Box of Dreams

A couple sits down at steak house for a late night romantic dinner date. They are seated at a table surrounded by tall trees that are lit with sparkling lights. As the hostess walks away KEVIN glances her way.

BROOKE:

Hi Kevin! I’m over here…

KEVIN:

What are you talking about?

BROOKE:

I saw you look at her. Come on.

KEVIN:

Whatever.

BROOKE:

Do you think we could just have a nice dinner? I’m tired of this fighting.

KEVIN:

Who says we’re fighting? Do you want an appetizer?

The waitress walks over and takes their drink order. As she walks away Brooke stares at Kevin expecting him to look away. Kevin looks up from his menu and gazes into her eyes.

BROOKE:

Well aren’t you a wise guy?

KEVIN:

Baby…

BROOKE:

What? Sorry, you’re right. I’ll stop. I haven’t seen you in such a long time. I’m so glad to be home.

KEVIN:

Me too! Please graduate and move back. I’m tired of missing you.

BROOKE:

I’m trying. Don’t know how the spring is going to go when you’re gone. The trip to New Mexico is too long. And seeing that I don’t have a job, I’m not quite sure how I’m going to buy a plane ticket. Looks like I know what I’m going to be asking for, for Christmas.

KEVIN:

(Laughing agreeably)

Maybe I’ll get a bonus for signing. That way I can fly you down at least once.

BROOKE:

That sure would be nice. I’m not crossing my fingers though. This team is new. I don’t know if you’ll be getting anything big right away. Hopefully it wont be an experience like last year.

KEVIN:

Brutal. I don’t want to talk about that. What a waist of my time.

BROOKE:

It’ll work out. I know it will.

KEVIN:

Thanks babe. I know I have to stay positive. This year is make it our break it for me. You know? If I don’t get called up then I done. I have too many other things to invest my time in if this isn’t going to be a steady career for me.

BROOKE:

(Blushes and ducks her chin into her neck shyly)

Like what kind of stuff Kevin?

KEVIN:

Just stuff.

BROOKE:

(She knew exactly what he was talking about so she glanced his way, gave a slight smile and searched the menu for her dinner selection.)

KEVIN:

You know if this does work out for me, we’re going to have to make the long distance work for a bit longer. You need to graduate school before we can start making any real plans.

BROOKE:

I know. It’s tough though.

KEVIN:

We’ll get through it. I’ll fly you out whenever I can. I promise.

BROOKE:

Let’s not talk about it. I don’t want to jinx anything. We can’t plan our future. We have to take it day by day at this point.

KEVIN:

I’m sorry; I get excited sometimes when I think about all this.

BROOKE:

Calm down Sparky!

KEVIN:

(Snickers as the waitress walks up)

WAITRESS:

Are you ready to order?

BROOKE and KEVIN nod at each other and look up to the waitress.

BROOKE:

Yes, I’ll have the 10oz rib eye with mashed potatoes and a house salad with the vinaigrette.

KEVIN:

(Looks at Brooke) Nice!

(Looks to the waitress) and I’ll have the red fish with rice and vegetables and house salad with ranch please.

WAITRESS:

Great! I’ll get that right out.

BROOKE:

Thank you

KEVIN:

So what are you going to do about work this summer?

BROOKE:

Not quite sure. Think I’m gunna find an internship around Dallas and just go from there.

KEVIN:

Sounds like a plan. Is that what you really want to do?

BROOKE:

Ya, I think that’s my best option. Hopefully, if it all works out I’ll get a job offer and be able to take it. I’ll graduate in August and move right into the job.

KEVIN:

Good idea. Lucky I play for the Astros’ organization. I’ll still be in the state at least if I get called up. You and your hotshot job will just have to come see me.

BROOKE:

I didn’t really plan on having a serious boyfriend when I chose my major. Sorry!

KEVIN:

I know. That’s now what I’m saying. I’m just giving you a hard time I guess.

