Sophie's Dream Man

  Three gray dots glared at Sophie from her computer screen. She felt a knot form in her stomach as her anxiety grew. She knew this had been a mistake; after all these years, Harrison would not want to hear from her. She regretted sending the message to him.  

  "Stupid girl," she whispered to herself. 

  Sophie's husband had unexpectedly left her a month earlier. He had left her for a much younger woman and never bothered to explain why. Her mind was jumbled and her heart bruised. They had always had a decent marriage- it was dull at times- but they had never had any serious problems. So why did he leave her? 

  Sophie noticed her arm flab jiggle as she moved her computer mouse. She knew why he had left. It was because of the flab on her arms, the pregnancy stretch marks on her stomach, and the wrinkles on her face she had neglected to use cream on. 

  Sophie scrolled through pie recipes in an attempt to distract herself, but she couldn't keep her mind from coming back to Harrison.  

   Why is he taking so long to respond? she wondered.  

  She clicked back over to her messenger tab to analyze the message she had sent. 

  Harrison, I hope this message finds you in good health. I know it seems strange to reach out to you after so many years have passed. I understand if you don’t write back. The reason I’m thinking of you is because about a week ago I had a dream about you. The dream made me wonder how you’ve been. I also want you to know that I’ve changed since we were together in high school. I apologize for any of the cruel things I said about you amidst our breakup. I was upset about you leaving me and dating Cyndi, but that was no excuse to start rumors or to insult you. This message truly is to apologize. If you choose to respond, I’d love to know how life has treated you.

-Sophie 

  Maybe mentioning the dream was a little odd, Sophie worried. 

  Sophie had rarely thought of Harrison prior to her dream. Now she couldn’t get him off her mind. She dreamt that she had married Harrison instead of her ex. In her dream they lived a happy life together, travelling to Greece, where Sophie had always dreamt of visiting, planting yellow carnations in their garden, and going to the theater with friends. Sophie’s husband would never go to the theater no matter how many times Sophie asked. The dream took a dark turn when Sophie came home one night to discover Harrison in their bed with another woman. But it was only a dream. Sophie wondered if this is how it would’ve turned out if they had married each other. Maybe the good parts of the dream would’ve been real and the nightmare was only influenced by her reality. 

   Ding! Sophie finally got a messenger notification. 

   Sophie, I am glad to hear from you after all this time. I never felt right about the way things ended between us. We had such a loving relationship for over a year and it hurt that it ended in such a heated way. Of course, I’ve forgiven anything that happened 30 years ago. All water under the bridge. I want you to know that I only pursued Cyndi AFTER we had already broken up. Despite what you assumed, I am no cheater. I’m sorry that it hurt you, but it did turn out a blessing because Cyndi and I ended up being married for 25 years. Sadly, I lost her almost a year ago to breast cancer. To be honest with you, I’m not doing well. It’s been a depressing year for me. Vincent, our only son lives in London. He works as a journalist for the South London Press. Needless to say, it's been lonely without him or Cyndi around. But enough about me, I see your last name has changed. Do you and your husband have any kids? 

  Sophie cracked her knuckles as she thought up a response. All of a sudden, a thought struck her mind. Why had she wanted to reach out to Harrison in the first place? Did she want some type of closure for the break up, was she curious about how his life ended up, or was she hoping to rekindle the passionate feelings Harrison had once brought up in her? Sophie knew it was the last reason, and she also knew it wasn’t good for her to be jumping into a relationship after a painful separation. She knew she should come up with a quick response that would answer his questions and end the conversation, but she couldn’t resist messaging him back. She was giddy at the idea of talking to—perhaps even flirting with— a man. 

   I am so sorry to hear about your wife; it's a shame your son can’t take leave from work and spend time with you. And yes, my last name has changed, but we are in the middle of a divorce right now. We had one daughter together and she’s in Boston for university right now. Do you still live in the area? 

  Sophie left out the reason for her divorce. She was ashamed to have been left for a younger woman. She did not want to come off as undesirable to Harrison. 

  Harrison responded. 

  Yes, never left Astoria. Couldn't imagine living anywhere else.  I noticed in your profile you say you work at a museum near my street. How long have you worked there? 

  It was Sophie's chance to try her hand at flirting after 20 years. 

  I’ve worked there 15 years now. I love it. I’m a tour director. Maybe you should come sometime; I could give you a personal tour. 

  Sophie and Harrison conversed until midnight. It was the latest Sophie had stayed up in a long time. 

  The next morning, Sophie made her way to the computer. No new messages. Oh well, that was okay. He probably was sleeping in after a late night. 

  She checked her messages again after lunch. No new messages. He was probably at work. 

  After dinner, no new messages.  

  8 o'clock, no new messages.  

  Bedtime, no new messages. 

  A week passed. Sophie was disappointed, worrying she had completely misconstrued the conversation as being something more than two old friends politely catching up. 

