These Dreams

In the dream I'm going to Toronto with Stacy. This, in and of itself, isn't anything unusual. But in the dream we're driving to Toronto in a 15 passenger van with Stacy's cousin, Claude, and a group we met in the basement of a church in White Rapids.

Yes, they are a church group!

Our Mighty friend, Terry, has somehow conscripted us into this church touring company. We will re-enact the scene when God created the world. We will sing hymns off-key in time with a tambourine. We will spread The Word and save souls.

I have no idea how this happened. Terry is apologetic, but he promised that we'd go, so go we must. Claude is appropriately agitated and bitchy. I mean who is Terry to force this lifestyle upon him. But Stacy and I are freakishly calm in the face of this excursion. She seems to even enjoy the singing and has started picking up the tambourine when nobody is looking. Plus she has been cast as the sun in the creation play, which is a major role. I'm not quite as excited as she appears to be, but I'm open and optimistic. "You've never done this before!" I think. "This will be an adventure!"

There is only one niggling snag with the trip. We will be gone during production of the next issue of BnM. Cindy is mortified. She'll have to do EVERYTHING herself, from cover to cover, write, edit, design ... We have confidence in her ability, but she's pissed. How is she going to make a magazine all by herself and look after her kids, clean her house, cook, etc. etc.?! "You can do it!" we yell as we press our noses against the windows of the van and wave good bye.

When we arrive the next snag becomes apparent. Because we're not at work, we won't be getting paid. Because we're only on loan to the church group, they are not going to pay our way. They kick us out of their cushy boarding house and leave us to fend for ourselves. Stacy and Claude quickly steal the 15-passenger van and drive off eastward bound. "See you suckers!" Claude yells out the open window.

I'm left standing in a rain soaked dark alley. I'm not really sure where I am. I think the west end. I have no money and no idea what to do. My cell phone rings and it's Terry. I tell him about Stacy and Claude's defection. I tell him about the church group kicking me out. "No problem!" he says. "All you need is a little bit of cash and they'll let you back in. Didn't you used to do temp work when you lived there before?"

Aha! I snap my fingers as the way becomes clear. I will hit up the temp agencies. I will get some odd jobs. I will make a little money and then the church group will let me stay with them. It'll all work out. I am saved.

Mood: delirious
Drinking: coffee, black, maxwell house, rich roast
Listening To: buddy upstairs moving furniture around
Hair: still short