knawmean

"Renee? Hey how've you been," Chris asked. It had been years since he'd seen the slender blonde, and he couldn't believe his eyes. She still looked exactly as he remembered her. Exactly the same. Ten years should have changed her at least a little, he thought, as he stared into the hazel eyes he had often hoped he would see again someday.

"I thought I might find you here," Renee said as he approached. "This is where you work isn't it?"

Chris had been working at the university for a few months, now. He was a professor in the communication studies department at San Jose State University in California. IT wasn't the most glamorous job in the world, but he loved what he did. "Yeah, how did you find out where I work?"

"My brother told me. I guess he found out from Howard."

"That makes sense," Chris said, starting to feel a little suspicious. Despite the worry, this visit was starting to stir up some old yearnings. "But why did you come looking for me?"

There was a long pause. She was obviously nervous. He just stood there caught in the moment.

"What would you say if I wanted to start up a relationship? Not necessarily where we left off, but..." She leaned into him and put her hands on his chest. Chris hoped she did notice that his heart was pounding. As she put her head against him she said, "I've missed you."

"We could see what happens. Why now?"

"Our daughters asked about you the other day."

Nothing. He wasn't even sure he had really even heard it. Maybe she meant her daughters. He couldn't possibly be a father. Not now, and especially not then.

She looked up into his face, which would have looked childlike if not for the beard and slightly receding hairline. She must have seen the confusion in his pale blue eyes. "I know. I didn't tell you at the time because I didn't want to ruin your plans for college. I didn't even tell my family they were yours. But, we have a pair of beautiful twin daughters."

Confusion. Fear. Acceptance. Delight. All four emotions came in a matter of seconds. He had been thinking lately that he wanted a family, but this was too much at one time. What would he do, he couldn't afford this. But what else could he do. He had two ten-year-old daughters and their mother, the woman he had thought would be "the one" wanted to try a relationship again.

Standing there, Renee in his arms, Chris couldn't help but feel completely content. He kissed her. He kissed her long and passionately and felt that she truly wanted to be with him. Forever this time. He knew it...


Chris woke in a weird position on his friends couch and shook the cobwebs from his mind. What an odd dream. He and Renee had never even been intimate, how could she have gotten pregnant. That wasn't the only thing that was incorrect about the dream. He wasn't a professor, he wasn't even done with college yet. He often dreamt about people he had been thinking of recently, but he hadn't thought about Renee in years. What was his subconscious trying to tell him?