BROOKE:

Look Kev, it’d be great if we could be in the same city, but I’m not gunna pick up and leave right away. I want to have a job and if I get offered one in Dallas then I’m going to take it. We…

KEVIN:

(Interrupts before she’s done talking)

Oh so you can’t ask me about it first. You’re just gunna make that kind of decision on the spot without consulting me?

BROOKE:

We’ll if you’d let me finish… of course I’m gunna talk to you about it. We’ll weigh our options but I’m not gunna turn it down if you’re somewhere else. I didn’t spend all this money for college to not use my degree.

KEVIN:

All I’m saying is why can’t you find something that’s in the same town as me.

BROOKE:

Well I’m gunna look into that. I just don’t know if I have as many opportunities down there as I do in Dallas. Plus we don’t even know where you’ll be. New Mexico, Texas, heck you could get traded to another team. We don’t know until you sign on the dotted line.

KEVIN:

I need to know you’re gunna stick this baseball thing out with me.

BROOKE:

Kevin! That has never been the issue. Since day one I’ve been by your side. Every team, every game, every move, I’ve been there. Or at least tried my hardest to be there. I’m not asking you to give up baseball for me to follow my career and me around. I just want to do something for me this time. If I can get a job where ever you are and I’m happy with it, then great!! I’d love that. I’m going to take whatever job is best for me and for you.

KEVIN:

Something for you? When is it not about you?

BROOKE:

(Sarcastically chuckles)

Wow. Ok we’re not going there.

KEVIN:

No really, answer the question. Now you’ve really got me interested in this conversation.

BROOKE:

Look Kevin, every decision I’ve made since we’ve started getting serious has been about the both of us. I’ve hardly breathed without thinking what would Kevin want me to do. I’ve followed you around from team to team. I’ve made the trips and put school on the back burner. Holidays are the only time I get to see my family because every free weekend I have is devoted to driving or flying wherever you are. I’ve made it about you and now it’s time for me to do something for me.

KEVIN:

I never asked you to do that. You’re family hasn’t liked me since day one and you didn’t agree so you chose me over them. That isn’t my fault. I don’t ask you to come every weekend. I’d love for you to stay up there and do what you want. I don’t care. You need to have the college experience. We both know I did.

BROOKE:

(Laughs)

Ya, you sure did have that college thing down. Good thing you got drafted because you’d probably be a 7 year senior by now. Who knows?

(Pauses, takes a drink from her water glass and looks back at Kevin)

I really don’t want to do this right now. We’re just getting ugly and I don’t want to fight. We started this conversation out wrong.

KEVIN:

We certainly did.

(The waitress walks up with the meal.)

WAITRESS:

I’ll get you some new drinks. Is there anything else yall need?

BROOKE:

No thanks.

(KEVIN reaches into his back pocket and pulls out his wallet. He grabs a 100-dollar bill out and sets it on the table. He grabs his keys from his pocket and sets those next to the bill as well.)

KEVIN:

Here’s money for dinner. You can drive my truck home. I’m calling a cab.

(The waitress replaces the empty glasses with fresh drinks and walks away in a hurry. Kevin stands up.)

BROOKE:

Kevin! What are you doing? Leaving me at dinner? Sit back down. Let’s just enjoy our food and we’ll talk about this when we get back to the house. Please, sit down.

KEVIN:

It’s always been about you.

(He pulls a bright blue gift box from his jacket pocket and sets it on the table.)

(Brooke stares at the blue box. When she looks up, he is gone. She pulls one side of the white ribbon and it falls to the floor. She lifts the blue top off and pulls the smaller box out. As she opens the second box a tear falls from her eye and she holds her breath.)

BROOKE:

(Whispers to herself and starts to cry)

I thought you’d never ask.

(BROOKE grabs her coat and keys. She clings tight to the box and walks away from the table. A family next to her stares in disbelief. The waitress walks past her and turns around as she notices the uneaten food.)

WAITRESS:

Ma'am? Umm...

(She quietly turns around in disbelief and begins to clean up the table.)

