Dreams to Fire chapter 2

Three beautiful weeks go by, and the two lovebirds fall madly in love with each other. Despite Erica being quite a bit younger, and Rob holding back a past he isn’t quite ready to fully reveal, they are a perfect fit for each other.

Snuggled up together in her comfy red satin sheet bed, on their sides with Rob’s hand resting upon her hip, they enjoy the connection and peace that only love can bring.

“So what about your real parents?”

“We abandoned each other when I turned eighteen,” Erica answers as if stating a fact.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Why?”

“They were strictly religious and I never bought any of it. And they didn’t approve of me dating the cute boy next door. Or hanging out with his liberal parents.”

“I see. If you don’t mind me asking, what happened between you two?”

“We just went our separate ways. He couldn’t handle my career and me at the same time.”

“Lucky me. I’ll never restrict your choices in life. It’s like you say: ‘Beauty is meant to be on display. At the right times of course.’ And I have to admit, so many desire you, yet you only give yourself to me. Makes me feel kinda special.”

“Well, that’s because you are. You appreciate the beauty of the female beyond just the body.”

His voice is equally gentle and masculine, “That I do. You know, people love your beautiful image on all those screens. Just like you know that I love you, beyond all those screens. Even the one my eyes create. I love you Erica.”

“Mm, and I love you Rob,” she turns to kiss him. “I’m still kinda hungry, should I make some more pancakes?”

“In a little…”

* * *

An alien playfully sneaks up on his wife in their kitchen. “Hiya sexy, what ‘ya cooking?” Rob says as he wraps his protective arms around Erica’s belly.

“My chocolate chip cookies. But you can’t have any yet. Dough is not a food you know.”

“Yes it is! Come on. Just one itsy bitsy bite? Please?”

“Okay. But just one. Or you will eat them all before they are even cooked.”

He scarfs a ball of dough down. “Delicious. What makes your cookies so good?”

“My secret ingredient.”

“Oh? And what’s that?”

She places her arms over her belly, over their child. A baby consciously created in sexual celebration of life, connection, and creative power. A baby who nonetheless would be loved all the same even if she were a wonderful surprise. “Love.”

“No wonder they are so delicious. I’ll eat your cookies forever Erica,” she laughs. “No matter where we go.”

“No matter where we go?”

“Yup. Even if it’s… traveling across Europe to all those ancient monolithic sites you wanted to visit, our beautiful baby with us, my camera in tow. A family on the run, escaping normalcy.”

“But Rob you said didn’t want to go.”

“I said I didn’t want to go then.”

“I love you.”

“One more bite.”

“No! You have to wait till they are done. Stop abducting all my cookies. Would you stop? I think I need the next abduction…”

* * *

Erica Caroline, sitting warm and comfortable in the passenger seat, authentically alive despite a cold winter’s night, gazes out past the looking glass into the nocturnal, always-moving world beyond. Her sight lands upon fallen fields of snow, caught up in the high branches of life that zoom by, one after another, after another. Another four wheels turn, as another mile is made, down this flat lonely path constructed of dying, cracking cement. Yet, the road is lined with life-giving trees along ether side. Trees thankfully left untouched, and therefore unmurdered, by human madness. A rooted loner stands in the middle of nowhere, bathed in stars and washed by moon, who seeks not to inflate its ego above the other trees, or demand profits by any and all means. No, that loner will support and promote life. Not take it.

Snow shoes depress into an ancient place rarely tread upon even by the most successful of people upon her thoughtful voice, “Robby?”

“Yeah hon?”

“Do you, do you think the world can ever be fixed? Be, you know, saved?”

He pauses. “I don’t know. That’s, not an easy question. I like to think about what I can do for those people in my own life. Directly.”

“Right. But what if there was a way to effect peoples lives, indirectly? On mass?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s just… the world is so messed up out there. All that degradation on so many levels. Family, emotional, sexual, physical, health, psychological, financial, everything. It seems like humanity itself is decaying, on the big scale anyway. I’m certainly not saying anything about us, I love you,” she looks to their baby in the back seat, whose sound asleep, “Our little Fy’rona, our family. I couldn’t be more happy. But, I feel like there is something we should do. Something we could do.”

