In Your Dreams Bobby Anderson

by Maidwell, Sandra Jane

  “I hadn’t.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “And what happened next?”

  “Well, I was excited because we were headed to the…”

  “Caribbean?”

  “The Caribbean. Right! I was going for business, you know, publicity; so that wasn’t all that exciting. I hadn’t expected to meet anyone special, but when you brushed past me and I knew that you were special.”

  Maggie smiled. “I thought you were special too.”

  “Oh? Did you notice me?”

  “Of course! You’re Bobby Anderson. Anyone would notice you. And what happened next?” Maggie wasn’t rocking anymore and her face brightened as she concentrated on the story.

  “So, anyway, the plane took off and I knew it wasn’t going to be a long trip, just over three hours; so I hoped I could talk to you before we landed.”

  “And did we? Talk?”

  “I wanted to. I got up a few times and looked around, but I didn’t spot you. The flight got bumpy and I was told to take my seat.”

  Maggie looked sad. “What happened next?”

  “Well,” Bobby paused to think. “Just when I believed our meeting was a hopeless dream, you brushed by me again.”

  “What was I doing?”

  “You were looking for the restrooms.”

  “Oh… I didn’t need the restrooms actually,” Maggie said shyly.

  “No?”

  “No. I just wanted to see you again.”

  “Well, you brushed by me, and my hand touched your leg. I looked up at you and you looked down at me, and you smiled.”

  “You smiled back.”

  “Of course. And my heart stopped.”

  “It did?”

  “Yes. Did yours?”

  “Yes, of course. What did we do next?”

  “Well, we didn’t know each other, so I couldn’t just pull you down and kiss you,” Bobby laughed. Maggie laughed too. “So, I let you go.”

  “But I’m still here.”

  “That’s true. You went to the restroom; I kept watching the door from the moment you closed it, waiting for you. It was like waiting for magic to happen.” Bobby stopped talking because he was there, remembering when he saw Maggie for the first time, not on the plane, but on the beach. To him that was as real a memory as the real ones he’d had all his life. That smile of hers, just like the one she was giving him now, well it damn near made his heart stop. It was magic.

  “Go on!”

  Bobby coughed to clear his throat and continued. “So you came out, and I was watching, as I just explained, and you looked at me again; and this time you really looked at me, you know?”

  “Like I knew you?”

  “Yes. I felt that you knew me, and that I wanted to know you…so badly. The plane started shaking. I called you over to sit down in the empty chair next to mine.”

  “You buckled me up.”

  “That’s right. And it felt so good to have you next to me. I was really glad the plane was jumping around, because I could tell you—”

  “You told me we’d be all right.”

  “Yes, because when I went to tell you the other thing that I wanted to tell you, I could see that you were afraid.”

  “You told me not to be.”

  “That’s right…”

  “What was the other thing you wanted to tell me?”

  Bobby coughed again. “I wanted to tell you, that, you were the most wonderful person I had ever met.”

  Maggie hid her face in her hands and tried not to blush. “But the plane went down anyway. Into the ocean,” she said, not looking Bobby in the eyes.

  “Yes. There was a lot of panic onboard, and the stewardesses ran around buckling up passengers; they looked terrified. But we held hands, and I think we both felt that it would be all right.”

  “There was a fire.”

  “Yes,” Bobby sighed. She was remembering.

  “It was so hot and I was so scared. Even though we were holding hands, I still felt scared, Bobby.”

  “I know. The fire was really scary. So I steered us towards the closest exit.”

  “That’s right. But there were flames down the corridor, so I put my shirt over my head because I didn’t want to burn my face.”

  “That was smart of you. I didn’t even think about that.”

  “We jumped onto the life raft and drifted away from the plane.”

  “It was just the two of us. All the other passengers got into different life rafts and drifted away, but we stayed together.”

  “And my hands got burnt.”

  Bobby nodded. “Yes. And your body too.”

  “My body too?” Maggie gasped and looked under her T-shirt. Her eyes drooped as she evaluated the damage.

  “You were so brave, Maggie.” Bobby said quickly. “If it wasn’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have made it out of the plane.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you made me want to save myself.”

  They both stopped talking and looked at each other. Bobby felt lost in her eyes.

  “Will you marry me?” he whispered. Even without Susan’s suggestion of marriage, Bobby knew that this was what he wanted—what he’d always wanted.

  At first Maggie did not respond. Bobby looked out to the ocean for some relief from his emotions. What if she was getting ready to say no? What if in real life she had no feelings for him whatsoever? What if she only loved her cello?

  “Yes.”

  “What did you say?”

  “Yes, Bobby Anderson. I will marry you.”

  “Are you sure?” He still couldn’t believe it.

  “Well, you asked me, remember? Aren’t you sure that I should be sure?”

  “I’m not sure of much these days, dear. After all, I am going to star in Marionettes, and as far as I can tell, that could go either way.”

  “And let’s not forget the haircut.”

  “Right. It could be the beginning of the end.”

  Maggie laughed. “Well, I think it’s the beginning of the beginning, if you ask me.”