  Sophie made her way into work the next weekend. It was an uneventful day until about two hours before close. She got a message on her walkie talkie from the front desk.  

  “Someone is at the front desk to see you, Mrs. Moore,” the voice on the other end said.  

  “I'll be right up,” responded a puzzled Sophie, she wasn’t expecting anyone. 

   An overweight, balding man stood talking to the front desk attendant.  

  “Hello, I'm Sophie Moore. How may I assist you?” she asked, holding her hand out to shake the man's hand.  

  “You mean you don’t recognize me? I didn't know I had aged that badly! It’s me, Harrison Hayward!”  

   Sophie’s eyes widened. This whole time she had been picturing the eighteen-year-old Harrison she had once known.  

  “I’m so sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you. Now I can definitely tell it's you after getting a closer look.” Sophie laughed, hoping she hadn’t hurt his feelings.  

   “Well, you certainly aged better than I have.” He said.  

   Sophie blushed.  

   “So, are you free to take me on that tour now?” Harrison asked. 

   In reality, Sophie did have work that she needed to be doing, but she couldn’t pass this opportunity up. It would have screamed disinterested if she had turned him down. 

  Halfway through, Sophie realized she really needed to water down this tour, as she did when she was taking a group of 5th graders. Harrison didn’t have the attention span she had when it came to film history details. He would quickly gravitate towards the next artifact before she had finished reciting all the facts she knew about the previous one.  

    Well, I guess I shouldn't expect everyone to share all of my interests, she thought. Still, it was a little disappointing. 

  “That brings us to the end of the tour. Did you learn anything interesting?” she asked.  

   “I learned that you are an excellent tour giver.” He said with a big smile.  

   “Thank you.” Sophie said.  

   It was sweet, but deep down she would've preferred him to tell her one interesting thing he had learned, then she would know he had actually listened. 

  “Why don’t I repay you with a delicious Italian dinner tonight?” he asked. Sophie perked up. She was actually being asked on a date! Maybe she wasn’t the bad catch her husband had made her feel like; if it had only been a month since he had left and she already was being asked out.  

   “I’d love that,” she said warmly. “I’m not the biggest fan of Italian though; how about Greek instead?” 

   “No, come on, I’ll take you to Trattoria L'incontro. You’ll love it, you have to get the veal parmigiana, never heard a bad word about it, it’s very expensive you know,” he insisted.  

   Sophie had forgotten that with Harrison it was his way, always. He had a way of convincing people his way was best. 

  Sophie had a good time on her date. Her food was mediocre but she definitely wasn’t going to mention it. Harrison was still as hilarious and charismatic as ever and made her feel right at home in his company. 

  Harrison and Sophie went on a lot more dates leading up to October. Sophie’s birthday was the last Saturday in October. 

  “For my birthday this year I’d really love to see Phantom of the Opera.” Sophie brought up one evening over baked ziti.  

   “Why don’t you and one of your girlfriends go see it then?” he questioned, dabbing sauce off his chin.  

   “I was kind of hoping you would take me, as a gift.”  

   Harrison chuckled, “Theater is really not my kind of thing, Hon. I think that’s more of a woman's interest. Just go with a girlfriend. I can buy the tickets if you'd like that as your gift. Maybe I’ll even get you an extra gift.” He said with a wink, caressing her arm.  

   Sophie went cold and stiff. She did not feel like being touched by him right now. Sophie never felt like being touched by him actually. But she dealt with it because afterwards he would always tell her how beautiful she was. 

  Sophie had lunch with her friend, Lynn, the next day. 

  “So, what’s new with Sophie? How was your summer?” Lynn had left for Europe two weeks after Sophie’s husband had left. “I started dating someone over the summer.”  

   Lynn gasped.  

   “So soon?! Sophie!” she scolded.  

   “Well, at least I didn’t move on as quick as my husband did.” Sophie retorted.  

   “You’re right, Soph. You deserve someone who treats you well. How have been things been going so far with him; is it spicy?” Lynn laughed.  

   “Um, he does treat me well. He's well off too, always buying me fancy things. He's heavy handed with the compliments so it's been a great confidence boost after I felt so low. Right now, I’m a little disappointed because he said he'd buy me tickets to The Phantom of the Opera on my birthday but he wasn’t willing to go with me.”  

   She was more than a little disappointed.  

   “Oh, well honey, not a lot of men out there love opera. If he spoils you then count your blessings. Chuck got me a vacuum for my birthday last year.” Lynn scoffed. 

   “What’s the guy's name?” Lynn asked.  

   “Harrison Hayward.”  

   Lynn choked. 

   “Harrison, the one you were with all senior year?” she asked.  

   Sophie nodded yes.  

   “Harrison who cheated on you with Cyndi?” she asked, astounded.  

   “He never actually cheated. I just thought he did because of how quickly they had got together after he dumped me. He told me he never cheated on me.” Sophie explained.  

