“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