The Three Stooges

The clutter of the house was getting in the way. I hopped over a couple of presents sitting next the front door and tumbled to the ground when the heel of my boot caught one of the bows. I let the door slam behind me. As I walked through the living room I giggled hello to my roommates and raced into my room. It was the beginning of a long weekend and we had planned a road trip. We were headed down to my lake house in Austin. It would be the three of us, sunshine, a boat, a couple bottles of wine and no fiancés. All of the packing was done the night before. Outfits were selected, clothes thrown about all over the long hallway as we raced in and out of each other’s closets.

Since graduation, we each began a fast paced life. Lisa was writing for D Magazine. She found a job in the food and wine section and all her dreams were coming true. Her and Alex were engaged! She and I convinced Megg to stay out here one more year. Megg struck it big when her boyfriend, Adam, signed with the Dallas Cowboys. To everyone’s surprise, she signed with the organization as the team’s dietician the same day as he. Two days later, Adam proposed in the parking lot of the stadium while they entered for work. I got lucky when my internship in college turned into a job opportunity. Justin Boots hired me as the new visual merchandiser of Region 2. I was in control of all the retail stores that sold Justin products in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and surrounding cities. My fiancé and I were planning a wedding and looking for a new house. Three best friends, three dream jobs and now three weddings. Needless to say, our lives were hectic.

This trip was a final goodbye before the three of us went our separate ways. Sure we would still be neighbors but after 2 years of being roommates, it was going to be weird without them. The plans had been made for a month now. It was tough getting off a few extra days because each of us was so busy with work, wedding and life.

Giggles flowed through the hallway.

“Megg, don’t laugh at me. Just yesterday you spilt the whole bag of jellybeans while trying to sneak some into your room. Don’t pretend I didn’t see you…” I proclaimed as I dug out my bathing suits from the bottom of my closet.

“Ugh! How dare you!! Better sleep with one eye open. I may sabotage your wedding invitations you spent hours working on last week.” She shouted back.

Ever since she bought her wedding dress we’ve been keeping an eye on her diet. She made us swear that we would monitor her snacking so she would be able to fit into the dress come the big day. She threatened us to help her or she would ensue World War III on us and it would be an all out bride wars in our little 3-bedroom house.

Our bags were all packed and we loaded into my white Range Rover I had so graciously presented myself when I got the promotion and pay increase. We had so much luggage for a 4-day weekend and only 3 of us. Needless to say, we don’t pack light.

“Lisa, you’re in charge of the iPod and music.” I handed her our iPods and barked the orders at her. She graciously bowed her head to me.

“Yes master!”

“Let’s go!! Bridget, you drive so slow. We’re never going to get there!” Megg was the worst back seat driver. That was going to have to go if the three of us were going to last the entire drive.

About three hours till Austin and we were already yelling at each other. You’d think it was that time of the month. Megg’s phone rang… “Chicken Fried” played loudly as she fumbled through the bottom of her brown, oversized, Marc Jacobs bag.

Frustrated, I turned in my seat to glare at her. Hopefully she’d get the picture. “Someone answer it already!”

Megg ignored the phone call and the next 10 calls from her crazy wedding planner. She had hired this lady and boy, was she a loon. Isn’t the bride supposed to be the Bridezilla? Not in Megg’s case. She had a wedding planner from hell. Megg called the ditzy blonde yesterday to tell her that she would be out of town for the next four days and did not want anything to do with the wedding till she returned. Megg made herself clear she thought but obviously the planner had a different idea. From that moment on, all of our phones were on silent. Our fiancés had the number to the house in Austin and would call us there to say their I love you’s.

Lisa laughed quietly to herself as she scrolled through the play lists and landed on one we had specially created for the trip. She pressed play and turned the music up loud enough so we couldn’t hear each other’s thoughts.

I pulled into the driveway of my family’s lake house 2 hours and 43 minutes later. I allowed no bathroom breaks the entire trip. We drove straight through and finally we were here. My mom had graciously driven up the day before and stocked the kitchen with food and wine for us. She lives 30 minutes away from the lake house so she figured it was the least she could do. We raced to the door and tried to unlock it. Franticly I stuck my key into the whole, but it didn’t work. I’ve had the same key since my parents bought the house 3 years ago. It has always worked.