   “He most certainly did. Weren’t you two together during spring break?” Lynn interrogated.  

   “Yes, we were together until a week after graduation.” Sophie answered.  

   “Okay, so who did I see getting handsy with Cyndi at the spring fling afterparty while you were in Florida?” 

   Sophie sighed.  

   “I’m not sure, but it wasn’t Harrison.” she explained.  

   “Yes, it was Harrison.” Lynn insisted. “If you are so sure it was Harrison, then why didn’t you tell me about it at the time?” Sophie questioned. 

   Lynn furrowed her brow. “Because I confronted HARRISON at the party and told him if he didn’t tell you himself, I was going to tell you. He begged me to give him until after graduation because he said he didn’t want to ruin your graduation when he knew how much it meant to you. I knew that it would ruin your graduation, and so I complied with his request. Then I didn’t really see how telling you he had been cheating would help you feel any better so I never told you. Being the logical person you are, you figured that out for yourself.” 

  It was obvious to Sophie that Lynn was telling the truth. 

  Sophie did her best to hold back tears on the drive home from lunch. She was so over men. She was so over playing second fiddle. Why did she continue to let herself be treated less than her worth? She was a hard-working woman.  She was intelligent. She was passionate. She was kind to those around her. Sure, she had wrinkles on her face, but they sat beneath two sparkling blue eyes. Sure, she had stretch marks, but they were proof of how strong and capable her body was as a woman. Sure, she had arm flab, but so what; she had killer legs from walking up and down a museum every day. So why did she continue to let herself look and the mirror and feel unworthy of her own love? 

  Sophie got home and called Harrison. “I changed my mind; I don’t want to go to the theater for my birthday. I want to just relax at your house with you. You can cook me a meal, how about that?” she listened as he responded.  

   “Okay, if you’re a bad cook we can order delivery....no I don’t want Italian food, I want Greek....it’s my birthday Harrison and I want moussaka.... okay, thank you...talk to you later.” Sophie hung up. 

   Sophie’s birthday arrived. She got the day off work so she could get her hair and nails done. She wore her nicest dress and mascara for once. She looked in the mirror and smiled.  

   Is this confidence? She wondered. 

  Harrison had sent a limo to pick up Sophie for her birthday, which she found unnecessary, but she wasn’t going to turn it down. 

  She pulled up to Harrison’s house at a quarter to five.  

   “Wow, someone’s smoking hot tonight.” he said, eyes wide, as he opened the door. “Thank you.” she said, darting out of the way before he kissed her. 

  Sophie walked toward the kitchen.  

   “What’s this?” she asked in frustration. “Doesn’t look like moussaka to me.”  

   Harrison cowered a little, “Well, I got you the finest French food. It’s a surprise for your birthday.  Greek food is fine, but c’mon, this is a celebration, Honey.” he explained.  

   “No, it’s not a surprise at all Harrison, in fact it’s exactly what I expected. You can never let anyone else be the star even for one moment.” she said, exasperated.  

   “I’m sorry Sophie. You want Greek, I’ll order Greek food. Just give me a minute I’ll call the place right now. Where do you want it from?”  

   Sophie hesitated. She should just leave now, but she didn’t.  

   “Ovelia.” she said, naming the most expensive restaurant she could think of off the top of her head.  

   “Ok, why don’t you go into the living room, relax a minute, pick a movie, calm down a bit. I’ll get you your moussaka, hon.” he said. This was the first time Sophie could ever tell he was intimidated by her. 

  “I ordered the food. Did you pick a movie?” Harrison said, coming back into the room with a hopeful smile.  

   “2001: A Space Odyssey.” she answered. “Are you sure you want to watch-”  

   Sophie shot daggers at him.  

   “You know, I've actually been wanting to re-watch this movie because, I tell you, I did not get it at all the first time.” he said. 

   “Before we watch it, I have a question for you: how did you and Cyndi get together?” Sophie asked. “I don’t feel like talking about that, it brings up bad feelings.” Harrison said.  

   “Well, I do.” Sophie said firmly. “Okay, we met at a friend's pool party.” Harrison answered.  

   Sophie pursed her lips.  

   “After you broke it off with me, right?”  

   Harrison scoffed.  

   “Of course, like I said; I’m no cheater.” he lied.  

   "Lynn told me about you and Cyndi at the spring fling party. You know, the one BEFORE you left me.” Sophie revealed.  

   “You’re still going on about something that happened three decades ago, you sound insane right now, Sophie!” he said angrily.  

   “Yeah, I’m insane to date someone just like my ex. We’re through.” she said, walking towards the door. 

  “Where are you going? Come back; we can work this out.” Harrison pleaded. “I’m going to the theater,” Sophie answered, dignified.  

   “That’s pathetic, Sophie. You’re going to go to the theater alone on your birthday?” he snarled.  

   “Yes, I am. And I’m taking your limo.” she smirked, slamming the door.