Dream of: 05 December 2000 "Argentina"
I was walking through the halls of an elegant hotel in a city in Argentina. The splendor of the place was inspiring. The hotel was old, and had been refurbished with authentic furniture and fixtures from the 1920s. I had never seen such exquisite and detailed restoration. Fine wooden chairs and displays decked the hallways, and small iridescent light fixtures were on the ceilings overhead. I reached up and touched one of the fiery multi-colored fixtures, which appeared to be made of something like Bakelite.
I walked on, continuing to admire the floors, the furniture, the overall décor, until I finally reached the spacious lobby, with its intricately designed black marble floor. I stood in the doorway, astounded by what I saw: this lobby was identical to the lobby of a hotel I had once visited in Mexico City. This hotel must have been designed by the same architect. Perhaps other hotels like this existed in other cities.
***
I had gone out onto the streets of the city and had begun walking around. The city was located on the ocean, and I soon found a pier from which I could look out over the sea. I knew that the city was located at the southern tip of Argentina, and that I was now looking south out over the sea. It was a beautiful sight. Several navy ships were floating on the water, and the sky was red in the west where the sun was setting. But my directions seemed confused down here in the southern hemisphere, as if things were turned upside down.
***
I was riding a bus through the city. I noticed a woman (probably in her late 20s) sitting near me. She was fair-skinned with brown hair. She was pretty, with soft-looking skin. I spoke a few words to her, and when she finally reached her stop and was getting ready to get off the bus, I asked her if I could go with her. She allowed me to accompany her and together we began walking through the picturesque streets.
I was amazed by how quickly I had become attracted to her. I had earlier met another Argentine woman to whom I had also been attracted; but my attraction for this woman was far greater. I already felt as if I were falling in love with her. Mostly I liked her because she seemed so intelligent. As we talked, she told me she wanted to become a lawyer. I told her that I was a lawyer, even though I didn't actually practice law at the present. I could clearly see that she and I were going to have a lot to talk about.
As we walked along, I put my right arm around her. I didn't want to appear too forward, but she didn't seem to mind. When we reached a corner of the street, we stopped and began kissing each other on the neck, I had the strong feeling that we would end up making love. I knew Carolina was waiting for me back in the United States, and that I had only traveled to Argentina for a short vacation. But now that I was here, I began to wonder if I would ever leave.
***
I had said goodbye to the woman in front of the hotel. I myself wasn't staying at the hotel, but somewhere else, and I now needed to go to where I was staying. So I was now waiting to board a bus parked on the street in front of me. Apparently the bus was being renovated because some workmen were busily carrying materials, including some carpeting, onto the bus. People finally began boarding and I also climbed on.
The bus had a wooden floor, and chairs along the sides like a room of a house. Other people sat down, but I remained standing, even though empty seats were available. But suddenly, to my surprise, everyone stood up and got off the bus. Unsure what was happening, I also stepped back off. I only saw one man, and, wanting to know when the bus would be leaving, I hollered out to him, "Usted sabe cuando vamos a salir?"
He replied, "Cuatro horas."
I understood what he had said, four hours. But that was unclear to me. Did he mean four more hours, or did he mean at four o'clock. I hollered again, "Cuatro horas mas, o a las cuatro horas?"
But he was clearly in a hurry and he didn't respond. As he hurried off, I began to regret that I had said goodbye to the woman. It looked as if I might be here another four hours by myself, and I was uncertain what I would do.
Copyright 2002 by luciddreamer2k@gmail.com
