Carolyn often had fantasies about the man of her dreams. She dreamt about him every night. Her dreams were so vivid that, at times, she felt like she could simply reach out and touch him. But whenever she tried, he disappeared.
On this particular day, sitting in the small, out of the way diner she could swear she caught a glimpse of him walking past the double entrance doors. Carolyn sat, staring at the doors for several moments, waiting for the mystery man to enter. Instead, two husky, bearded truck drivers appeared. They made some small talk with Mable, the fifty plus year old waitress who had worked at Barney’s roadside diner most of her life. They briefly flirted and then before taking a seat in a nearby booth, the taller one pinched Mable on the behind; she jerked slightly and giggled like a teenage girl. Mable knew how to get the tips, at any expense.
Carolyn waited for a half hour for her friend before she decided to leave. Apparently her friend got hung up at work. She’d call Lois later tonight to find out what happened to her.
Carolyn got done work late that evening. She was stressed out and needed a drink. As she pulled onto route 73 she rummaged through her large leather purse for her cell phone. She dialed 555-1292.
“Hello….”
“Hey Lois. It’s me, Carolyn.”
“Carolyn, I’m so sorry about this afternoon. I was on my way to the diner when I got into a minor fender bender.”
“Oh my God, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. My car got a few scratches but nothing major. So, what’s up?”
“D’ya care to go for a drink? I’m stressed.”
“Yeah. Um, can I bring someone?”
“Sure. Who?”
“I don’t want to spoil it. We’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“Okay, I’ll be there in a few. C’ya.”
“C’ya.”
Carolyn got to the bar before her friend. She ordered a martini and sat at the bar and watched the few couples that danced on the dance floor. It was still early and the bar was pretty deserted.
Fifteen minutes went by and Lois and her friend still hadn’t showed up. Carolyn tried Lois’ home number….no answer. Then she tried Lois’ cell phone. Apparently the cell phone wasn’t on. Lois was one of those people who carries a cell phone but she never turns it on.
After four drinks Carolyn was feeling tipsy. She remembered climbing into the car, inserting the key into the ignition and putting the car in drive. But everything after that was a blur.
Six weeks later Carolyn came out of the coma. She would need to endure months of physical therapy, including learning to walk again. Both her short and long-term memory would come and go. She didn’t know if she’d ever be the same. Carolyn didn’t remember the accident or how it occurred.
It was a year later when it finally happened. Carolyn was sitting in Barney’s, at her usual booth. The tall, dark haired man of her dreams appeared; his chiseled face, dark eyes and muscular build. She recognized him immediately from her dreams. The only problem was, he didn’t know her.
He sat at the counter and ordered coffee and a turkey club sandwich. Mable was working the counter that day. Carolyn thought this might be her only opportunity to meet her mystery man so she mustered all of the courage she could and left her booth to take the seat next to him at the counter.
Before she could speak, something caught Carolyn’s eye. All at once, images flashed before her……the horrified look on Lois’ face, right before impact. The image of someone grabbing the wheel and turning it toward Carolyn’s car. The ring!!
He wore a class ring, with a unique shade of blue and the numbers 1985, indicating the class of 1985. It was him! Carolyn’s dream man…..the man who killed Lois!
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Reviewed by Lana
3/17/2003
Mystery Man is keeping me guessing. I want to read more. Great short story, I hated to see it end.
A page-turning novel about a relationship between best friends that is interrupted because of betrayal , deceit, sexual promiscuity and pregnancy happens!
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