Free Coronado Dreaming (The Silver Strand Series) by G.B. Brulte, Greg Brulte, Gregory Brulte

full of compassion.
     
    A few seconds later, Melody stopped her reading and glanced down at her hand. She rubbed her fingers together.
     
    “How did you get wet, girl? Have you been playing in your water bowl, again?” She put down her book, and then lifted the cat up from under its front paws and held it to her face, nose to nose.
     
    “You’re such a funny girl. Aren’t you? You’re such a funny girl.”
     
    She plopped the cat onto the floor and then stood up. Her long, shapely legs extended from underneath short, black and red, SDSU shorts. Melody walked in her bare feet to the kitchen, got a bottle of Arizona Green Tea from her refrigerator, and returned to the couch. She picked up the remote and began flipping through channels.
     
    I sat, perplexed, beside her and lightly rubbed at my cheek where the tear had been.
     
    Maybe the cat had been playing in her water bowl.
     
    Melody scanned through the channels, and I watched a montage of mindless scenes pop onto the screen as she searched for something of interest. Finally, The Movie Channel was settled upon.
     
    __________
     
    At first, I wasn’t focused on the television… but, after a while, I recognized Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. With a shudder, I realized that the show was ‘ Ghost ’… I sat there mesmerized by the actors on the television, struck by the irony of the situation I was in.
     
    Thirty minutes went by, and along came the scene with Patrick and Demi at the pottery wheel. I looked over, and, sure enough, tears were brimming in Melody’s eyes.
     
    My heart felt like it was being ripped from my chest when the wetness spilled over onto her cheeks. She wiped at her tears, and I reached out as if I could help to rub them away. My hand slid through her skin and I saw a bit of a golden flicker around the area that I was interacting with.
     
    Amazingly, I could feel the wetness from her lacrimal glands.
     
    Samantha looked back and forth between the two of us, and also around behind her, as if confused. She let out a series of meows and trills.
     
    I rolled my thumb and fingers together, and then touched my index finger to my tongue… I could actually taste reality in the salt from her tears
     
    Melody picked up her cat, held it close, and then put it back down in her lap. Samantha began to purr, again, as she settled into her nice, comfortable spot.
     
    __________
     
    When the movie finally ended, Melody stood up and carried the languid animal to her room. She lay down on the mattress, still holding onto the feline as it curled up in the crook of her arm. I stood there at the foot of the bed for quite some time, just watching them rest. Melody was beyond lovely in her t-shirt and shorts. Her beauty in repose was heavenly. She closed her eyes and long lashes cut across the flawless planes of her upper face.
     
    I watched the little crease between her eyebrows disappear as her relaxation became more complete.
     
    Gingerly, I seated myself on the bed, afraid that I would disturb the serenity. Then, once again, I realized that I was invisible and insubstantial, so I lay down next to her. I cuddled up and reached out for her waist. Of course, my arm went right through her to the mattress, below, but it didn’t really matter… I still felt close, almost as if we were touching.
     
    The rhythm of her breathing was hypnotic; I closed my eyes and fell into synch with her respirations.
     
    Soon, I, too, drifted off to sleep.
     
    __________
     
    We were at our table, again, in my dream.
     
    This time, we were accustomed to each other… as if we had been dating for some time. Melody was wearing the same clothes she had on that afternoon in her condo, except she also sported a pair of white, slip-on, Ked’s tennis shoes. We were sharing a MangoMooMania smoothie, even though we weren’t on Coronado, and she and I laughed at happy kids that were running up and down the path near the water; they were chasing pigeons and seagulls. A