“I hear you hon, but what can we do? We’re just one family.”

“I hear you. I don’t know,” she looks out the window again. “Probably nothing.”

“Or maybe something. You got me thinking about it.”

If her face could have a photo taken, it would display far more truth than a mere two dimensions should be able to display. She looks over to her cherished husband, to this honorable man that has restored her faith in humanity, “I love you.”

Her husband’s face says those same words back to her, but he speaks them aloud anyway, “And I love you. You wanna stop for a minute and take some photos? This snowy night has an otherworldly beauty.”

“Yeah. Let’s!”

* * *

It’s evening in the middle of a wintery nowhere forest. The wind emits frequent howls, and patches of frost refuse to leave the windshield. The Carolines drive along a lonely road on their journey across Europe. They decided to drive into the night, to reach their next sacred site a little sooner.

Out of nowhere the car engine dies. They roll to a complete stop.

Erica watches her husband pop the hood, and step outside into the freezing windy weather. It’s far colder than the reports said it would be. They try everything to start the car, but nothing works. So they call in for a tow truck, but a horrendous storm is about to pass over them. They are stuck for the night.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, Rob sighs. “We just had to spend so much time at those first few sites it became winter.” He smiles over to his beloved wife, putting on his playful face. Erica sees it, and returns the look.

“Yes, we did. But now we need to get snuggled and keep Fyrona warm. The storm is supposed to be really bad.”

“At least I get a break from driving.”

She laughs. “Very funny. Let’s push the car up against those trees, reduce the wind chill a little. I’ll drive.”

They do, and the family get all snuggled in the back seat, under blankets and body heat. Their baby, Fyrona Caroline, stays sound asleep through it all. Snuggled up between her mother and father, still innocent to the colds of the world.

Rob says, “Between the car, our clothes, these blankets, and our body heat, we should stay plenty warm till the storm passes.”

“We will,” Erica says.

“Mother Nature huh?”

“She’s as beautiful as she is unpredictable. “

“You can say that again. I never could have predicted meeting you, falling in love, and being here in this crazy situation with my family. But I couldn’t be more happy,” Rob hugs them closer.

“Let’s think of our new warm home in Los Angeles. I can’t wait to decorate, set up the backyard for working out, bake a bunch of cookies…”

Time passes as they chat and laugh, their spirits always high on life no matter what is thrown at them.

After the Sun sets, freezing darkness arrives alongside howling winds and snow that whitens out the sky. They attempt to fall asleep. But uncomfortable cold enters, and their breath is made visible inside the car.

“Honey, it’s getting cold in here,” Erica says.

“We’ll be fine hon.”

Fyrona wakes up, and looks around. Happy as can be. There’s no sign of her breath upon the cold air.

“She sure seems warm enough,” Erica notices.

“She sure does.”

The weather continues to worsen, and the cold seeps in through the metal barrier around them. They might as well be outside. The temperature continues to drop, despite their clothing and blankets. But not for long.

“Rob. You feel that right?”

“Yeah.”

“The winds are howling, the snow is crazy. But it’s, getting warmer in here.”

“Yeah. I guess the storm is starting to die down.”

Some time goes by, and the cozy little car warms their blood as if top-notch air conditioning were turned on. Fyrona goes back to sleep.

And the cold rapidly seeps back in. They look at each other, wondering, so they gently wake their baby.

The car grows warm again.

Erica’s voice isn’t accusing, but it is serious, “Robert, please tell me you’re not hiding anything from me.”

Rob looks his wife in the eyes, with genuine honesty and love, “I’m not hiding anything Erica. That life is behind me. Our little Fy is a healthy and natural baby. I told you everything.”

“I, just needed to here you say it. I trust you, I love you. It’s just…”

“And I love you. Don’t worry hon. We’ll be fine.”

They stay warm throughout the night, cozy as if they were at home. Not one flake of snow collects next to their car, despite it piling up nearby.

The tow truck arrives in the morning, and they continue on their journey, experiencing the ancient monolithic sites of Europe. After Erica is finally satisfied, they head back to the United States. And to their brand new beautiful home in Los Angeles, California.

Chapter 3