The Stuff that Dreams Are Made On

Submitted into Contest #113 in response to: Write a story about a character who believes their dreams predict the future.... view prompt

42 comments

American Contemporary Friendship

“I don’t think he loves me anymore,” I say, buttering a warm piece of bread. 

The bread basket is almost empty, but the waiter will bring us another. We’ll say we regret ordering more. It will ruin our appetite. But we’ll eat more bread gleefully—slathering yellow smears of animal fat on empty carbohydrates. 

My oldest friend and I meet biweekly for lunch, mainly at restaurants with ferns whose menus have more pages than contemporary novels. 

“I don’t think he loves me anymore,” I repeat, trying to look sad. I wonder on some level if I care. “The signs are all there. He’s losing interest . . .” 

“Don’t overact,” my friend replies, picking at her chicken salad. 

“I can’t sleep. And when I can, I dream about very strange things.”

“Dreams mean nothing. Even daydreams, for that matter,” she said, bitterly stabbing a crouton. “Things just are the way they are. Accept reality and move on.” She still wasn’t over her second divorce.

“You know I come from a long line of mystics,” I brag.

“You come from a long line of alcoholics,” she replies. “And interpreting alcoholic-induced visions seldom pans out. Trust me on this.” To make her point, she drains her own wine glass and then mine.

“You know most physicists believe the past, present, and future all happen at the same time. Maybe I am warning myself from the future?”

She gives me a pained look. “Stop it.”

“No, seriously. Einstein said that time distinction is a ‘stubbornly persistent illusion.’ I think dreams are our own selves sending back advice, just at the moment we need it the most!” I am excited about my deduction. It all seems to make sense.

“Fine. Then he doesn’t love you. In fact, he has already dumped your ass, and you have already gotten over him. In fact, you have decided in the distant past to avoid him entirely. Congratulations! You have saved yourself another broken heart, and you have saved me another circular conversation about whether or not your current boyfriend loves you at this particular moment in time.”

“Aren’t you clever?” I sulk.

“What do you want me to say? That the universe sends us omens and portents to help us see into the future?”

“Yes. Say exactly that. Then ask me about my dreams,” I reply. 

“The universe doesn’t even know your name, let alone care who kisses you goodnight and if they will pledge their undying love to you. You are alone in a mortal world and coping with persistent existential despair. Join the rest of us in finding distractions until death. Netflix works for me.”

“You don’t believe in anything,” I say, shocked, and a little hurt.

“I don’t believe in anything,” she fires back, turning to see the waiter edge up on our table, ready to be of service, unlike the uncaring universe. “Oh hello there, I believe I will have another glass of Chardonnay.”  

“You don’t want to hear about my dreams, then?” I try again. 

“Do I want you to ramble on about disassociated symbols and memories all jumbled together in a nonsensical story with no point that you’ll torture into some sort of self-deceiving prediction? Absolutely.”

“You’re having fun at my expense, aren’t you?”

“No,” she said. “And I’m actually picking up the tab today. But do go on.” 

“When he didn’t call me last week, I dreamt I was bald,” I whisper, as if the fates would hear me. I didn’t want to call down my own doom.

“You are perimenopausal. You’re going to lose some hair.”

“But BALD? I can’t go bald.” I pat my head, ensuring my hair is still there. “But baldness represents loss. I am going to lose him.” 

“Bald is beautiful, baby. Besides, bald symbolizes transformation. Maybe you are ready to move on? Like a newborn baby or a military recruit or Buddhist monk. Shave your head. Figuratively, please. You would NOT look good bald.” 

The waiter takes our plates and, of course, we order dessert. Salads followed by cheesecake balances everything out in the cosmic scheme of things. 

“And lately,” I remark, mouthful of cheesecake, “I am dreaming of shoes.”

“What type of shoes?”

“It doesn’t matter what kind. Shoes are for leaving. He wants to leave me. It couldn’t be more clear.”

“Oh, I think it could be,” she sighs, rolling her eyes. “Are they baby shoes? Maybe he wants to have a child? He doesn’t have any. You have two from your first marriage.”

“I’m too old to have a child,” I retort.

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t want them.”

My mouth snaps shut.

