Lifting his gaze, Eddie noticed Colin a short distance away. His son was the centre of his world, and when he thought of Colin, the world dissolved, leaving only the two of them. It was a connection that nothing could disrupt, except for this recurring dream.
Eddie awoke, feeling utterly refreshed, having experienced his second consecutive good night's sleep. Something which has not happened in a long time He attributed it to his new gym routine, though in truth he knew it was still too new of a thing to make a difference yet.. Energized, he leaped out of bed, eager for the day he was about to spend with his son, Colin. Since his divorce, Saturdays with Colin had become the highlight of his week, a cherished routine he couldn't wait to embrace.
After a quick shower, Eddie dressed and made his way to the kitchen. He prepared a healthy breakfast, a far cry from the leftover cold pizza, he mused. Glancing at his watch, he noted it was 8:30, leaving him with half an hour before he was to meet Colin, with fifteen of those minutes allocated for the walk to Tamarah’s apartment block. Eddie decided to make a brief stop at the convenience store around the corner from Tamarah’s place, intending to grab a coffee he could enjoy in the park while Colin rode his bike.
Exiting the convenience store, the door swung open, and a burly man hurried inside, colliding with Eddie and sending his coffee splattering onto the floor. Eddie cast a withering look at the man, but the burly stranger continued on his way without uttering a word. Eddie, though irritated, decided to let it slide. “If I had more time,” he thought, “I’d make you pay for that.” But the stranger’s silence prevailed.
Putting the incident behind him, Eddie reached Tamarah’s apartment building, where Colin, perched on the balcony, greeted him with wild enthusiasm, waving so vigorously it appeared as if he might tumble over the railing. As Eddie approached the buzzer to notify Tamarah of his arrival to collect Colin, he couldn’t help but notice the peculiar choice of clothing he was wearing, almost as if it was plucked from his dreams. He dismissed it as a quirk of nerves brought on by the anticipation of spending time with his son. He pressed the buzzer and waited for the door to open.
When the door finally swung ajar, he stepped into the elevator, heading for his former apartment on the third floor. Standing outside apartment 304, he knocked, and Colin greeted him with a radiant smile, mirroring the scene from his dreams. “Hey buddy, ready for our trip to the park?” Eddie inquired.
“You bet!” Colin replied with unwavering enthusiasm. Eddie studied his son and, realizing the brisk weather, suggested, “It’s a little chilly out, why don’t you grab a sweater?”
Tamarah appeared at the doorway, and Eddie acknowledged her desire for control. He understood the potential for conflicts to escalate, and so he nodded in compliance. Colin soon reappeared, now wearing the same sweater that had haunted his dreams, revealing that it was part of their regular routine, explaining the eerie familiarity.
Colin joined them with his bike, and they embarked on their journey, making their way to the elevator. On the sidewalk, as they strolled towards the park, just a mere 100 yards from the apartment building, Eddie pressed the crosswalk button at the corner, activating the light to halt traffic. He faintly registered the sound of a horn from a passing vehicle but paid it little mind.
Once they entered the northwest entrance of the park, Eddie directed Colin to start riding while staying close by. Without hesitation, Colin took off, and Eddie settled onto the nearest park bench, directly across from the swings.
It was then that Eddie realized the source of his disquiet in the dream; everything felt unnervingly familiar. The clothing, the sweater, Tamarah’s comments – all aligned with his dream. Eddie strained to recall the sounds from that dream, with fleeting fragments of memory: the reminder to wear a sweater, Tamarah’s remarks about the bike, his call to Colin, and Colin’s ecstatic scream, “Daddy.” Yet, amidst these vivid recollections, silence pervaded. Eddie attempted to recall if the honking horn had featured in the dream.
Lifting his gaze, Eddie noticed Colin a short distance away. His son was the center of his world, and when he thought of Colin, the world dissolved, leaving only the two of them. It was a connection that nothing could disrupt, except for this recurring dream.
Regrettably, everything unfolding in reality seemed to mirror the events of his dream, and it was becoming almost too much for Eddie to bear. Two parallel narratives unfolded before his eyes, like two movies at similar points, but the real one felt slower and eerily surreal.
A honking horn jolted him from his thoughts, and he turned in the direction of the sound, spotting a cluster of cars and trucks on Cumberland Drive. Initially, he didn’t think it was anything out of the ordinary. As he scanned the surroundings, Eddie saw Colin moving further in the direction of the dream sequence
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