Dream a Little Dream of Me

by Daniels, Cobie

  Kelsey walked to the bathroom where the brightness of the light was intolerable. She almost felt as bad as the morning of her first hangover experience. Looking in the mirror, she used cold water on a towel to calm her puffy eyes and nose. Making her way downstairs, she met Camilla in the kitchen. “I’m excited about seeing the student exhibit Thursday night. Professor Jones said that this by far was the most talented group of summer exchange students they’ve ever hosted.” That made Kelsey smile, and she couldn’t wait for Camilla to see the coat of arms stained glass window that she’d done for the family. “I know Becs and Ana are coming to see your work.”

  Kelsey was thrilled to hear this, and it dawned on her that Gareth most likely wouldn’t be attending. She could feel her eyes filling with tears and quickly changed the subject. Keeping the conversation going, Camilla asked, “Have you spoken with Jason? I’m sure he and your family are anxious for your return.”

  “Oh, yes, I spoke with all of them last night before taking my bath. They’re all very excited, to say the least. You know, Camilla, my flight leaves very early Friday morning. I’m truly okay if you want to call a cab to get me to the airport.”

  Camilla sat at the table and looked at her in shock. “I most certainly will not. Kelsey, you’ve become a dear friend to my family. You being here, the joy you’ve brought to my home, our conversations we’ve shared nightly at our table. No, my dear girl, you cannot get rid of me that easily.” Kelsey smiled. She truly would never forget the matriarch of the Blythe family. Reaching across the table and grabbing Camilla’s hand, she gave a squeeze and said, “Thank you.”

  Kelsey spent Tuesday and Wednesday taking final exams for her classes in the daytime and packing in the evenings. She’d come with four suitcases and was leaving with those as well as additional carry-ons. Wednesday Camilla held a goodbye dinner for her. Becs, Philip, Ana, and Ollie came. Each sister asked where Gareth was, and both times Camilla stated that he wouldn’t be attending but didn’t say why.

  Dinner was oven-roasted rack of lamb, slathered in olive oil, thyme, garlic, salt, and freshly-ground black pepper. There was fresh asparagus and wild rice pilaf to go with it. Once dinner was done, Camilla served bread and butter pudding with raisins and vanilla custard and, of course, a cup of tea.

  Kelsey simply adored this family. Ana looked so radiant pregnant, and it was so sweet watching Ollie place a hand on her belly and leave it there as he continued in his conversation with Philip. Becs could see that Kelsey had grown very quiet and decided to draw her back into the conversation. “Kelsey, are you nearly packed?” Kelsey looked over at her. “Yes, I came with four heavily packed suitcases, and I will leave with four heavily packed suitcases. And then some.” Becs chuckled, and Ana chimed in, “Are you excited about revealing your artwork tomorrow night? We’re so delighted to attend.”

  “I’m excited, nervous, and anxious as I hope it will be well received.” Camilla came back to the table after retrieving more tea. “You know Pam and Roger called to say that they’re receiving many inquiries on the painting you did for them last weekend. They love telling the story of how you did it in one afternoon.” All four adults swung their heads in unison as if watching a tennis match at Wimbledon. With a raised eyebrow and suspicious tone Becs came right out with her question to Kelsey, “You drove to Isle of Wight last weekend by yourself?” With eight eyes piercing her, she muttered, “No, Gareth drove me.”

  There was an awkward silence with puzzled looks. It was all too much. She didn’t know what to say; she could feel the tears rising up, and this wasn’t how she wanted everyone to remember the dinner. Pushing her chair away from the table, Kelsey excused herself and went straight to her room. Thirty minutes later, there was a knock on her door. She opened it to find Becs and Ana standing there. “May we come in?”

  “Yes, of course you can.” Opening her door wider, she let them both in and sat on her bed while the very pregnant Ana took the wing back chair by the window and Becs sat at the desk. Ana calmly broke the silence, “Mum filled us in.” Kelsey immediately dissolved into tears. Both girls jumped to her side, “Oh, Kelsey, darling don’t cry.”