  “They should have asked you.”

  “Yes, Mr. Anderson, they should have.”

  “I really do love you, you know.” Bobby grasped Maggie’s gloved hand in his and brought it up to his lips, planting a delicate kiss on her fingers. “You, my dear, are exquisite.”

  Bobby released her hand and turned to face her, but stumbled back. Maggie wasn’t wearing the red T-shirt anymore. Instead she had on a white silk shirt that billowed loosely in the wind. Her thigh high shorts were replaced with faded jeans, and even her green clip was gone. Her hair blew wild and her eyes sparkled. She looked perfect.

  “I like your clothes,” he said appreciatively. “I mean, I liked your shorts as well. Actually, I really liked your shorts, but I like you like this too. It suits you.”

  “Thank you.” Maggie got up from the sand and headed towards the boat. “Can you push this lady off?”

  “Can I push?” Bobby pursed his lips. “Can I push? You hop on in little lady and watch me push.”

  He helped Maggie on board and set out to push the old fishing boat back into the water. The sweat dripped off of him in the blazing sun, but the boat hardly budged. “Damn!” he muttered violently under his breath. If he didn’t get this boat out now and he woke up, who could say when she would call him back to her. “Looks like the keel is stuck deep. But don’t worry my dear, I’ll manage.” Somehow.

  But after ten more minutes of trying, and another ten minutes after that for good measure, Bobby Anderson had to admit defeat.

  “We can wait for the tide to rise,” Maggie suggested.

  “Tide?”

  “Yes. There will be a rising tide tonight and we can sail away with the stars.

  It sounded like a good idea, so they waited in the boat and ate all the sandwiches and drank all the cola and the bottles of water too. When there was nothing left to eat and nothing left to drink, they made love, huddled
passionately together in the boats hull.

  Afterwards, after he had kissed her skin all over and explored every crevice of her perfect body, he yearned to ask her about her music and her violin and cello; but he was afraid to. As he fought to find the words, she started a soft hum, and as she hummed, she looked out to the dark sea.

  “What’s that tune?” he asked.

  It’s from Florence and the Machine. Do you know that band?”

  “Yes. Sort of.”

  “I like them.”

  “I thought you liked Paul Simon.”

  “Did I say that?” Maggie laughed a cheeky wild laugh and the breeze picked up around her. “I like all music.”

  “So, what’s the song you’re humming?”

  “It’s called Cosmic Love.”

  “Can you sing it for me?”

  “I’ll try to remember the words.” Maggie looked up to the clear sky and began to sing a slow melancholic tune.

  A falling star fell from your heart

  and landed in my eyes

  I screamed aloud,

  as it tore through them,

  And now it’s left me blind

  The stars, the moon,

  they have all been blown out

  You left me in the dark

  No dawn, no day,

  I’m always in this twilight

  In the shadow of your heart

  And in the dark,

  I can hear your heartbeat

  I tried to find the sound

  But then it stopped,

  and I was in the darkness

  So darkness I became

  The stars, the moon,

  they have all been blown out

  You left me in the dark

  No dawn, no day,

  I’m always in this twilight

  In the shadow of your heart

  I took the stars from our eyes,

  and then I made a map.

  And I knew that somehow

  I could find my way back

  I heard my heart beating,

  you were in the darkness too.

  So I stayed in the darkness with you.

  Her voice trailed off, not finishing the last verses. Bobby lay silent, not daring to move.

  “Bobby, do you know what marriage means?” She looked at him thoughtfully, not as if she expected him to know the answer, but as if she had just discovered it for herself.

  “I’m not sure.” Bobby stumbled to say the right thing. He was still trying to understand the song, and what did he know about marriage, anyway? His father had left him and his mother, and Tillie had always vowed never to marry again. Bobby didn’t know if Tillie’s decision was due to a disgust of all men in general, or the fact that maybe you can only really give your heart once. Her heart had been given to his father, for better or for worse.

  “Well, I think marriage is more than just a contract.” Maggie said. “I think it’s when two people decide that they are going to be a family, just the two of them. You don’t even need to have children. It can be just the two of you. And it’s sacred.”

  “I guess.” Why wasn’t it sacred to his father? Or to Maggie’s parents? How would Bobby and Maggie’s marriage be any different? Bobby worried. Not because he doubted his love for Maggie, but because he didn’t want to disappoint her.

  “You see this boat?” Maggie indicated around her, and Bobby nodded. “This boat contains a new family: us.”

  Bobby smiled. He liked the idea of that. It was so simple. He’d never needed a mansion, after all. All he needed was this boat and this woman.

  And as if by magic, because of course it was, the tide came in and their new family drifted out to sea, guided by their cosmic love under the starry night.

  CHAPTER 32

  What happened to Bobby Anderson, you might ask? Well, if you had listened to the words of the song, you would have realized that Maggie had no intention of returning to the “light”. She would keep Bobby with her, in the darkness, forever. But please don’t feel sorry for him. Who’s to say who really kept whom in the dark? Was he following her, or was she following him? Ah, that we will never know, I’m afraid, but you are free to guess.