“Oh my gosh Bridget!! Open the door. I’m dieing here.” Lisa waddled back and forth. Because of my no stopping rule and all the diet cokes, we each had to get inside the house… now!

Why wasn’t it working? My mom had been here yesterday. She didn’t mention anything about new locks or keys. I raced to the back door… it was open. I ran in and unlocked the bolted front door. Weird, I thought to myself. My mom must have had the same problem yesterday. I bet she drove up this morning and propped the door open for us. The house stood alone at the end of the cul-de-sac so it was ok to leave the house open for short periods of time. We had never had any problems.

“You know where the bathrooms are. I called the master. Move it.” I shouted as my voice faded down the hallway. We each ran our separate ways.

A few minutes later I returned and went to fridge for a drink. Wine. Diet Coke. Chicken. Veggies. Ice cream. And so on. It was all there. Mom always knew what we liked. I looked through the pantry scoping out our options for dinner tonight.

“What is taking yall so long? Get down here. I’m about to open this bottle. I’m not going to drink it all by myself.” I looked around the corner. No answer. All of the sudden the house felt eerie. They’re probably playing a trick on me. Ready to jump out of the linen closet as I turned to corner or throw a blanket over my head as I passed under the stairs. Suddenly the phone rang but just as quickly as it began, it stopped. The ring jolted me and shook my nerves a little bit. Weird. The phone rang once and then nothing again. I picked it up but nothing, just a dial tone. I turned to go to the back door and then it rang again. I quickly rushed to the counter to pick it up. Silence on the other end. No voice. No dial tone. Nothing.

“Megg! Lisa! Stop messing with me. Now get down here and help me with the bags. I’m not your maid.” I shouted through the silent house. No response from either of them. What was going on? I thought quietly to myself as I searched through my Kate Spade bag for my phone. I filed through old receipts, gum wrappers, lip stick cases. Ah! Finally, there it was my blackberry, no service. Ok this was about to be a tragic horror story. Three friends travel to a lake house for a weekend getaway and a killed by a psychopath who has been stalking there every move.

I grabbed the butcher knife from the knife drawer. I slipped my useless $300, supposed to be my lifesaver, blackberry into the back pocket of my faded True Religions. Slowly, I tiptoed to the corner of the kitchen. I slid my silver Tory Burch flats off and shoved them under the cabinet. At this point, I was freaking out. The house was not that big. I knew they could here my screaming. They weren’t outside getting the bags from the car. Where could they be?

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a dark figure dodge in and out of my sight. That figure was definitely not 5’5” Lisa walking about. Nor was it the slimming yet curvaceous body of Megg. It had to be a man. The shadow was far too tall to be anyone I had brought with me. Someone was in the house. That had to be why the back door was open and why we couldn’t get in the front door.

“Lisa! I’m going to start making some dinner. I need your help. Come on! We both know the dinner will not be edible if I get any where near it.” I tried to cover my fear by not revealing the fact that I knew someone was here. I thought that if I played dumb and snuck up on the person, who ever it was, that I’d have the advantage.

Sweat started to bubble on my forehead. It was official; I was scared to death and had no idea what the next 5 minutes were going to result in. I checked the house phone one more time. Still, silence on the other line. I pulled the blackberry out of my pocket. No bars. I stealthily moved from the corner of the kitchen to the edge of the hallway. I got down on my knees and crawled to the entryway. I peered out the window next to the front door. I could see my car in the distance. Still parked in the driveway. No one was there. Dang it. I should’ve grabbed my keys out of my purse just in case. Oh well, that would have been too much noise. Besides, I couldn’t imagine leaving my friends here alone when someone was in the house.

