Say Yes – 5

Say Yes!

***

She was on her bed, in her bedroom, right inside her house. Eve peered down at herself—and she was wearing her nightshirt.

So, it’d really been a dream.

All of it? Or just… some of it?

She raised her head to stare at her mother. She was busy inside her closet, sorting through her clothes for laundry. She liked to handle those sorts of things. “Mum… I came home last night?”

“Of course you came home last night. Are you not here now? I did ask you though to sleep over at Lindy’s because of the rain. But you didn’t listen to your mother.” She clucked her tongue. “Walked in here soaked and soggy like a wet rag.”

It had rained.

It had been raining when she’d gotten into the cab. That part had been true. “Did I come home in a cab, mum?”

Her mother ducked out her head from the closet. “But of course, you did! What else would you have come in? You’re not still woolly-headed, are you? You sure were when you staggered in last night.” She clucked her tongue again and her head went back in the closet. “Anyway, you should get up and start getting ready or you’ll be late to work. Still going over to Lindy’s after work?”

“Ah… yes. I’ll sleep over there. I promised her.” She nudged aside her woollen cover and pushed to her feet. “I had the strangest dream last night. I was in this sort of time travel journey and kept disappearing from one world to reappear in…” her voice trailed off as her eyes landed on her bedside table. “Mum, where did this come from?”

“What?” Her mother poked her head out again. “Oh, the artwork you brought home with you?” Her head went back in and this time, came out with her whole body and a laundry basket in one hand. “You said you saw it in the cab you were in and the driver gave it to you. A lovely work of art really. It looks like one of those 3D things they keep talking about these days, doesn’t it?”

It was the image of the Garden of Eden that Adam had given to her.

It was here in her bedroom—given to her by the cab driver?

How was it possible that she could remember every detail of the dream and not one single detail of the drive back home in the cab?

“Talking about 3D. I saw a picture yesterday at your aunt’s and commented that it must have been done in 3D and your cousin, Kate, Miss Know-it-all, snorted and said like I knew what 3D was all about. Can you imagine the bad-mouthed rude child?” Her mother snorted and started towards the door. “I told her someone ought to give her a lesson in manners. That will surely teach how to…”

Eve wasn’t listening to her anymore as her mind tumbled on a recollection:

“Someone’s going to teach you a lesson in love one of these days.”

It was what she’d said to her last night just before she’d ended their telephone conversation. Was that it? The dream—was it some kind of lesson on love?

But it had been all a dream, hadn’t it?

She stared at the artwork. Or was it her spirit, discontent within her, who’d gone on a journey where her mind and heart would be instructed in matters of love?

Eve exhaled. It didn’t matter. Today was a new day and she had to get to work.

Turning, she grabbed her night shirt by the hem and yanked it off her body.

Forty minutes later, she was at the bus stop and there were no buses and no cabs. She glanced at her wristwatch again and again and with each glance, became more frantic. Last thing she needed was to be late to work. Not today and certainly not when their department’s head was spoiling for whom to use as a scapegoat. Headquarters was looking to cut down on staff and anyone found wanting, even in the smallest way, would be sacrificed willingly and be made to take the shot for the rest of the team.

She saw a car coming and flung out her hand.

It was almost close by and slowing down when she started doubting seriously if it was a cab. It was too clean a car to be a taxi. Still, she inched closer when it pulled off the road and stopped.

The passenger window came down and she stooped—and the words got caught in her throat.

It was him.

Adam.

The cab driver.

“Which way are you headed?”

Oh God! It was his voice too. Deep, sonant… sexy.

“I am heading to the Island. If you are going that way, I can give you a ride.”

“You’re not a cab driver.” Eve finally found her voice. He was in a suit. And he was awfully good looking. “You’re not a cab driver, are you?”

“No. No, I’m not a cab driver. But this is my car.” He sounded faintly amused. “Are you going to the Island?”

“Yes. I mean, the Island is my destination.” She hastily added.

“Okay.” He inclined his head. “Want to ride along?”

“Ah… I do. I mean, I wouldn’t mind a ride. For some reason, there’s no bus or cabs on the road today.”

“It may be the rainstorm of last night keeping folks late in bed.” He pushed open the passenger door. “Do come in.”

Eve hesitated. “I only want to go to the Island—Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, to be clear. And no time travels. I want it to be still 2017 when I get down.”