  “I never meant for this to happen. Gareth has been nothing but a gentleman to me this whole time, and our friendship has been one of the truest friendships that I’ve ever formed with anyone. I never meant to hurt him, and I certainly never wanted to leave like this.”

  “Oh, Kelsey, we know. We totally understand.”

  Trying to catch her breath in between sobs she pleaded, “I do love him and care for him dearly, but I’ve already given my heart to Jason. I can’t give my heart to Gareth as well, not like that.”

  Becs lightly rubbed her back to console her. “Kelsey, it’ll be okay. Please believe me when I say that your time here has helped my mother and my brother heal from losing our father. I hope you know that. Gareth will be okay: we’ll see to it. You can leave here knowing that you’ve made our lives so much better.”

  Kelsey let those words sink deep into her heart and allowed the silence to help calm her frayed nerves. “Thank you both so very much.” She stood and hugged them. “You are coming tomorrow night, right?”

  Both girls let out a laugh when Ana responded, “We wouldn’t miss it for all the tea in China.” Kelsey smiled as that was the same thing that Gareth said to her the day he took her to the farm. If the circumstances had been different, she would’ve loved to have been sister-in-law to them. As they stepped out, Kelsey decided to take a hot bath to relax so that she could try and get some sleep.

  Thursday night arrived, and Kelsey’s hands were sweaty and her stomach a jumble of nerves. All the students were there along with their host families. Camilla, Becs, Philip, Ana, and Ollie were present to see the big reveal. Kelsey prayed that Gareth would show at the last minute, but as the assembly started, she knew it wasn’t going to happen. Biting her lip to stop the tears from coming, she tried to focus on Professor Jones as he stepped to the podium.

  Once he welcomed everyone, each of the twelve students came forward and explained their piece, their inspiration, and then revealed it to the audience. Sitting on the stage, Kelsey knew she was the last to present. After an hour, Professor Jones called her name. She stood and took her place at the podium. Gathering her thoughts, she looked to the back of the room where Gareth was standing in the doorway. She stood in silence for what seemed an eternity, as she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. “Ms. Chapman? Kelsey?” She looked at Professor Jones. “Are you ready, Ms. Chapman?”

  Nodding her head yes she came back to reality and continued. “When I arrived twelve weeks ago and was given this assignment, I went into total freak-out mode.” The small audience laughed. “As an artist, you want to express those things that speak to you, and at the time I had no idea what that would look like. The Blythe family opened their home to a stranger and from day one made me feel like I’d always been a part of their family. One evening before dinner I spent some time looking at all the pictures of their family in the sitting room. It reminded me so much of my own family at home, and while there were days that I’d find myself homesick, looking at these pictures helped alleviate that for me. On one particular evening I noticed a small family coat of arms that was sitting in a curio. Upon further inspection I discovered it was the Blythe Coat of Arms. I spent a few afternoons in the library and did some research.”

  Looking at Camilla, she continued, “Forgive me if you know this already, but I found this fascinating. Your family name is of Scottish origin, as it was originally found in the Scottish and English borderlands. It’s also a name for a happy and cheerful person. After personally spending time with the four of you, this is certainly the truth.” The audience gave an appreciative chuckle.

  “I spent a lot of time looking at that coat of arms, and I decided that, as a thank you, I’d attempt to do something I’ve never done. After the couple of weeks that our class spent entrenched in the history of stained glass and the techniques that were used
, I thought how crazy would it be if I attempted something of this magnitude? To take myself out of my comfort zone and really push my limits. Your family has been through a lot in the past year, all of you have been pushed to your limits, yet the core of what makes your family so wonderful remains intact. It’s a shining light to your community. That was my inspiration. Camilla, Becs, Ana…and Gareth…I hope you will look upon this with fond memories of my time with you.”

  As she walked over and pulled the cover off for the reveal there was an audible gasp from everyone in the room. At first Kelsey wasn’t sure if that was a good thing. Suddenly Camilla, Becs, and Ana got up from their seats and walked up to the podium where the Blythe Coat of Arms sparkled and shined before them, with splendid reds, golds, and whites. How she was able to capture the armor and the crest in the glass so perfectly in such a short amount of time baffled even Professor Jones. Suddenly there was clapping and tears as all three Blythe women tackled Kelsey with hugs and thanks yous.

