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CYBER KNIGHT 
Frozen beneath the ice and slowly losing unconsciousness, Stephanie knew she was losing the battle. The veins in her neck were starting to swell and the last of the few air bubbles, that were precariously keeping her alive, begin to trickle out of her mouth. The struggle was ending very quickly now. As if the heavens had opened, God reached down and struck the earth with a great blow, and a loud fiery crack could be heard in the darkening sky for miles as the ice finally gave out and ended with a pile of broken, splintered and jarred remains, the same type that matched the nightmare that was now evaporating.
Jumping out of bed, still hearing the cracking sound of the ice, she realized the alarm clock was ringing shrilly, insistently calling to her to leave the safety of her warm bed.
Settling back into the blankets, that had been tossed into disarray, a mess that had surely been caused as she struggled for air beneath that frozen white sheet of ice, she glanced over and began gently smoothing the white ruffled down filled Sears-Roebuck comforter back into place.
Damn, I hate this dream she thought to herself for the millionth time, why does it have to happen today, of all days? Today is my day, and nothing is going to ruin it she mumbled out loud as she stood up and madeher way to the bathroom.
"What?" Ted her husband of 25 years said, raising his head, and hoisting himself up on one elbow.
"Nothing honey, I hit the snooze alarm, so you can go back to sleep for a few minutes, she explained. "I just want to freshen up a bit, before fixing breakfast. "
"Don't worry about me, Steph, I'll grab breakfast on the way to work. Come back to bed for a few minutes," Ted suggested.
Looking at her haphazard hair in the bright bathroom mirror, she took a long look. Slowly touching her cheeks she was reminded once again that those fine lines were starting to take up permanent residence on her face, and that the dark circles were once again becoming a regular on her white porcelain skin.
Staring in the mirror, she couldn't help wandering what happened to all the dreams she once had.
The ones where she would become a famous movie star or a dancer in a Broadway musical? Even now, many years later, she recalled the image so vividly, sitting in the movie theater with tears streaming down her eyes, as she took on the feelings of the characters she would watch. She would fall madly in love with the leading men, and would dance with them, secretly in her bedroom mirrors for months to come. Oh to be part of that life. She could just imagine how it would feel, having everyone know your name, or to see your very own picture on a magazine, or to be invited to all those big parties that filled rooms with celebrities.
Instead Stephanie had met Ted and fell in love at an early age. Love overshadowed all of her dreams of stardom and was quickly replaced with one of being a happy housewife and having three wonderful children. She had fulfilled that dream with the precious children and a happy marriage for many years. But now, the last of her children had just left the nest. Leaving her with the unexpected pangs of total emptiness.
Her career choice seemed to be planted firmly in a go-nowhere job and the world was passing her by, as she seemed to be standing in one spot while the whole world went on without her.
Still watching the maturity in the mirror, she could see her husband Ted moving around behind her, as he struggled to hit the snooze alarm one more time.
Though he didn't look like the man she went crazy for so many years ago, he was still a very attractive and sexual man. And she really did love him. Didnt she?
Ted had been a wonderful husband for the most part,but somewhere along the way they seemed to have grown apart. It seemed as if they had just slowly drifted their own ways, with their careers and everything that comes between a marriage over the years.
Ted suddenly jumped from the bed, and took long strides across the room. With one swift swoop, he snatched her up in his arms and carried her back to their bed. There he tossed her on the down filled comforter and they made wild passionate love like the good old days when life was good, so many years ago.
It was then that the snooze alarm went off once again and placed her back into reality. This time it wasn't waking her up from a nightmare, but a beautiful daydream she was just envisioning, and the sweat soaked fantasy was just that, a fantasy.
In reality she couldn't remember how long it had been since they made love. In the beginning of their marriage the passion of lovemaking had taken on a bliss of its own, but somewhere along the years, it happened less and less until it had all but stopped entirely. Was it because of all the nights she had faked a headache, just because she was too tired?
But after 25 years of marriage it was only natural that the lovemaking would stop, wasn't it?
Stephanie still gazing at Ted from the mirror took a long look at him.
Where was the man with the full head of hair, flat abdomen and strong powerful arms? Who is this man that seems to have planted himself firmly in her life?
Where was the man she had married? What had happened to that lovely young couple with so many dreams ahead of them? Copyright @ 2001 Ju'Mel Publications |
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