Jacob plopped into the chair. “I wanted a beach house since I was a kid. I guess I was only to have it for a few years. A got glimpses of you from long ago. I went through my college yearbooks, looking for a photo of you. I knew it was school related, but I also knew it was not high school.” Lila laughed, “Oh, yes, segregated high schools.”

Lila shuddered. An image of Jacob in her house. “Are you all right?” Jacob asked. “I should ask you that. Strange as it might sound, I am here for you.”

Lila stood before Jacob. Waiting for him to take her outstretched hand.

© 2019 Ivy Jade

Jacob, Lila, Karen, and Paul left the hotel when the all-clear had been announced. The waves rough and the sea roared as they waked to the beach house. Along the way, they say pieces of roofs and every imaginable item that the hurricane had picked up and deposited on the beachfront. Jacob could not move fast enough to get back to his house. With each step the possibility of not having a house or one in such disrepair he would have to move filled his stomach.

“Dad, it will be okay,” Karen said. Jacob nodded. He knew his daughter was in tune with his feelings at the moment. One quick look at Lila, and her feelings were on her face. He had always wanted a house on the beach. Shawn thought it was stupid, so after she died, he sold their house and bought the beach house. Maybe it was only for the time he had the house. Perhaps it was time to move on. Once again the feeling of why was the black woman here

Around the bend there stood the remains of his beach house. The four of them stood in silence, taking in what had been Jacob’s dream for most of his life. He loved the ocean and living on the beach gave him life. “Dad,” was all Karen got out before Jacob fell to his knees.

Lila dropped next to him and placed her arms around him. In that instance, Jacob felt a peace he had been searching for most of his life. The thought the beach house was what he needed, but this woman with her arms holding him made every mistake seem minor. “Jacob, you can rebuild,” Lila whispered in her ears. “No, I think this is the end of this dream,” Jacob said.

Karen and Paul watched Jacob and Lila. Slowly Jacob stood and took Lila’s hand to help her up. “Well, let’s see what we can salvage,” Jacob said. The roof was half gone, and the shutters banged against the frame. The irony of the day, the roof was intact over the room with the boxes Jacob had been going through. That room and the guest bedroom had survived if he could call it survival. Sloshing through the water in flooded rooms, Jacob picked up a few items.

“Dad, I called Carl, and he is on his way with his truck,” Karen said, “Thanks, honey,” Jacob replied. Lila had worked on his kitchen. “Lila, you do not have to do that,” Jacob said. “I am here so I will help,” she replied and continued to work on the items on the floor.

By the time Carl had arrived, there were bags of items that needed to go to the dump. Most of Jacob’s clothing would need to be washed. Paul worked in silence with the others. Carl made two trips to the dump. By nightfall, they cleared what they could save. “Dad, you can come home with me,” Karen suggested. “Thanks, I need to be alone,” Jacob said. “Jacob, you need not be alone,” Paul said. “Paul, your days of taking care of me are over, thanks, but I am good.” Jacob turned to Lila, “We need to talk.” She nodded.

Jacob and Lila left Karen, Carl and Paul and headed back to the hotel, never looking back at the beach house or the three stunned people on the steps.

© 2019 Ivy Jade

Lila pulled the items from the mini refrigerator in her hotel room. “This might not be the best breakfast, but it will hold us until we can leave the hotel,” Lisa said to her guest. “Do you need any help?” Karen asked. “No, well see what is in the minibar for drinks. That would be helpful,” Lila answered.

Jacob stood at the window and watched the waves on the ocean. Paul sat in the chair by the desk. The tension between them clear to everyone in the room. Paul watched Lila as she continued to place the food on the desk.

“Guys, there is French bread, three different cheese, and several fruits,” Lila said. She would say nothing about the conversation that caused the tension in the room. “Jacob, you can have the other chair and Karen, and I can sit on the edge of the bed.” Jacob turned from the window. Karen and Lila watched his movements. Each concerned for different reasons. “Let’s bless the food and then you two can have the conversation that is dancing around us,” Lila said.

They ate the minimal breakfast in silence. Lila watched all three of her guest. Hearing Paul talk about saving Jacob put their relationship in a different light. The dream still lingers. She had remembered her only encounter with Jacob before this week. But why was she to come and what about his beach house? In the dream, the beach house washed away. What did that all mean? How she wished one of her aunts was still alive. The older members of her family could always interpret her dreams. Growing up, she had plenty of dreams.

“Jacob, I am sorry if I have made you uncomfortable all these years. I only wanted to make sure you were okay,” Paul said. It brought Lila to the room with Paul’s comment. “Paul, saving my life did not mean smother me, and that was how it felt. I accept your apology, but from here on, I do not need saving,” Jacob said.

Karen and Lila watched the interaction, neither wanting to say anything. The eerie silence covered the room again. Lila got up and began to clear the food from the desk. “Jacob, I went to Miami Dade Junior College the summer after I finished high school. I remember seeing you there,” Lila said. “When did you remember that?” Paul asked. “Paul, you are doing again,” Jacob said. Paul looked down at the floor. Lila laughed, and the tension in the room seeped out.

“I remembered when we were in the basement. I have not lived here in forty years. I had a dream that terrified me a week ago. At the end of the dream was a voice that said come home,” Lila said. “And you came to Miami because of a dream?” Karen asked. “Yes, I grew up trusting my dreams. They were usually pointing me to something or someone. Never were they literal.” “This is scary since I had the dream about Dad last week,” Karen added.

“I think the dreams are connected,” Lila said. Jacob stared at Lila, She turned and smiled at him. He started to speak, and Karen’s cellphone rang. It was her brother. She answered, then let him speak with their dad. It was time to walk to the beach house and access the damage if any. Because the beach house had been in Lila’s dream, she knew she would go with them.

An unease filled Lila’s body.

© 2019 Ivy Jade