by Jayden White
I open my eyes at 5:00 am. I wish I was still sleeping, still dreaming. I keep having the same dream. It's wonderful! I can't stop thinking about it. Before I know it, I have already collected the daily supply of milk and eggs. I leave it on the kitchen table, for the housekeeper, who will prepare breakfast for father and I. Washing up, I can't help but think of my recurring dream. It takes a lot of effort to stop my imagination from running wild. I sit to study before eating breakfast with father at 7:30 am.
After breaking my fast, I am back to my studies. It is now 9:15 am and I cannot concentrate, at all. My mind is racing so, I decide to take my studies to the beach. On the walk there, I plan my tutoring sessions for the afternoon. I only have two sessions today so, I have invited Fred to the farm to come hunting with father. He is going to cook his famous Rabbit Stew. I can't wait! It has been weeks since we have had time to go hunting. We have been tending to the fence around the perimeter of the farm. Unfortunately, we lost some livestock due to faults/breaks in the fence.
After what feels like hours, I arrive at the beach around 10:30 am. I lay my towel and decide to take a look at some Irish Poetry. I heard that W.B.Yeats is a favourite of Anne's. I get about 10 pages in before my mind starts to wander. I am back thinking about last night's dream. I wonder what steps I will need to take in order for my dream to become a reality. I decided to shock my body by leaping into the water. The water is numbing. I dive under the surface. It is so piercing it feels like I'm wearing a veil of ice. Realising my dip has done its job, I run out of the water to quickly dry off. I need to occupy myself before my tutoring sessions. I take the long route to the first session and pass by the General store. I know it’s unhealthy but, I treat myself to a tea and a slice of the store's famous pecan pie.
After lunch, I head to my first tutoring session. I'm thankful that the two sessions I have are on the way home. I find myself losing concentration. We finish up around 1:30 pm and I make my way to my second lesson. Passing the graveyard, I see her. Anne is sitting under a tree with a couple of books sprawled beside her. She seems to be daydreaming. Without thinking, I find myself walking towards her. My stomach is fluttering. I'm simultaneously becoming hot and cold. I feel like I'm smiling on the inside like I'm smiling so big that my body is going to burst. Thoughts of last night's dream disappear from my mind. Reality is far greater than my dream. I finally notice that Diana is sitting near Anne. They begin packing their belongings - I won't make it in time. They turn and start walking in the opposite direction to me. Elated, but deflated I did not get to speak to Anne, I continue the journey to my second tutorial session. I arrive at my student's home earlier than expected. We begin our session at 2:15 pm. By 3:00 pm, we have covered everything and I have acquired some freshly baked cookies.
As I slowly walk home - eating my cookies - I begin thinking about the year ahead. I am so excited to study at Redmond. It would make me so happy if I was able to attend with Anne. As I get closer to home, I realise that I forgot I was supposed to meet with Fred and Father.
I run home and Father has already been hunting. He tells me that Fred is sorry but, he was unable to make it. Apparently, he has some very exciting news. I am keen to hear about Fred's exciting news but, I feel terrible that I did not get to spend the afternoon with Father. As father starts on the stew, he urges me to get back to my studies. I quickly wash up and open my workbooks. I manage to finish some homework just before father calls me for supper. We sit at 6:30 pm (which is late for supper but, it's Saturday) and talk about our days. I am happy that I get to spend some alone time with Father. After supper, I begin marking papers from classes I had during the week. At 9:00 pm I am exhausted and retire to bed. I can't sleep!