“Baby.” That soft, feminine voice. “Baby how are you?”
“Jessie.”
“Baby listen to me.” There it was again. There was the excitement on her voice.
“I’ve been thinking you know. I’ve been thinking and you see-“
“Jessie.” Joshua interrupted. He knew what she was going to say already. “It’s 5 am. You can’t keep doing this, Jessie.”
“Oh but I’m in this so very tiny phone booth in Vegas, Joshua. And I just had to call you, I had to tell you.” He could imagine her smile.
“What did you have to tell me, Jessie?” He knew. Asked anyway because, well. It’s Jessie, you know?
“Oh baby I’ve been thinking. About a trailer by the sea.” She paused. She was imagining, he knew. “We could go to Mexico.”
“We?”
“Yes we, baby!” Joy. Pure joy. “You, the cat and me!”
“Is that so?” His chest hurt. He struggled to breath.
“We’ll drink tequila.” She giggled with excitement. “And look for seashells! Now doesn’t that sound sweet, baby?”
Oh Jessie you always do this, every time I get back on my feet…
“Baby baby baby! Tell me you see it too.”
“Jessie.” Cut it. Cut her talk. Stop this pain. Loud silence on the line. “Paint me a picture then- about how it’s gonna be.” A tear fell down his cheek. “Tell me all about our little trailer by the sea. Tell me about this dream you had.”
“No baby. Not a dream. This is real, this is gonna happen.” Another promise. “I swear to God this time it’s gonna last.”
Oh jessie, how do you always seem to know just when to call?
“How is he?” She asked in a soft, sad voice.
“Moses? He’s just fine.” But he used to think about you all the time… and we finally took your pictures down off the wall.
“Baby get your stuff together.” Her voice quickened. “Bring Moses and drive real fast.”
And he listened to her promise.
“I swear this time it’s gonna last.” She promised again. “But drive real fast, baby. Dreams won’t wait for us.”
“Jessie?” Asked Joshua before she could hang up.
Tears filled his eyes. He knew he wouldn’t go. Wouldn’t drive anywhere, not fast, not slow. Would go back to sleep. Jessie wouldn’t call the next morning either. There would be no seashells, nor trailer by the sea. Still, Joshua listened to Jessie every time she called, and dared to imagine, just for a minute or two.
“Jessie, you know. You can always sell any dream to me.”
Story based on Joshua Kadison’s song, Jessie.
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