Dream On

                                                         DREAM ON.

      Amanda Oates the daydreamer would go into her world of make believe. Her teachers would notice Amanda staring through the classroom window. Mr Jones the maths tutor would prod her in the back and ask her to concentrate. Making her an object of ridicule, the rest of the class would mock shouting, “dreamer, silly little dreamer,” then everyone would laugh. Joe Smythe had handed her a match box with a screw in. When she had looked up, she saw Sarah and Jo Peters laughing at her, in the school canteen. Throwing the box in the bin Amanda felt hurt and rejected.

      She liked to imagine that she was running along a sandy beach feeling sand between her toes, the wind in her hair and clear blue skies. What was the use of Algebra or French? Her parents Brian and Matilda Oates worried over their daughter. Amanda had remarked that she was too tall to become a dancer and no classical musician. Her parents had thought that music and dance would be away for Amanda to meet new friends.  

    Brian had said,” it’s a phase she’s going through.”

   “You always take her side, do you won’t her serving fish and chips in the chippy.”

   “Of course, not” replied Brian.

   “She has no ambition?”

   “Let’s go to bed?” said Brian putting his arm around his wife.

    Amanda sat at the bottom of the stairs. She did not like to hear parents arguing about her career. 

         She had thought about becoming an author hoping to gain a Diploma in English literature.  

Instead, Amanda had left college later that year after finding herself pregnant. Amanda was now married to Mike a mechanical engineer and mother to three-year-old George.

   With encouragement from her local library and her friend Sue who said, “Go on give it a go.” Amanda had learnt how to use the internet. Finding that it helped to relieve stress as the words and ideas appeared on the paper. At first, she had read her stories to family and friends before entering several writing competitions. Amanda had recently won a highly-commended certificate for a short story. One of the judges had asked to see more of her work; she would now read her stories for a local radio station.

      At Gate Radio Station, she had been nervous getting started. The interviewer, Bradley Jones had asked her to tell the audience a bit about herself how she spent her days, what inspired her to write and to read in a clear voice. They had done several takes of the interview. Amanda had told them that she had never given up the hope of becoming a writer and thanked staff at the local library for their encouragement and support. Meeting others at the radio station had helped her gain more confidence to pursue her talent.

     Amanda knew that this was a stepping stone to her career, she read poetry and short stories in the local libraries in and around where she lived and became known as a celebrity. It was a pleasure to meet others and George could be taken along with her if he wasn’t at play school. Mike her husband had started to feel the strain of having a talented wife. He complemented her on her dress sense attending some of the talks and interviews with her when the local tabloids had showed an interest after her radio spot in the limelight.

  Amanda now did hospital Radio readings to cheer up patients. Mike vowed that they would have a nice home his job had brought rewards as his career had progressed. It was good having a talented creative wife and George was contented and well looked after but where did that leave him?

 Visits to the local pub and family outings with friend and family were disturbed when people wanted to come over and chat with Amanda. All as Mike could do was smile and look on. 

   Mike had started an affair with Bunty Biggins, at the local stables where George has started to show an interest in horses. They were planning to get George a small pony when he was five and could be taught how to care for the pony’s needs. Simple tasks like fetching clean straw and watching the adults. Bunty had remarked what an intelligent boy George was and had led him around the field at Hall Farm on a small pony called Alice. After that meeting with Bunty, Mike had started calling around there evenings for a coffee on the way home from work. Amanda had accepted that Mike had clients to see and maybe came home late occasionally.

       It had to happen Gemma Collet a local gossip had mentioned in the local store that she had seen Mike leaving Bunty’s” more than once. “What does that mean? Said A shocked Amanda. “Oh, you know were fox’s leave their scent replied Gemma.” Amanda was very hurt and upset about this, knowing that Gemma a divorcee had a track record of broken relationships. She was jealous of the family unit Amanda had built with Mike and of her success as a writer and mother.                      

   She had thought that Mike, was happy with her success now Amanda had to put things right. The happy family image helped to sell her work to magazines and the first draft of her book was in progress. Where had it all gone wrong? She was not a day dreaming schoolgirl. Now a mother with responsibilities. The visits to Bunty had to stop, Amanda hummed as she took George to a different riding school. Bunty ’s face had dropped when Amanda had told her that George would not be having riding lessons or his first pony from her.  

Amanda looked down at her bump, second time around it was going to be a daughter? She was going to write from home, also cutting down on her many public appearances to spend time with Mike and her family. Realizing that true happiness came with her family, ambition and success were nice only when shared with those she loved.