“Are you dreaming of high heels or stilettos? Chinese lotus shoes? Dorothy’s ruby slippers? Cinderella’s glass slippers? Flip flops?”

“I don’t know. Just shoes,” I say, defensively.

“You are quite the oracle,” she laughs. “If you believe in the power of dreams, maybe pay a little closer attention to your own.”

“What does it matter,” I pout. “He’s either going to leave me or he isn’t.”

“Exactly. Welcome to the Land of the Stoics. What is, is.” 

I brood, chopping up the graham cracker crust like a three-year-old with my knife. It feels good to stab something. 

“I liked him,” I say.

“You liked the idea of him. You probably just dreamed up another fantasy castle. Fun to imagine, hard to live in. A dream. An illusion,” she explains matter-of-factly.  

“What if this life is an illusion?” I query. Two can play this game. “What if when we die, we awake into a truer reality? Or at least, a better dream.”

“What if your overthinking everything has driven every man from your life? No one wants to think that much . . . about anything.”

“But dreams have to mean something, don’t they?”

“No,” she shook her head slowly. “No, they do not. Your brain is not a ouija board.”

“Then—”

“Don’t base your life choices merely on electrical brain impulses pulling down random memories. In the words of Gertrude Stein, there is no there, there.” 

I decide she is right, but I remain stubborn.  

“What if we just never wake up,” I sigh. “That seems preferable right now.”

“Well,” my dear friend smiles. “Then ordering this chocolate raspberry cheesecake won’t matter much either way.” 


September 30, 2021 18:03

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42 comments

Caryn Devincenti
11:05 Oct 04, 2021

Powerful emotions here, Deidra. Well done!

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20:36 Oct 05, 2021

Thanks, Caryn! Oh, all the tales told over cheesecake :)

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Janis Petzel
01:45 Oct 03, 2021

Your brain is not a Ouija board--love it! Captures this moment in time perfectly, Einstein or no Einstein. I like the way you worked with the prompt, too.

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20:38 Oct 05, 2021

On second thought -- maybe our brains are Ouija boards? That would explain a lot...haha

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Katie Kanning
01:38 Oct 03, 2021

Hey Deidra, I love your story! I'm wondering if I could read it on my podcast, "Unpublished, not Unknown"? It's all about giving voice to indie authors' short stories and spreading their reach a bit further. I'll credit you and link your profile in the show notes. People can listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Youtube, and 5 other locations. It's in its growing stage, so I'd only ask you to share your episode with friends if you like it :) You can check out the format here: https://bio.link/katiek I know I've asked before and you told me ...

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08:52 Oct 03, 2021

Absolutely use whatever you wish. Any chance I can voice one of the characters?

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Katie Kanning
21:03 Oct 03, 2021

I'm definitely interested! I've been wracking my brain today about how to do the setup though. The setup I have now is a little wonky because my computer doesn't have the power to record my mic, so I'm recording video on my phone and using that audio. I'm just not sure how we could collab in real-time with that haha. We could record separately maybe? Or do you have any ideas? I'm not too bad at editing and could probably sync us up pretty well.

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21:05 Oct 03, 2021

With our podcast — we do it over Google Meet. We could try it? 😎

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Katie Kanning
23:40 Oct 04, 2021

Actually, the real question is who do you want to voice?

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01:11 Oct 05, 2021

The friend 😎

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Katie Kanning
01:07 Oct 03, 2021

Enjoyed this conversation

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20:39 Oct 05, 2021

Old divorcees are hilarious. Always jaded. Always fun to write :)

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Katie Kanning
02:25 Oct 06, 2021

I do love an angry female character haha

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Michael Regan
16:05 Oct 02, 2021

Loved the Einstein quote. I also loved that the whole scene played out in dialogue, I felt like a voyeur eavesdropping from the next table.

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20:41 Oct 05, 2021

People Watching is my favorite sport. We live near Disney World, and usually just pull up a bench and watch the crazy. So fun to overhear what others are thinking. Kinda terrifying at moments, too. Haha

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Michael Regan
19:51 Oct 06, 2021

I have spent most of my life in small towns - people watching was limited. For the last 2 year even that small amount was taken away. BTW - I have working my way through you podcasts. The interviews are great and I really appreciate the tips at the end.

