Chapter 14 Dreamcatcher #2
“Hold on, what’s happening here? Some sort of phenomenon!” Marge teased. “He’s been here three weeks and didn’t lift a single cup, other than to put it to his mouth!” she added, laughing.
“We gotta go, let’s go,” Tommy said to Nicki.
“Where are we going? I’m having such a nice morning talking to your aunt and uncle,” Nicki said.
Tommy rolled his eyes and put the dishes back down on the table, plopping down on the chair.
Nicki ignored his mini tantrum. The wild wolf who couldn’t sit still for too long needed to learn some patience.
“I was actually going to mention the beautiful dreamcatcher hanging up there. It’s so lovely! It reminds me of my old roommate from college. She always wore one around her neck just like it,” Nicki said.
“Oh, yes, I love dreamcatchers. Ron found that one at the reserve near the mountains. It’s the real deal! I have the same one hanging on the back porch beside the American flag. Need this house fully protected. Maybe that’s why it stood this long!” Marge replied.
“Oh, that’s nice. Apple wore it every day, and loved it. Told me she got it from a reserve in Arizona where she was from—”
“Wait, her name was Apple? Who names their kid Apple?” Tommy interrupted with a grimace on his face.
“OK, Tommy, relax, it’s a very beautiful name. It’s short for Apolonia.”
“Pfft. That’s gotta be the dumbest name I’ve ever heard in my life,” Tommy quipped, now tapping his foot impatiently.
Ron let out a silent chuckle at the far end of the table and lit up his rolled-up cigarette.
“Anyway!” Nicki quipped at Tommy and turned away from him to face Marge.
“As I was saying, she was the sweetest girl, who always wore a dreamcatcher around her neck just like that one! But smaller of course. We weren’t in the same program in college, but we did have one class together.
One time, during the midterm exam, I saw her leave the test room after only about 10 minutes and she didn’t come back.
So, in our room later, I asked her if everything was OK. She told me—haha!”
Nicki’s laugh interrupted her own story.
“She told me that she saw a sliver of the sunset from the exam room window and just couldn’t bear to be stuck inside and not see it.
I told her: but it’s a really big exam! You’ll fail the class!
But she just explained that she didn’t care because she can always redo the class, but sunsets are unique and she just couldn’t miss it.
That was Apple; catching dreams and chasing sunsets. ”
Nicki looked back up at the dreamcatcher, chiming in the wind.
“What happened to her?” Marge asked curiously.
“Of course, she failed and dropped out after that semester and never returned to school! Last I heard she moved to India to chase sunsets over there. I should email her, see what she’s up to these days.
But I ended up moving into a room I rented from the sweetest old lady for the rest of college.
So, it all worked out in the end. Shirley was like a grandma to me—”
“OK, are we done with the memory lane? I can’t listen to this shit anymore, Nicki, let’s go!” Tommy quipped, standing up.
“OK, Tommy, jeez!” Nicki snapped back, making a funny face at Marge. “So rude!”
She grabbed some of the dishes on her way out with Tommy and followed him into the house.
Tommy stood in his worn, ripped jeans, white T-shirt and cowboy hat looking out onto the ranch, at the horse drinking from the stream.
“Yeah, drink up, big boy, you’re gonna need it,” he whispered.
“Hey!” Nicki called out from behind him.
“Finally, what took you so long?” Tommy asked, only to wince at all the bubbles coming at him.
Nicki had scooped up the soap suds from washing the dishes into her hands and blew them forcefully at him.
They floated up into the air in a sparkling bubbly shower and descended down gently onto the both of them.
Tommy’s grimace turned into a smile and he shook his head.
“You are magical.”
“Sorry, I just wanted to wash up after breakfast,” Nicki explained. “Why are you in such a hurry?”
Tommy rushed in to grab Nicki’s hand.
“Cause I don’t have a lot of time left. Tyler will be here soon and I gotta show you something first.”
“Wait, what do you have to show me?” Nicki asked, pulling her hand back. It was no use. Tommy squeezed it so tight that it was more painful to fight it than not.
He dragged her faster along the dry, stiff grass toward the horse in the field.
“I’m going to make you face your fears. While we’re still free,” Tommy explained as he marched on, pulling her with him.
“Oh, no! I’m not getting in any water! Or fire! And there’s not going to be any rats, right?”
Tommy abruptly stopped and faced her, up close.
“You’re afraid of a lot of things.”
He turned back into his power-walk drag to the horse.
“Get up,” he quipped, letting go of her hand and pulling the horse’s head closer.
Tommy rubbed the horse’s nose roughly and gave him a good few pats on the neck.
Nicki leaned against the side of the horse with her arms up.
“Will you come home?” she negotiated, looking back at Tommy.
