Be My Dream Family

"Oliver!" "Oliver! My eldest grandson, Oliver!" I jolted awake, my heart racing as I heard someone calling my name. The voice lingered in my ears, so vivid that it pulled me out of my sleep. I sat up in bed, blinking away the remnants of the dream. Slowly, I got up, feeling an odd pull towards the door. As I opened it, a burst of sunlight flooded my vision, temporarily blinding me. When my eyes adjusted, I found myself standing at the threshold of a breathtaking garden, one I had never seen before. "What is this?" I murmured, more to myself than to anyone else. Just then, four piglets scampered across my path, their tiny hooves pattering on the ground. My eyebrows shot up in confusion. "What? Why are there pigs here?" Once again I asked myself, my eyes rapidly widened when the pigs are starts flying and counting... "1,2,1,2,1,2" If that wasn’t strange enough, a dolphin suddenly emerged from a cloud above, arching gracefully through a brilliant rainbow that painted the sky. The sight was so surreal, so magical, that I couldn’t help but smile. But then, my gaze shifted, and I spotted an old woman sitting beneath a tree. My breath caught in my throat. "Grandma?" I ran towards the tree making my grandma face me. "Grandma, how did you come here? What's all this?" I asked here with a big smile still admiring the place. "20,21,7,8,19,36. Remember these numbers, make sure to remember them." Before I could respond, she vanished, leaving me grasping at empty air. "Grandma, wait! What does it means?!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the now silent garden. In an instant, I woke up, my eyes snapping open as I gasped for breath. The vivid dream still clung to my mind, and I couldn’t believe what I had just experienced. "I can't believe it." I said, and once again stand up from our bed to get a notebook and pen from the drawer and write the numbers grandma told me earlier. I started analyzing the numbers and just that a smile immediately appeared in my face. "Oh, yes." _______________________________________ Faye's PoV "Oh my daughter, you're so pretty." I whispered to Nancy, gently brushing a strand of hair away from her face. My daughter—Oliver and I’s precious girl—was still asleep, curled up in bed as I entered her room to wake her. "Nancy, my daughter who got into Oxford High University." "Get up. Eat something and go back to sleep." I said to her and gently held her arms to make her sit to the bed. "Fried chicken. I want fried chicken, mom." She mumbled, her voice muffled as she kept her eyes closed, half-asleep and still clutching her toy. "You're asking for the fried chicken again when you're still half asleep. I leave my credit card on your desk. Order it later okay?" I told her with a big smile still touching her hair, she just nodded at me for an answer. I stand up and was about to go out when I notice something behind her room door. "Why is this back? Nancy, didn't your grandfather come yesterday? Why is there mold already?" I asked her still looking at her door. "Dad told me not to call Grandpa over. He said he could just wipe it away." Nancy told me, making me shake my head sign of disappoinment. "Gosh, I can't believe him. Mold is really bad for your respiratory health." _______________________________________ Oliver's PoV I was pouring the soup I’d just finished cooking into a bowl, humming to myself, when my son, Astrid, wandered into the kitchen. "Dad, you seem to be in such a good mood today." "Actually, I had a really good dream last night... Nevermind. Anyway," I started, but caught his puzzled expression and decided to drop it. Instead, I handed him the bowl of soup and grabbed another one. "All you need to know is that things will go well for our family now." I told to him, making me and Astrid laugh before giving him the bowl of soup, so he can put it in the dining table. "I'm sure it was another silly dream. Nothing good has happened when you had a good dream." "This one is real. My late grandmother--" I began to explain, but was interrupted when Faye, my wife, entered the kitchen. "Honey. I told you to tell father about Nancy's room. We need to have the electricity and bathroom fixed." Faye said to me and I can sensed the annoyance in her voice. "Right. I'll do that. Come and sit down." I promised, trying to keep things light. "As if. I bet you will end up breaking everything, which will cost us a lot of money. Just call him, okay?" She told me making a stunned for a second and come to the table with a bowl in my hand. "Then... will you call him for me?" I asked, keeping my voice calm as I took a seat. She sighed, clearly exasperated. "Gosh, seriously?" *Ding dong* We all stop what we're up to when the door bell rings. "It must be Ms. Carmelita." I told them, before standing up to go to the our door. _______________________________________ Faye's PoV "Astrid, are you working hard during your tutoring session?" I asked, catching his attention as he seemed a bit distracted. "Yes, mom. By the way, mom, I want to go to an academy instead." Astrid replied, his voice tentative as he looked at me. My frown deepened. "We don't have enough money for that. Your sister who goes to OHU teaches you for free. Don't even think about going to an academy." I said firmly, taking a sip of my soup. "She hasn't even enrolled yet. Besides, Nancy is not a good teacher. All she does is tell me off for not knowing what she teaches me." Astrid complained, his lower lip jutting out in a pout. "Astrid." I began, my tone carrying a note of warning, but before I could say more, Oliver called out to me. "Honey, look at this." I quickly turned around, surprised by the urgency in his voice. When I saw who was with him, Astrid and I both stood up to greet her. "Good morning, Ms. Carmelita." We said in unison, smiling warmly. "Good morning, Hi Astrid..." Ms. Carmelita responded with a cheerful wave "I'm glad you're eating now. I made Deli Sandwich, so I bought some for the twins. You should try some too." I glanced at Oliver, who was holding a plate of the sandwiches she’d brought. "Thankyou, but you don't have to keep giving us food." I said, genuinely appreciative but also a bit embarrassed. "Don't worry about it. What are neighbours for?" She she replied, her smile never wavering. "Thankyou for this. I'll enjoy it." Astrid Astrid chimed in, clearly excited about the treat. "You're welcome, Astrid. Enjoy yourself." Ms. Carmelita said, beaming at him. I couldn’t help but sigh as I turned to see both Oliver and Astrid already devouring the sandwiches. These two really do love their food. My attention was drawn back to Ms. Carmelita as she wandered into the living room. "What's all this?" She asked, her curiosity piqued as she examined a pile of items. I hurried over when I realized she was reaching for the diffuser. Gently, I tried to take it from her, but she handed it over willingly as Oliver joined us. "You know the app for trading used items in the neighborhood, right? You upload photos of a used item, and the neighbours buy it. Well going to sell those." Oliver explained, gesturing to the items we were planning to part with. "But they all look just fine. You're selling all of these? Goodness." Ms. Carmelita said, her voice filled with hesitation as she surveyed the pile. "It's because we don't use them anymore, they only take up space." I explained, though I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. "Where did the foot spa go?" I asked, scanning the area, hoping it was just tucked behind something. "Oh, that Honey. I put it in the veranda. I'm going to keep it." Oliver said casually, still munching on his sandwich. His words caught me off guard, and a flash of irritation ran through me. "Why do you want to keep it? I went ahead and brought it for you, but you used it only once." I said, my tone sharp with frustration. Realizing we weren’t alone, I took a deep breath, trying to keep my temper in check, and forced a smile. "I clearly said that we'll sell it. Bring it back here, okay?" I told him, trying to remain calm. Then, with a small bow of my head at Ms. Carmelita, I excused myself and headed to our room, needing a moment to compose myself. ______________ END OF PROLOGUE