In bloom

Last night, for the first time since my Mom died, I dreamed about both of my parents. We were watching the eclipse from the broad lawn outside a tall office building where I was employed, not either of the colleges where I work in real life.

As we were milling about, I ran into a neighbor and introduced him to a coworker who had the same name as his wife. My Mom and Dad mingled with the crowd of eclipse-watchers while I wandered off to look for crescent-shaped shadows on the sidewalks beneath a small patch of ornamental trees.

After the eclipse ended, my Mom, Dad, and I decided to walk to a nearby restaurant for an early dinner. I got a text saying either my Mom or Dad and I had to sign some important financial paperwork at CVS (?), but we figured we’d do it the next day since they’d probably be closed by the time we got there.

On the way to the restaurant, I got separated from my parents in the crowd of people leaving after the eclipse. Arriving at the restaurant alone, I found it packed with people, and my parents were nowhere to be found.

I claimed a table by the entrance to the restaurant and sat waiting, wondering if my Mom and Dad had gone to sign the paperwork without me. After spending almost an hour searching the faces of every customer entering or exiting the restaurant, I stood to leave.

As I gathered my things, I saw Mom and Dad sitting in a booth at the rear of the restaurant I hadn’t seen when I’d arrived. Before them were the empty plates of their finished meals, and at the end of the table was the untouched burger and fries they’d ordered for me.