  Professor Jones stood and dismissed the assembly. “Ladies and gentleman, this concludes our program for this evening. Make sure to stop and congratulate each of our guest exchange students on a marvelous job well done.” Kelsey looked up to see if Gareth was still there, but he was gone. Camilla had tears steaming down her face. “Oh, my darling girl, you’ve truly outdone yourself this time.” Becs and Ana were delirious with tears and laughter. All three surged into her again and bear-hugged her. Kelsey quipped, “You know that this is very un-English of you!” Phillip retorted, “It must be the American influence.” And with that, they all laughed and admired the piece together.

  Once she had said her goodbyes to her classmates and professors, Kelsey went to the easel and wrapped up the window to carry back to the Blythe home. As she walked out of the Grace Harding Building for the Arts for the last time, she turned to face the entrance. Closing her eyes, she whispered a prayer of thanks. “I got more than I bargained for on this trip, but I’m a better human because of it. I just wanted to say thank you.”

  With that she walked to the waiting Rover and celebrated an amazing evening with the Blythe family, minus one. By midnight the house was quiet, and Camilla had long gone to bed, as they had to be on the road to the airport by five-thirty a.m. Kelsey couldn’t sleep and found herself staring at the painting she’d done for Gareth. Walking the easel and painting into his room, she realized that she’d never stepped foot in there the past twelve weeks. She set the easel in the corner and then positioned the painting on it so he wouldn’t miss it when he came in his room.

  As she stepped away to give it one last glance, she decided to look around. She saw all his football medals and trophies. What stood out to her were the dozens of framed photos that he had of he and his father. One was from Halloween. Gareth was dressed as a puppy dog; he couldn’t have been more than nine years of age. There was a picture of them snow skiing in the Alps and fly-fishing somewhere in England. Kelsey’s heart melted and ached for him. He loved his father so dearly, and to lose him like he had didn’t seem fair.

  Looking on his desk, she saw a picture of them together from the day at the farm. She studied it for a while and finally sighed, “Oh, Gareth, I so desperately wanted to say goodbye to you.” Putting the picture down, she saw stationary and a pen. She knew immediately that she needed to write him a letter just as he had written to her. It was her last chance to give a proper farewell.

  Gareth lay awake in his apartment, on his bed facing the ceiling. Suddenly a hand was on his chest, moving down his belly and searching for his cock. This was who he really was. A genuine rake bastard who wasn’t looking for anything more than a good romp in bed with pretty girls to release the stress when life was becoming too much. He wasn’t committing his life to anyone. Not when he was facing ten more years of medical school. Kelsey was the only one he would’ve broken this rule for, but she wasn’t an option.

  He was hard as a rock when Heidi looked up at him. “Do you have another condom?” Reaching to the table next to him, he pulled the last one from the box and handed it to her. Tearing the foil open with her teeth, she rolled the ribbed tip on, slowly pushing out the air. Straddling him, she sank down on him, thrusting her hips forward. He threw back his head and let out a “fuck” as she started to roll her hips slowly.

  Gareth closed his eyes and did his best to enjoy it. Sure it felt good, it always did, but the distinct lack of passion and love made this merely a simple, physical act. He didn’t care if she came or not; he wanted his release, and then he wanted her gone. As they moved back and forth with each other, Gareth felt the tension building and building until he finally thrust up into her, coming hard as she continued to ride him. He lay there uninterested now as she eventually came and slipped off of him. Lying next to him, she fell asleep without a word.

  He took off the condom, tied it, and discarded it. Looking over at the clock, he saw it was five fifteen in the morning. Kelsey would be leaving for the airport in in fifteen minutes. There was still time. He headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the steam started to cover the mirror, he wiped it clear and saw his reflection. You’re a moron if you go to her. A fucking moron. He jumped in the shower and tried to wash off the dirty, grimy feeling of the past four nights spent with Heidi. It didn't matter how hard he scrubbed—it was still there. Letting the hot water wash over his body, Gareth was reminded of how tired he was, physically and emotionally. Turning off the water and pulling back the curtains, he reached for a towel. As he did, something shiny caught his eye. Leaning in for a closer look, he saw the silver earrings that Kelsey had worn to the party several weeks back. She must have taken them off when she showered that day and forgotten all about them.