  And waking up from a coma? That is overrated. You never know how you’ll wake up, if you wake up at all. Gail was spot on about that. Falling from a three-story building is a long way for a head only protected by a cotton shirt, don’t you think?

  Of course there are those who will never get over the young lovers’ deaths. Tillie, for one, would always blame herself for staying too long in France. Funny how we think we could have made a difference when no difference could be made at all. As if Tillie being home could have saved Bobby from love. Tisk tisk. Love is tragic. She, of all people, should know that.

  And what about Susan? Well, she definitely never got over it. Not only did she have her sister to morn, but there was that poor actor as well. Susan could only hope that Bobby and Maggie were together somewhere, enjoying the afterlife she hoped existed. There would be times though, difficult times, in which she would remember that whole episode of watching over her sister in the hospital, and she would wish she had played some Paul Simon.

  Emily moved to California, just as we suspected she would. She took Rosa with her, of course, and together they opened up Bobby’s mansion. She even decided to let Lester and his girlfriend stay on in the guest house, firstly because they weren’t bothering anyone, and secondly, his girlfriend knew people who knew people who got Emily her first acting role in a brand new movie called Money Run. It wasn’t a big role, but it would lead to more opportunities, and eventually the happy life Emily always craved.

  If you would just allow me to jump back to Tillie again. Well, Emily had sold her the dream of New York City to help her get over her grief. Emily had found a buyer for the hated villa, and Tillie was more than happy to swap Bobby’s mansion for Emily’s Bohemian lifestyle—without the poverty. The cozy apartment with the lion rug was more than adequate for her needs, and there were lots of dusty corners. Tillie was sure Bobby would have loved it.

  To help with her grief, Tillie volunteered her services at the Presbyterian three times a week. On the other days, she power walked in Central Park, went to yoga classes, and sometimes saw a Broadway show. But never Marionettes. That one was a complete flop.

  What about Judge, you may ask? This is a love story, after all, so we must be true and have at least one real wedding. Judge is engaged to Emily. They plan on a December wedding, which is unusual, but Emily won’t be done shooting Money Run until the end of November, and she is determined to have a ring on her finger before the year’s end. Emily has decided that she has waited long enough for all the things she wants in life.

  The wedding arrangements are in the hands of Rosa and Lester, and thankfully also Lester’s girlfriend. Rosa doesn’t know much about fancy Beverly hill weddings, and Lester knows even less, although one does seem to have the impression that a butler by nature knows all.

  As for Gail, she too is planning a wedding. Her daughter will marry next January. But Gail’s not worried anymore about how she and her husband are going to pay for it. That nice man, Mr. Thompson from room 109, was none other than a life time buddy of Stanely Druckenmiller, a well-known New York Philanthropist who felt that, while donating to causes such as poverty and medicine was quite satisfying in its own right, making a friendly Jamaican nurse’s dream come true could be equally satisfying and quite a deal cheaper.

  Lily, Tillie’s old friend, married Monsieur Bernard Blanc. She remained in France, and never seemed to have suffered much from Bobby and Maggie’s unexpected deaths. In fact, she rarely thought about them at all.

  Patrick found a new favorite client. He signed with Samantha Tucker, who finally broke with her parents and is currently looking forward to a healthy career as one of Hollywood’s sexiest celebrities. Patrick took a month long holiday in St. Barths with Anthony after that, and managed to find closure with the whole Bobby incident while eating lobster a
t Nikki beach and receiving a daily massage under a white sheeted gazebo just ten feet from the turquoise sea.

  Lola is not so easy to summarize. When Bobby kicked her out of the house, to be fair to her, she didn’t have a clue as to why. She hadn’t cheated on him, and she actually did like him a lot. She hadn’t wanted to go to the papers with that story about him having a drinking problem, but she had to avenge herself somehow, didn’t she? It would be the celebrity death of her, though, because saying mean things about a beloved star can only backfire; and backfire it had. No one wanted to touch her after that. She would have to pack her bags and head on back to her hometown in Colorado where a job as a hairstylist awaited her. You can pretend to be someone you’re not in L.A., but in Colorado, reality and fiction are two completely separate entities. So, although you could argue that she deserved her fate, Lola was one of my favorites, and I prefer her end not to sound tragic. Lola, it turned out, was a very good hairdresser.

  And what ever happened to Neil Carly, you might ask? Well, he is currently treating his sixth ulcer and doing well with his next movie. It’s called, In Your Dreams, a biography of Bobby Anderson’s life, beginning to end, with Ester playing herself.

  Where did this script come from, you may also ask? Well, none other than your favorite private detective, Peter Holland. a.k.a. Mr. Judge.

  You’ve finished. Before you go…

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Sandra Jane Maidwell was born and raised in St. Maarten, a tiny Dutch / French island in the Caribbean. Influenced by a youth of freedom, she has been inventing stories since the age of six. Sandra is married, and has three daughters who inspire her every day.

  More books by this author:

  My Parents Aliens And I Don’t Like Peanut Butter!

  What About Judy?

  Giselle