He put his hands on her waist.
“The crew will bring me home in a body bag once Tyler is done with me.”
“No, they won’t, Tommy! They’re really worried about you!”
“Pfft, honey, you don’t understand how the hierarchy system works in a gang. Or in Tyler’s case, a pride.”
Nicki rolled her eyes and braced herself for him to boost her up. She straddled the horse while Tommy held the makeshift reins tightly and then proceeded to hop on behind her.
They scooted tightly together and he rested his hands with the reins low against her tummy.
His chin found the crook of her neck effortlessly.
Tommy yanked the rope and the horse turned around and headed for the small opening at the corner of the crumbling wooden fence.
“Woah, woah, we’re going out of the ranch?” Nicki asked.
“Yup.”
Nicki held on to his arms tighter.
“God… Tyler really is going to kill you.”
Tommy smiled. “I’ll make it worth it then.”
They took the road further east, with the sun now high above them. The horse walked briskly along the side of the road without a single car going by in at least 20 minutes.
“Well, you did it! You stole a horse!” Nicki teased.
“We did. Cause we’re good company,” Tommy punted back.
Nicki silently agreed.
“But don’t you think he misses his horse friends? I mean, he’s out here all alone on a secluded ranch. What if he has a brother back home and a whole family that misses him?”
“Alright, Nicki. That’s enough.”
Tommy pulled the reins harder and squeezed the belly of the horse, making him gallop down the road.
“Oh, no!” Nicki shrieked, putting her hands over her eyes.
Tommy held her tightly in one arm and kept the reins in the other.
Before long, he steered the horse onto a small dusty road and up a slight hill. They slowed down now.
“Come on, we’re going to walk with him the rest of the way. It’s just up there,” Tommy suggested.
He jumped off the horse like nothing.
“Don’t have to ask me twice,” Nicki murmured and slipped down into his arms. Her dress snagged against the horse.
“Careful with your dress, Marilyn,” Tommy teased.
“You better be careful with my dress, hotshot,” Nicki punted back.
Tommy led her and the horse a few more yards and into a private ranch.
And there, just past the curve of the hill, was a lavender field. Acres and acres of rows of violet purple. Fields of overlapping lavender as far as the eye could see.
“Oh my God!” Nicki exclaimed. “This is incredible!”
“Careful now, don’t approach them too fast, they might jump up and bite you!” Tommy teased; his dimples fully exposed.
“Oh, stop it!’ Nicki shouted, and turned back to Tommy, giving him a hug. “Wow, it’s amazing. Can we go in further?” she asked.
“I’m pretty sure it’s private property, but what the hell, there’s no one around. Come on.”
They walked further into the dreamy purple fields, with the horse on a rope behind them.
Tommy went ahead and sat down, in between two lavender rows.
Nicki looked at the horse, standing there, without instruction. The rope on the ground was anchoring him to nothing but hopes and dreams.
“Stay,” Nicki ordered, and sat down beside Tommy who chuckled.
“It’s actually pretty early in the season for them to be as vibrant as this. Normally they don’t fully bloom until late summer, Tommy explained.
“Yeah, it’s been unseasonably warmer this year, I guess.”
The next few minutes were spent in scented silence, absorbing the violet all around them. A treat for the eyes and nose.
Tommy looked over at Nicki.
She looked up at the horse.
“He’s not going to fall asleep with all this lavender around, is he?”
Tommy laughed.
“What’s his name?”
“He doesn’t have a name.”
“He has to have a name!”
“Wolf, then.”
“A horse named Wolf. That’s a solid name for a horse.” Nicki nodded her head in approval.
“I’m gonna remember this, Nick. When we can’t hang out like this anymore, just the two of us. I’ll remember us here in the lavender fields.”
“Pfft, you sound like you’re dying. Tommy, we can hang out all the time when you come back. And don’t forget about our Vegas weekend next month for Tyler’s birthday! And of course… the final delivery.”
“I don’t think I’ll make it to any of the above-mentioned scheduled events after Tyler kills me. But it’s nice of you to invite me.”
“Stop it, Tommy! I don’t want to hear another word about this! Wolf, aren’t you sick of his bullshit?” Nicki yelled up at him.
Wolf sneered loudly.
Nicki fell onto Tommy with a cheer-up hug, which he accepted gladly.
“I’m really sorry you were going through a hard time. And alone. We love you Tommy, we just want you back home.”
She held him tighter around the neck and he held her close, closing his eyes.
“Thank you, honey,” he whispered. “Your dress is all dirty,” Tommy said, brushing away some of the dust from her side.
His hand brushed over her left leg, over the scars.
“I’m glad to see you don’t cover up your scars anymore.”