He stared at her a moment. Then he laughed. That resonant, charming sound. “You’re funny. Okay, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, it is. And we’d definitely still be in 2017 by the time you get down, that I can assure. Coming in now?”

“Yes. Thank you.” She slid in and strapped on the seatbelt.

“I am Adam, by the way.” He said as he pulled back into the road.

“I know. I am Eve.”

“You know?” He glanced at her. Then returned his eyes to the road. “How do you know?”

“I, um, had a weird dream last night.”

“Where you were told my name is Adam?”

Eve looked at him. His expression was half serious, half amused. “Maybe.” She focused her gaze ahead of her once more. “What do you do?”

“I work at Stallion Oil. I am a Petroleum Engineer.”

“You own Stallion Oil?” Her eyes were back on him and nearly popping.

“Own? No.” He glanced at her again, smiling. “I said I work there, not own it. You, what do you do?”

“Um, I work as a call agent for ReeKon.”

He worked at Stallion Oil as opposed to owning Stallion Oil in her dream. Dream or spirit travel? Vaguely unsettled, Eve tugged at her seatbelt and allowed her eyes to roam around the car. There was nothing familiar about it. But then, in the dream—or whatever last night had been—she’d been sitting at the backseat. Adjusting a little, her gaze fell on the console between their seats.

“You read Romance novels?”

He tossed a glance at the book and then moved his shoulders. “At the risk of ruining the image of a macho man you must be building about me…”

“I am not building any such image about you.” Eve corrected.

“Ouch!”

She laughed. “Sorry, if that was harsh. I, most often, just plain speak my mind without any filters. It can be offensive to most people though.”

“But I bet there are some who appreciate it.”

“A few.” She liked his voice. It was calm and soothing. Attractive. Like him. “So, are you one of those believers in love and happily ever afters?”

“Actually, I am.” There was a soft chuckle. Then he said. “I am guessing you’re not.”

“Well…” She turned her head to look at him. At same time, he angled his head and cast her a quick glance. “I wasn’t. I didn’t use to believe that falling in love and living happily ever after was anything but fairy tales created by fiction writers for desperate love seekers.”

“Again, ouch!”

She chuckled. “Well, I didn’t used to until last night.”

“Ah, last night when you had a dream where they told you my name was Adam.”

His voice was teasing but it wasn’t mocking. “Do you consider dreams just dreams or some kind of journey our spirits embark on? We are, after all, spirits not just mortal bodies.”

“I do.” He gave her that quick glance. “I think sometimes, our spirits travel to other spheres and foresee things that might happen in this sphere where we live.”

“You do?”

“Mmm-hmm. Don’t you?”

“I guess.” She sat back in her seat and stared at the road.

“Where do I drop you off?”

“Oh.” She blinked out of her thoughts and called out the exact address.

“Right. Here we are.” He said about two minutes later, pulling off the road.

“Thank you for the ride.” Eve flipped off her seatbelt. “I truly appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome. Uh…” He scratched a finger across his right temple. “You know, I’ve never done this: give a lady a ride and ask her out directly. But… would you like to go out with me? Dinner, maybe? Or, lunch?”

Eve stared at him. It was like every event of her dream flicked in quick succession through her mind in one moment. She nodded. “Yes. Yes, dinner or lunch would be nice. Dinner or lunch in this world and era.”

“You’ll tell me about this dream you had one day, won’t you? It seemed to have taught you something about spheres and eras.” His eyes gleamed with that teasing light.

“Maybe.” She opened the car door and got down, looked around to make sure she was in front of her office, then stooped over the window. “Have a nice day at work, Adam.” She took the business card he passed. “I will call you. Or, you call me.” She passed him her own card. “It’s not just Petroleum Engineers who own business cards, you know.”

“I can see that. I will certainly call you, Eve.” He wound up the window and pulled back on the road.

“Who was that?” Lindy jumped off a commercial tricycle and raced towards her.

“Adam.” Eve said as they started up the long row of stairs. “I dreamt about him last night after I left your place. He was the  driver of the cab I went home in too.”

“He was your cab driver and you dreamt of him and now, he’s… what?”

She stopped and threw a glance over her shoulder. “I don’t know. Anything is possible when you believe and you say yes.”

She’d just been taught that.

* ~ *

THE END.

***

This story is a Romantic Fantasy, so it’s more of Fantasy than Romance or a good blend of both. In this, I went for more Fantasy.