A Family Vacation （Pt. 1）
I open my eyes and see that I’m lying in a field of yellow flowers. The soft breeze of the spring winds dances around me like flames in a campfire.
The panic starts to set in when I realize that I’m back in the same dream, the same nightmare that plagued me for years…but…this felt different.
I sit up and look around me. It was quiet as the sun covered the world around me in a blanket of warmth and softness.
I took a deep breath as I ran the fingers of my right hand through the flowers beside me.
I felt a contented calmness wash over me.
It felt strange not feeling anxious for once, but I knew not to get too comfortable because at any moment, the dream would no doubt shift into something horrible.
So, I sat there, waiting for the inevitable to come. But to my surprise, the dream didn’t warp into something that would have me waking up in a cold sweat. No, instead the scent of fresh pastries wafted over, and my head slowly turned to see three figures a couple of yards away.
Two of the figures were running through the field, giggling loudly as they waved bubble wands through the air.
I watched as the bubbles danced in the sky before falling to the ground and popping softly.
The figures seemed to be having the time of their lives, but it wasn’t until they turned towards me that I realized they were Sophia and Miley.
My heart beat faster as I turned my attention to the third figure. She was relaxing on a picnic blanket under a shade tree. I instantly recognized Kilah, and the second it clicked that the three most important people in my life were in my dream, she turned to face me, waving me over.
I got up, but immediately paused, realizing that this could also be the thing that triggered the nightmare portion of this dream. I was scared to move.
“Come on, Kilah! Come join us,” she called with a smile as she continued to wave me over. “It’s so pretty out here. Let’s enjoy our family day.”
I started to shake my head, but something told me that everything would be okay this time around. Something in my heart told me that I had nothing to worry about. All I had to do was trust in us, and I would be okay. Those voices calmed me.
So, instead of avoiding what could be, I decided to focus on what was right in front of me.
I smiled and nodded before walking over to take Kilah's outstretched hand. She pulled me down to sit beside her, and I wrapped my arms around her, kissing her softly on the forehead. We let the comfortable silence flow between us as we watched the girls continue to play with the bubbles. I felt so at peace that I didn’t realize the world was fading around me until my eyes fluttered open again and the real world materialized back into view.
The room around me slowly became clearer, and I was greeted by the walls of the room I shared with Kilah.
I looked to the side to see her still fast asleep, one arm thrown over me, her mouth hanging slightly open, soft snores escaping.
I turn fully to wrap my arms around her, kissing her lips softly.
She stirs for a few seconds before her eyes flutter open.
“Morning, Kyls,” she greeted me, her voice laced with sleep. “What’s wrong? Why are you up so early?”
“I had another dream,” I admitted, rubbing my hand up and down her back softly. She immediately sat up, a concerned expression gracing her gorgeous face.
“Are you okay?” She asked softly, and I nodded.
“It wasn’t a nightmare this time,” I assure her, and I can see the relief in her eyes. I pull her into my arms once more, and we lie back down. I stroked her hair softly as she snuggled into my arms. “It was actually a really pleasant dream.”
“What was it about?”
“Well, it started the same, but things immediately felt different,” I tell her.
“For starters, everything was so much calmer. I mean, there were times when I was scared that it would take a turn for the worse, but it’s like my heart and mind wouldn’t let me think too pessimistically about the situation.
I just let things unfold how they wanted to, and it was beautiful. ”
“Was I in it?”
I nodded, smiling down at the love of my life.
“You were in it, and so were the girls,” I told her.
“They were having fun playing with bubbles, and you and I were enjoying a picnic. Granted, the dream wasn’t that long, but it still felt good.
It was the first time I’d had that dream, and it didn’t end up causing me pain. It actually brought me peace.”
“I’m so happy to hear that, baby.” She smiles up at me with so much admiration, and I swear, I fell deeper in love with her.
She was all I ever wanted in a partner, and I’m so glad that she and I made it work in the end.
“You deserve nothing but happiness, and I’m so glad that you’re getting that, especially in the same dreams that used to tear you up inside. ”
“Same here,” I nod. “And it’s all thanks to you and those two amazing girls down the hall. “I know I did the healing, but having y’all three in my life helped tremendously. I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything in the world.”
