All was Good in Dream Land

It took place at my mother's house. It was Me, Alex, Brandon, Colin and Debbie. Funny Dan wasn't there...I always feel guilty when everyone is in my dream but Dan.

For some reason we were all sleeping over. The boys and I just woke from our afternoon nap - which we took in the living room on the floor covered with bunches of Korean blankets that I recall from my childhood - the silk ones grandmother brought back from a trip to Korea and the coveted mink blanket that we fought over every night.

I wandered into the kitchen where my parents were sitting drinking coffee and eating peanuts and sliced apples. I set about to get myself a cup of coffee when my sister walked into the room. I didn't think too much about it but thought how nice it was that she was here for the occassion (I don't know what the occassion was).

The rice cooker was steaming and there was lots of food on the counters and stove - half prepared, waiting to be finished for the occassion. I saw a pot of Me-ya-gook (seawood soup) and stuffed some of the slippery, salty seaweed into my mouth. In my dream the seaweed was a bright green color but it is usually a dark foresty, almost blackish-brown color. My mother lovingly scolded me in Korean for dipping in before it was time.

Everything felt right and calm in my dream and there was a subtle feeling of happy anticipation.

With a mouth full of me-ya-gook, I turned around and almost knocked over my brother. He is so tall. 6ft+ tall (very tall for a Korean guy)...and I was so happy to see him...so happy because it's been so long since I've seen him and it's been a while since we've communicated because we had a terrible argument over something stupid. I've tried to reconnect with him but he really knows how to hold a grudge. Anways, I rememember thinking for a split second, "is he still mad at me" - but then I could see from his smile and the teasing twinkle he gets in his eyes that he wasn't mad anymore. I said, "Oh my God! Richard! I didn't know you were coming!" and I gave him a huge hug...and then I looked off toward the distant front door to see if his girlfriend had come as well.

I expected to see Lisa, his current live-in girlfriend that my parents don't approve of and wondered how that was going to play out. But when I brought my eyes back into the kitchen Mei-Ling was there. Mei-Ling was Richard's girlfriend from college. She is the girl that got away. We all loved her and wanted them to marry - she was beautiful, sensitive, kind, cultivated, smart (Wellesley girl)...and soooo sweet.

I was so happy to see her too! But my mouth was full of Me-ya-gook as I tried to say I'm so happy to see you - I didn't know you got back together again! I'm so happy you're back.

Mei-Ling had brought a little something...she had it packed in a cute little woven basket with royal blue, cottony-lineny lining with a tray inside to hold layers. The basket was a dark brown speckly looking basket that looked like it had been around - in a good way. Inside the basket was some kind of crackery appetizer with some kind of cheesy looking spread on top of the crackers that were layed out inside the top layer of the basket. It didn't look very pretty as she wasn't the most talented cook...but it was always the thought that counted. The top layer of the basket was slightey askew but I couldn't see what was in the botton layer - I assumed it was probably a cake or something because she was a baking type of girl.

Debbie, Mei-Ling and I set about doing stuff in the tight quarters of our kitchen - like sisters - chatting about nothing important. I remember Debbie telling Mei she liked her basket - and I told them about a cool asian inspired lunchbox I had seen in a magazine - it was made of hard, shiny plastic (like what plastic items made in asia always seem to be made with), it had 3 layers, each layer had a hinged cover that snapped closed and the 3 layers fit together, then a latch held them together and the whole thing was carried with a handle. I remember they didn't really care.

I remember seeing my mother's happy, smiling face as she navigated through the crowd of people in her kitchen as she began to finish the meal preparations...and I remember I could feel the presence of my fathers eyes as he sat noisily slurping up coffee and munching snacks. I could feel him as he always sits - looking like he is very seriously contemplating and assessing the scene, brows furrows, lips tightly pursed, about to ask some question that would instigate some argument...but I could feel that he too felt that all in the world was good at this moment.

Then I woke up from my nap time dream. Alex was telling Brandon to shut up and Colin was doing his wake-up cry.