I didn’t have a plan as I crept up the stairs like ivy. Conforming to every jagged corner, raised step and slight curve. I thought that I should find the girls first to see if they were ok. Gripping the knife tighter and tighter in my hand, I could feel my palm start to sweat. My adrenalin began pumping. This was the strangest feeling I had ever experienced. If I screamed for help, would my neighbors hear me? Would they know something was wrong? I reached the top of the stairs and took a few deep breaths before I peered over the final step. A pair of Nike Shocks peeked out from under the curtain in the game room. I ducked back down. There was someone here. My deepest fears had come true. My hand clasped over my mouth as a few sobs came out. I tried to be silent. I wiped my eyes and peeked again. Now I could see the heel of Megg’s favorite vintage platforms sticking out from behind the bar. Was she hiding from the man in the Nike shoes? I couldn’t call 911. I couldn’t run down stairs and leave Megg all alone. Where was Lisa?

“SHHH!” An unknown voice echoed through the room. The noise stung my ears as the whispered word faded off. Someone knew I was here. I back peddled over a couple of the steps. I had to compose myself before I could do anything else. There was a pair of doors that closed off the game room from the hallway next to the stairs. I would slide up the edge of the stairway and crawl toward the left door. Once there, I could stand up and get a better view of the entire game room. It was now or never, I made my move.

There was no one in the hallway. The upstairs seemed untouched by either of the girls. Where was Lisa hiding? Did she know there was someone here? I looked out the window that stretched above the front door to the top of the second floor ceiling. Still, no one in the driveway. I peered around the solid wood door and into the game room. There was heavy breathing but no sign of Lisa. Megg’s feet had moved further behind the bar and out of site. I got down on my knees and crawled fast to the back of the couch that faced the entrance to the game room.

I whispered, “Megg, I’m here.” The bar was about 3 feet away from the edge of the couch, just enough room for a walkway. No response from Megg. I didn’t want to whisper again. I leaned my back up against the couch. This way I could see if someone was coming from the either side. I gripped the knife and placed my left hand by my neck so in case the man came at my from behind my couch I could prevent him from strangling me. It was now or never. I made my move.

“Come out!! I know you are in here. Show your face.” I screamed as I jumped up from behind the sturdy brown leather couch, pointing my knife toward the curtain that hid the Nike Shoes.

My fiancé pulled back the curtain with his hands held high.

“Surprise?” he said in a quiet tone, winking at me. The doors on the balcony opened, out came Lisa with a cake and a large grin on her face. Behind her followed some co-workers, my parents, and my soon to be in-laws. I let the knife tumble to the ground as Megg jumped to toward me.

“Surprise!!!!” She shouted into my left ear as she smiled at me with the biggest, most content smile ever.

Above the entrance into the room was a banner from corner to corner that read…

HAPPY 25^th BIRTHDAY BRIDGET

I Miss You

Distance,

it comes between us

it's out of our hands

your team in New Mexico

my school in Fort Worth

each following our dreams

we long to be together

schedules are too hectic

class requires attendance

wins require practice

we will get through this

you tell me to just believe

be strong and courageous

one day we'll be together,

for the rest of our lives

for now though,

roughly 600 miles apart

a 9 hour drive

a 400 dollar plane ticket

a hurdle we can get past

because,

this space between us

can't stop our love

we will achieve our dreams apart

we will make new dreams together

for now, I miss you

till we reunite,

a weekend trip is the plan

but it's not enough

the moment we depart

I will miss you again

School Supplies

First day of school

What should I wear?

Want to impress the boys,

maybe get a few stares.

These are the one,

black with purple stripes.

A little school spirit

yes, I like.

Now for a top,

which frat to choose?

Kappa Sig!

Sorry Phi Delt, you lose.

Yes, this looks great

Can't forget the shoes

Sperry or New Balance?

Oh wait, Rainbows will do.

Headed for the door,

Ray Ban's in my frocket

personalized Jon Hart backpack

Yeah! I can rock it!

Who Am I?

Like a terrible pain

that always lingers.

You lurk behind me,

stalking my every move.

My joyful smile makes you weak

that’s when you attack.

Your bite burns,

as the venom sinks deeper

When will you leave?

I beg everyday

GET OUT!

Never look back

I cry for help

you muffle my scream.

I’m left alone,

Helpless

to die on your watch.

Your cold heart gets high

on the tears I shed

alone I wallow

you become stronger,

stronger

soon I’m nothing.

You control me.

Who am I?