"Yanah is outside!" my mother called out. Yanah was my best friend from high school, who ended up attending a different university in college. I perked up, excited, because it had been a long time since I last saw my best friend.
There was an event at home celebrating one of my latest achievements at work. There were multicolored pennant banners hanging over my head, and many people came to celebrate with us. When I got out to the house into the side of the road, cars and people loitered in the usually quiet highway.
I spotted two cars parked bumper to bumper. When I approached the car at the tail, I found Yanah's parents and one of her younger brothers inside. I immediately greeted them and caught up with them.
"How have you been?" Yanah's mom asked.
I laughed and told her that it didn't seem like we just saw each other a few short months ago. She laughed, too, and said, "Yanah's in that other car with Ydianne."
The Ydianne she was talking about was Yanah's younger sister.
I told her I kind of figured it out then bid my farewells to her and to Yanah's dad and brother. I skipped my way to the car in front, and found the window to the passenger side rolled down. Yanah and Ydianne had just finished switching seats: Yanah from the driver's seat to the passenger's seat, and Ydianne the opposite.
We immediately caught up, and talked as if it didn't take 4 years since the last time we even saw each other. It was so normal, as though the years between us were nothing more than just numbers.
"Want to go with us?" asked Yanah. Beside her, Ydianne started revving up the car.
"Where?"
"Somewhere."
I didn't have to think twice. I opened the door at the back and hopped in. It surprised me that there was another girl inside, someone who looked liked Blackpink's Rose. We exchanged pleasantries and started chatting as if we had been friends before this, too.
Yanah's friends - my friends, too.
When we started passing by this really beautiful rural area, Rose perked up. She turned to me and excitedly said, "There are some great cheese here!"
"Cheese?" I asked.
"Yes, cheese!" she answered. She looked out the window like a five-year-old and pointed at a church we just drove by. "There! People at home said that temples make great cheese."
I didn't get what she meant, so I couldn't answer. Neither Yanah nor Ydianne did. Either way, Rose continued with her narratives. "When I was a kid, my grandma brought me inside temples. Then we'd get cheese. Now that I'm older, while I want to bring you there, too, I can't. I can't remember how to get inside."
It still didn't make sense to me, so I just nodded and told her, "Maybe next time."
We passed by another big church, but Ydianne took a turn to a very steep area. Soon the big church got smaller, and the car was having a hard time climbing the place. It was like a mountain.
There were many trees lining up the sides of the roads, and there were no street lights. It felt surreal, though, and very peaceful. The skies were clear and blue. Everything was green. The breeze was cool. I rolled down the window to my side to let some of the breeze in.
Soon, the blue skies turned dark and it was night. The roads got even more dangerous. I told the girls that it was scary and dangerous, especially because there were no street lights to guide our way. The car's headlights were dim, and it was near impossible to see where we were going.
It was Rose who talked to me again and said that it was quite all right. No accidents would happen.
I said, "But aren't you scared? What if a snake hangs off one of those trees we pass by and catches onto the car?"
As soon as I said that. Ydianne hit the brakes so hard everyone went flying forward. When we looked up, there was a man in a motorcycle who nearly hit us. He looked scared and instead of talking to us, he went his merry way away.
"That surprised me!" both Ydianne and Yanah said, as if they rehearsed the moment.
Ydianne started driving again until we were out of the forested area. Soon, she parked by the sidewalk of a familiar small town. Lights came from passing cars and pedestrians, and some of the ancestral homes.
"I'll just use the public bathroom," said Yanah. "I need to pee."
"Can I join you?" I asked. She agreed, and I walked with her and Ydianne to a nearby bathroom. When we arrived there was a queue, but Yanah managed to get inside one cubicle already.
When it was my turn, I found myself sitting on the toilet and nodding off to sleep. I didn't know how long I was passed out, but I woke with a start. When I went out of the cubicle, it was empty.
I was worried that I might have slept for too long and that Yanah and Ydianne got tired of waiting and left me there. So I went out and began walking home. Later, I started running.
It was a few moments later that I felt a couple of footsteps running behind me.
When I looked back, both sisters were there, sprinting after me. For some reason, I felt compelled to speed up, and when I did, I swore the two tried to run even faster.
A phone that had been in my pocket suddenly vibrated. I took it out and answered the call.
"Stop!" the voice from the other end screamed. "Why are you running away?!"
It was Ydianne.
I stopped and the two sisters caught up. I immediately apologized. "But I thought you already left!"
"Why would we?" asked Yanah.
"Because I fell asleep and I thought I took a while, so you left."
"We would never do that! We'll never leave you!"
I was seriously touched. They had always been like that, even in real life. And I think I projected that fact into the dream. My best friends had always been selfless, caring, and very affectionate.
I began crying. Maybe in the real time, I was crying, too. I missed my best friends. And there they were, in my dream, being the sweet individuals that they were.
They hugged me and I embraced them back. I knew that they had to leave soon, that was I was surprised they even waited for me. So when I let go, I said, "Let's see each other again soon."
"We will," said Yanah, as if she was so sure.
Maybe she was.
We walked back to where the car was. Their parents and brother were already behind their car. I bid them goodbye.
"Bye, let's see each other again!"
"Yes, let's see each other again," I answered back. "I'll miss you!"
I watched as the two cars began leaving with a heavy heart.
Dream Journal from April 18, 2021
