The Wake up Universe

The Reality?

“.. Ex. ..Lex. Alex!” Someone hit me with pillows that made me wake up.

I heard a lovely chuckle while I was trying to adjust my eyes to the blinding light.

“Celeste?” I asked cautiously.

Am I seeing Celeste right now? Smiling lovingly at me?

“Who else but your lovely wife? Hahaha! Come on wake up sleepy head! It's breakfast time! I cooked your favorite pancakes!” she said enthusiastically and giggled.

Am I dreaming? ‘Cause if yes, I don’t want to wake up anymore.

Celeste helped me up and led me out of the room. My eyes automatically roamed around the not-so-familiar place. This was the favorite house Celeste wanted way back in 2019 when we tried looking for houses. It was a two-story house with three bedrooms. It was a neat white house with blue accents, Celeste’s favorite color.

Due to my eyes wandering around, my foot missed a step from the stairs. That's why I rolled down the remaining flights. It was embarrassing.

“Oh my gosh. Are you okay, Alex?” Celeste hurried to me as she checked my body.

“Yes, I guess I’m alright. I’m dreaming after all.” I said and chuckled.

“Huh? What are you saying-- Oh my gosh Alex, your forehead is bleeding! Come on, get up. I’ll get the first aid kit!” Celeste said in a panic.

Blood? My hands went to the side where Celeste said that there was blood. I felt a sticky feeling and saw that it was indeed blood. I am not dreaming? Did I make up with Celeste without knowing? And if yes, when did she move here from her small studio apartment?

I am getting confused.

I remained silent while Celeste was putting ointment on my wound. I’m still trying to digest everything. The last thing I remember was drinking in my room.

“Celeste, when did we make up?” I asked curiously.

“What are you saying, honey? Haha. Since we got married, we have never fought.” she answered innocently.

“What? We got married?!” I exclaimed, causing Celeste to get startled.

“Hey! That surprised me. What are you saying? Of course, we did. Our wedding photos are even hung in the living room and our bedroom.” She said.

“When did we get married, Celeste?” I asked, trying so hard not to stutter.

“We got married last year, November 24, 2023. Is this some kind of a prank?” Celeste answered suspiciously.

What? Marriages are not allowed due to pandemics. My eyes frantically looked for my smartphone. I grabbed it and looked at the date. April 24, 2024. There is no way.

“Celeste, could I borrow your phone? I think mine’s not working,” I asked.

“Oh, it's on the table,” she answered while preparing the dishes on the table.

I looked at her calendar. Still April 24, 2024. What on earth is happening?

“Alex, come on. Let’s have our breakfast. You need to drive me to Tia’s boutique right? We still have our last fitting before the night.” she said nonchalantly.

“Oh. yes, of course. Uhm, What’s with tonight?” I asked nervously. Her forehead started to crease and her lips pouted.

Oh God, I could live my everyday life with this girl.

“Don’t tell me you forgot tonight's gala? Do you know? In celebration of our country’s first year of being virus-free!” she exclaimed.

Now, that the pandemic has ended?

The breakfast ended without too much concern and I drove Celeste to the boutique she was saying. Thank goodness the location was in the car’s system.

“Sweetheart, can I step out for a bit and meet Jace? I’ll just need to confirm some things with him.” I asked for permission to leave Celeste while she was fitting her evening gown.

“Alright. Be back after an hour. I’ll be done by then.” she answered.

“Of course. Be right back.” I said and kissed her temples.

Jace is like a best friend of mine s***h business partner. Maybe I could ask him a few things about my situation and he could help out.

“Hey, man. How’s life faring with your famous wife?” Jace greeted me with a manly hug.

“Famous? What are you saying? Celeste is not famous.” I disregarded his remarks. I don’t think Celeste became an artist.

“Don’t be too humble, bro. Who doesn’t know the famous Celeste Amar-Costa? She’s a genius who invented the vaccine that liberated the whole country in that hell hole of a pandemic.” he said with enthusiasm.

I think my head is about to split with all this information.

“You know what dude? I think I hit my head hard this morning and, you know, I can’t remember a few things.” I told him and showed him my wound.

“Oh, man. Bet that hurts. Cool. What do you need to know?” He asked.

Got ‘ya.

“Maybe from around the date when the pandemic started? You know. In March of 2021.” I stated.

“You can’t even remember your wedding? That’s hard man. I think you need to go see a doctor. Did you tell your wife? She should know what to do,” he said out of concern.

“No Jace. You know, Celeste will get worried. Just fill me in with details and I’ll be able to figure it out. Or maybe I could remember. “ I pleaded.

“Well. Nothing much happened. Or maybe I could say, the first four months of the pandemic were hell. You know, with all the lock downs, and transportation bans, people are forced not to go outside. A lot starved and people got laid off dude. The government officials lack proper decorum, spending the people’s money on themselves,” he narrated.

Of course, that happened exactly. It did.

“I don’t know, but maybe out of guilt, our president resigned and the vice president assumed the position. Since then, our lives have become better. In three months, there had been quarantine facilities, contact tracing, mass testing for everyone, and every local government cooperated. People are also given food packages or weekly allowance to survive. Little by little, we started getting back to our own lives. March 2022, Celeste shocked the entire medical field because of her research for a potential ingredient for a vaccine.” he added.

I was shocked. My Celeste did?

“You also said at that time that you didn’t know that Celeste was studying in that small apartment of hers. You were proud. Her research was sent and reviewed by the government and because of the experts’ high praise, she became a researcher and they started funding her research. Celeste’s name dominated the science field because of her vast knowledge and contribution. In five months, they created the vaccine. And it went through clinical trials for two months or so. And I guess today’s the first anniversary of being virus-free. I heard there would be a gala in honor of Celeste’s contribution,” he stated as if he were narrating a one-of-a-kind story.

Well, it does look like an amazing story.

“Personally, along with Celeste, I thank the current government who shouldered all the weight of this pandemic. You know, when the new president assumed office, everything seemed like it was going to be alright. They are very transparent with their plans, they have concrete programs and they value people the most. And of course, those corrupt officials were sent to jail. That’s the best part. Hahaha.” he laughed as he reminisced his memories.

Right. I mean, things could’ve been better.

“Alright, thanks, man. I need to go. Celeste is looking for me. She’s fitting her evening gown.” I said and walked myself out after hearing his goodbyes.

I kind of get the gist now, but it's hard to believe. You know, that it only takes a different government for a better outcome.

That night, everything went normal. I attended the gala with Celeste. We just stay at home most of the time if she doesn't need to go to her research lab and I do my work at home. Every day is a blissful day. I have nothing to wish for. People are all smiling, I have Celeste with me, and most especially, the pandemic ended.

Then there was this one night. I kept thinking of things that had happened. When I and Celeste broke up, Is that real? Or what is even my reality? I drifted to sleep thinking about where my reality is.