Last night I dreamed about dad
Last night I dreamed of my father. He died sixteen years ago and hadn’t found his way into my dreams for the last ten.
“Hi dad, you look great.”
“Hey son, I think you’re just being polite. You can barely see me. I’ve been dead so long now. You’re only seeing me in your dream right now. No, you don’t actually see me. You’re just dreaming that you see me. When you wake up in the morning, you won’t remember what I look like tonight.”
“Whatever, then. Dad, it’s still good to dream about you.”
“You’re wrong again, son. It’s never been good for you to dream of me. The first time you dreamed of me, I was dying. The second time you dreamed of me, I had just died and you were such a sad soul. The third time, you were with this cough for three months and you were so sure you were dying. The fourth time, your boss had just died and you were expecting drastic changes at work…” My father continued for a long time. time and he was right. I never felt good when I dreamed of him.
“You’re right again, dad. I don’t think anything bad is going on this time though. I’m fine at work. My health is fine. My wife is also more relaxed about the kids’ problems these days. I’ve even Seen the end of dog potty training and don’t need to clean up after he’s pooped on the rug.”
He is your son. Tomorrow he turns sixteen.
“That’s not bad, dad.”
“Yes, it is. It’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you. You’re going to be mad all the time. You’re going to feel like you want to hit someone, for the first time in your life. You’re going to feel so miserable you’ll even say yes if he asks for your permission and blessing to move in. That’s why you’re dreaming of me.”
“No, Dad, I don’t think so. He’s always been good. He can be careless and sometimes lazy. Jump before you look. He always admits his mistakes and tries to do things right, though.”
“Let me explain this to you. You are talking about how it has been, or was. I am here to tell you how it will be. You do not have to question the accuracy of this information. In dreams, the dead know everything and always tell the truth. He will change from nine parts sweet and one part handsome to 100 percent selfish, eighty percent hostile and fifty percent dumb. Don’t question the math because that’s not important. This is the good news you have tonight.”
“Good news? That sounds terrible.”
“You haven’t heard the bad news yet. The bad news is that you are becoming a miserable old man.”
“No, not me, impossible. I’m as fit as ever. I’m only three pounds heavier than the weight I was when I finished my marathon fastest. My blood pressure is good, so are my cholesterol levels. Plus, I’m always open to other people’s opinions.
“Son, do you remember having this reunion dinner with your high school classmates last month? Did you tell your wife afterward that you felt you were somehow older than your friends, even though you are in better physical shape? Do you know why? Here’s why – you were the only one with teenage kids. I’d share this advice with you. Go mingle with older men with teenage kids. You’d feel more comfortable around them. Talk to the ones who get by well. You will learn from them and become a wise old man.”
“Dad, I’m only forty-six.”
“It’s not how old you are that makes you an old man. It’s not even how unfit you are. It’s how helpless and unhappy your children make you. Welcome to the club. You’ll find your son staying up all night sailing the world.” -Internet, browsing useless and cheap gossip and, of course, porn. You’ll find him sleeping when he’s supposed to be up and getting ready to go out for lunch together as a family this Sunday. You will find yourself timing their phone calls. and their showers. You will find yourself talking louder with him and using more satire in your words than you would with your worst enemy. Your child will look you in the eye and complain that you don’t understand. You will not do it. know what to say, since you are right. You wish you could understand him, but even more, you wish he could understand you and how right you are.”
“That sounds horrible. What am I going to do?”
“Don’t worry, son, you’ll be fine. You outlived your youth, didn’t you? That’s a great track record. I probably didn’t tell you that I really wanted to hit you once in a while.” So when you were a teenager. Remember that time you commented on my game? I just scolded you and hit the table instead. What about the other time you asked me to drink and talk less? I flushed with anger but didn’t. Do not say anything. I was doing fine, right? You’ll be fine. You would come through this much stronger and wiser. The good times you had with your son and the good times you had with me will help you get through this. Just like you almost drowned but then became a good swimmer, you would become a much better father after getting out of the wells. You have heard that children are here to make parents feel complete. That’s right. Being complete means surviving quality control and passing without a hitch. You owe it to me as my son, but you can only pay it back as the father of your son.”
“Thanks, Dad. I see it now. But will I remember this in the morning?”
“Yes, you won’t remember what you did to me thirty years ago, but you will remember this dream you have tonight. This will help you a bit when your kid does all sorts of things to you for years to come. I have to go now. Take care, son.
“I’m sorry, dad. It didn’t occur to me that I was hurting you…” I had so much more to say to him, but suddenly he was gone, the same way the dead disappear in the dreams of the living. .
This morning I got up and went to work, like I always do. When I stopped for lunch, the vivid dream came back to me. I couldn’t resist calling my mother.
“Mom, how was I when I turned sixteen?”
“Because you want to know?”
“I just wonder if I was terrible.”
“I wouldn’t say that. I thought you were a lot nicer when you were little. You turned good afterward.”
“Did I become good? What do you mean? I can remember that I was a very reasonable teenager…”
“Sorry, son, you weren’t. But I really can’t talk. I’ve got this lunch lined up and I have to go now. Ask me again later, if you really want to. Bye.”
The phone went dead, but I could still hear my father’s words through the earpiece: “Don’t worry, son, you’ll be fine.”