“And you’ll never have to,” she assured me. She kisses me softly before snuggling closer to me and yawning. “Now, how about we get another hour in before the girls come knocking. You know how excited they are for this trip.”
“Or...” I smirk, and she perks up, instantly interested in whatever I was implying.
“Or what?” She giggled as I maneuvered us until she was on her back and I was hovering over her.
“We can have a little fun,” I suggest before leaning down to kiss her neck gently. She whimpered softly as her hand held on to the back of my head. “You game?”
“Very much so,” she nodded, giving in to the pleasure, but she paused, and before I can register it, she flips us over until she’s on top.
My eyebrows shot up in confusion, but the desire inside of me was at an all-time high.
I loved it when she took control. “Except you’re the birthday girl, so just sit back and let me cater to you, okay? ”
“Yes ma’am,” I smirk, and relax back as she does what she does best.
Kilah Bennett-Jones - February 8th, 2030 - A Few Hours Later
“Miles! Soph! Let’s go, kiddos!” Kylie yells from the bottom of the stairs. “We have to be on the I-10 by ten!”
“What does that even mean?” Miley asked as she trotted down the stairs with Sophia not far behind her. She shrugged as they reached us.
“Ugh, I always forget that y’all were born two days ago,” Kylie jokes, and I chuckle, shaking my head. “We are watching Johnson Family Vacation as soon as we get to the campsite tonight.”
“Um, I’ll be nine in a few weeks, Mama KB,” Miley replied, with her little hand on her hip. “I was born more than two days ago.”
“You know what I mean, Miss Ma’am,” She replies, pulling her in for a tight hug.
She giggles as Kylie smothers her in kisses.
When she lets her go, she pulls Sophia in for the same smothering of cheek kisses, to which she reacts the same way as Miley.
I smile at my three favorite girls. They were so silly, but they brought me so much joy.
I was so excited to be going on this trip with them.
I just knew that it was going to be a good time.
When Kylie suggested that we take a weekend road trip, I thought that it would be a great idea.
What I didn't expect was for her to rent a luxury RV for us to have the ultimate glamping experience. Soon, a weekend vacation turned into a week-long one, and we had to write letters for the girls to give to their teachers yesterday to let them know that they wouldn’t be back until next week.
Fortunately, since their school was a hybrid one, they could do their schoolwork online as we travelled.
This was one of the many reasons why I loved the school they attended so much.
“Okay, girls, do y’all have everything?” I ask. They nod excitedly. “Well, let’s head on out to the RV. Remember, no roaming around while we’re in motion, but when we stop, you’re free to explore as much as you like. Get it?”
“Got it!” they replied.
“Good,” I nodded before ushering them out the door.
After a few more checks around the house to make sure we’d turned off and unplugged anything we needed to, we packed up the RV and were on the road to see what adventure awaited us.
Did we have a plan for where we were going?
No, but we did know that we wanted to head West. Kylie had made sure to map out the touristy and more welcoming places we could stop.
Since this was our first time doing anything like this, we wanted to be as safe as possible.
The first few hours of traveling were filled with excitement all around, but by the time we hit hour four, the girls were tired and hungry, so we decided to stop at a grocery store and get dinner for tonight, plus a few more groceries for the fridge since we’d forgotten to do so before leaving br.
Yes, we had plenty of snacks, but no ingredients to make meals.
“Okay, girls, let’s get in and out so we can make it to our campsite before it gets dark,” I say, and they nod before following me out into the cool evening air. I made sure they had their jackets, and after Kylie had locked the RV up, we made our way inside the grocery store.
Since it was a bit after three, the store wasn’t that packed, so we were able to get what we needed and get out in no time.
Miley and Sophia managed to convince us to let them have pizza tonight after they spotted that there was a pizza place in the store.
We agreed because neither one of us was up for cooking tonight anyway.
So, we got two large pizzas. One Hawaiian and one meat lovers.
I still had no idea where Miley got her love for pineapple on pizza from, but when she first found out that Kylie loved Hawaiian pizza as much as she did, it was always those two sharing one while Sophia and I enjoyed our meat lovers.