  Dripping into the tub and gently lifting them as if they were a precious gem, he closed his eyes and muttered, “Time to go be a fucking moron, Gareth.” He left a note for Heidi to lock up behind her. He also left one line in there basically saying it’s not you, it’s me, and have a nice life. Yes, it was a dick move, but that’s what he’d now been reduced to. He looked at his watch. Six a.m. “Shit!” Thinking, he realized he could still make it to the airport; he had to at least try. He jumped in his Defender and took off in hopes that he hadn't just made a bad situation worse.

  Once Camilla was parked, she helped Kelsey carry all her luggage to the airline ticket counter where all bags were checked into Kelsey’s final destination. She had a quick flight to Heathrow with a short layover. Then she headed to Atlanta before arriving home at six p.m. Back home.

  By the time they’d finished at the ticket counter, it was six forty-five. Her flight departed at eight thirty, and she still had to get through security. Camilla walked with her through security and to her gate. With a little time to spare, they each had a cup of tea as they waited for boarding to begin.

  “This is a very surreal moment for me,” Kelsey admitted. “Before my senior year, I had to beg my parents to see how beneficial this trip would be to help me as an artist and a teacher later on. Once they were on board, I had no idea about all the life experiences I’d have that final year of high school. Then I get here, and I feel like I’ve lived two lifetimes in one summer.”

  Camilla laughed. “I’ll miss that wit and so much more being in my home, Kelsey. What are your plans when you return home?”

  “I start my college courses in a couple weeks. I can’t believe I’ll be an art teacher in four years.”

  “Those kids will be beyond the luckiest to have you as their teacher.”

  “I appreciate your confidence! Now if I could get my head around it, then maybe it wouldn’t feel like such a daunting task.” The final boarding call came on the loud speaker, and they stood up. The tears quickly came for both of them.

  “Oh, darling girl, always know you have a place here with us.”

  Kelsey could barely speak as she desperately tried to wipe away the tears flowing down her face. “Thank you so much, Camilla, I hope you know that the same is true for you in Virg
inia.” They hugged and said one final goodbye as Kelsey made her way to the ticket agent to hand her the boarding pass.

  Just as she was handing her the ticket, she heard his voice. “Kelsey, please, wait.” Kelsey froze in her place and turned to see Gareth standing several feet behind her. Staring at each other for a good thirty seconds, he said her name again, but this time reaching out his hand. “Kelsey?” She jumped out of line, dropping her bags, and ran straight into his arms where she held on for dear life. She was crying so intensely. Gareth just held her and let her cry, tenderly rubbing her back and kissing the top of her head. “Oh my darling, Kelsey, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t who you needed me to be the past several days. I’m not a good man. Please forgive me.” Kelsey could only nod her head yes as she continued to hold onto him.

  When she finally pulled herself together to talk, she spoke from her heart. “Gareth, you are the best kind of man. You have so much to offer this world.” The ticket agent approached, cutting Kelsey’s words short. “Pardon me, miss, but you must board now, or you’ll miss this flight.” Reluctantly pulling her away, he kissed the top of her head one last time. Then he gently placed his hands on either side of her face and looked her straight in her red puffy eyes and quietly spoke, “Goodbye, my Lady Kelsey.”

  Not a half a beat behind him she responded, “Goodbye, my Sir Gareth.” He released her as she stepped back. Looking at Camilla one last time, who herself had dissolved, Kelsey gave a final wave. Picking up her bags, she walked onto the jet way and never looked back. Camilla came up behind Gareth and placed a hand on his back. They turned together without a word and headed home.

  Two hours later, Gareth stood in front of the painting. He couldn’t stop staring at it. He finally worked up the courage to acknowledge the letter. Reaching up, he took it down from the easel, sat down at his desk, and opened it.

  Gareth,

  I leave for the airport in a couple of hours, and there is so much I wish to say. I just have to trust that, after all that has happened between us this summer, this letter will fill the space between.