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21:05 Oct 06, 2021

Wow. Thanks :)

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20:43 Oct 01, 2021

i came up with a solution. kill the husband! whoo!

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20:46 Oct 01, 2021

From the mouths of babes… ❤️

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20:51 Oct 01, 2021

✨ well hello there shakespeare ✨

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09:43 Oct 01, 2021

Oh, I love this! It's so funny, and clever at the same time.

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11:06 Oct 01, 2021

Thanks :) I appreciate your thoughtful comment.

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Shaina Read
15:25 Oct 06, 2021

I enjoyed the dialogue quite a bit! Thank you for such a fun read.

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16:05 Oct 06, 2021

Woooo fun to write :)

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. .
22:46 Oct 05, 2021

I usually don't like stories with lots of dialogue but this one hits the spot!

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00:27 Oct 06, 2021

Woo hoo! Thanks for the kudos -- :)

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Keya J.
17:51 Oct 02, 2021

Woah, it was fun to read the chitters of two friend souls, both north poles, repelling. Patches of wicked humor kept me hooked. Nice Deidra!

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20:40 Oct 05, 2021

Nothing like frustrated women in their 50's venting about the state of affairs, so to speak. I'm sure the exact same conversation is repeated in every Cheesecake Factory restaurant on a daily basis.

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Keya J.
11:53 Oct 06, 2021

😂😂 definitely

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22:51 Sep 30, 2021

I like this. I like the way the conversation starts and ends and how we get to see a bit of the characters. Honestly, I think she's just being paranoid. And, of course, she's an overthinker, unlike her friend. She dreams about shoes and concludes that he would leave her? That sounds like paranoia. In the end, that might make her lose him faster than whatever fate has in store. But then again, that's the power of thinking our dreams mean so much. To some, it does and to others, it's nothing. You created these characters well although this is...

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23:27 Sep 30, 2021

Thanks, Abby! :) I overheard two of my students talking about their dreams and what their dreams meant. (I rolled my eyes because I am old and jaded.) That got me thinking about overthinking things (haha). What better characters than two fortysomethings from TikTok at the Cheesecake Factory to hash it out?

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Bruce Friedman
19:45 Sep 30, 2021

I like this style for you, Deidre: Loads of clever dialogue in short bursts. Illuminates lunch time conversion between middle age divorcees. Also lots of great quotes such as: “What if your overthinking everything has driven every man from your life? No one wants to think that much . . . about anything.”

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20:55 Sep 30, 2021

Thanks, Bruce! Stichomythia rocks! (The Greeks figured out all the rhetorical devices and gave them names that sound like diseases...)

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Bruce Friedman
21:49 Sep 30, 2021

No (one) man wants to think that much . . . about anything.”

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23:28 Sep 30, 2021

So. True.

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Atenaga Monday
14:23 Sep 04, 2022

Amazing story but please can everyone reading this also check out my new book on amazon Novel of fortune or Billionaire Kiss author Atenaga Monday, please just help a writer like me and support this movement.....

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Francis Daisy
09:09 Oct 07, 2021

I love the dialogue. It seems so realistic. I just have one question: Why is she trying to look sad, if she isn't sad? Or is she sad? And she wonders on some level if she cares? At the beginning of the story, I was thinking that she was okay about the break up. But then the conversation goes in a different direction completely. Does she want to break up or not? I love the part about the imagined castle "fun to imagine, hard to live in" - that's perfectly worded!

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07:27 Oct 07, 2021

This story is fascinating.

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Autumn McGiveron
22:01 Oct 06, 2021

I like this a lot! The skeptic character is so often thought of in fiction as the boring one, but I like how you captured the almost Nietzsche-like essence of this particular one. If I want to offer up any criticism (I was led here by the critic circle :) ) I'd say you fall prey to the same thing I do in dialogue-heavy stories, something my old creative writing teacher called 'talking heads'. The dialogue is fantastic, but where are the actions and thoughts? I feel like it breezed through appetizers, dinner, and dessert. Otherwise, though,...

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Unknown User
09:14 Oct 07, 2021

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