Dreamlander

by Samantha Liddell

  Sophie helped the girls gather their bags off the carousel and on to the trolley. She then booked a Uber while they waited in the relevantly short customs line. They got through fast and their uber was right there waiting for them as they exited the airport. I did it; I got Polly, Leah and myself across to the other side of the world all on my own. I am a strong independent woman, I don’t need any man to complete me, she thought to herself. From this moment on I’m going to swear off all men and be celibate for the next year. Sophie made this promise to herself, but little did she know that in the next few minutes this promise was about to be broken..

  She looked at the number plate and it was that of her Uber. She approached the car but before she got there an extremely well built, attractive, redhead Scottish man got out of the car and said, “Are you Sophie?”

  “Yes, that is I,” she replied with her newfound confidence.

  “Well here, let me help you with your bags. You just help your kids get in and I will load the boot up with your luggage,” he said.

  “Oh, ok thanks, by the way, they are not my kids they are my cousin’s kids, I am just hand delivering them to her. It’s a long story,” she said.

  “Well I love long stories, I am a Scot after all, I look forward to hearing it,” he said.

  He put his hand out to introduce himself, “Hi, I’m James and I am your Uber driver,” he said very professionally.”

  “Well, James pleased to meet you,” Sophie replied, and they shook each other’s hands.

  “I feel like I know you from somewhere,” Sophie said.

  “Yeah, I have the exact same feeling,” James said.

  “Strange,” Sophie said.

  “Yes, very,” James replied.

  They left it at that and headed off to Swan’s Cottage.

  Sophie and James talked to one another the whole way from the airport to Swans cottage. James let Sophie do most of the talking as she vented about the last few months in Australia. Sophie needed to let it all out, and James was there to listen like any good Scottish gentleman would.

  Finally, they arrived. James got to the bottom of the driveway and the gate was already opened ready for their arrival. “What a great place,” James said, “I have always dreamed of living somewhere like this.”

  “Yeah, it's such a beautiful location. The Scottish woods look so mystical,” Sophie said.

  They approached the cottage after what felt like a long drive up the Stoney driveway and the moment their car was in sight the front door was swung open and I was running out full steam to see my children.

  “And that would be the kid’s mum,” Sophie laughed.

  “Aye, a mother’s love is so powerful isn’t it,” James said.

  James and Sophie locked eyes for an intense moment. Before being interrupted by me opening the car door and launching myself towards Polly and Leah for one big welcome home hug.

  “My girls, oh how I have missed you. Come, come, let me show you your new house.” I helped my children out of the car, they too were clinging to me with love. They had missed their mum just as much as she had missed them.

  I looked over at Sophie and said, “Thank you, Sophie, you did good delivering these two to me.”

  Scott wasn’t far behind, “Polly, Leah, hello and welcome to your very own cottage in the Scottish woods. You two are going to have so much fun here,” Scott ensured them.

  He looked over at Sophie, “Hi Sophie, good to see you.” Scott then went on to give some father-like advice. “Sorry to hear about James. You just picked the wrong one, you can do so much better. Next time just don’t commit so early, there are other options out there, you don’t need to book yourself into the very first one that comes along.”

  James was a bit taken aback, he thought Scott was talking about him and his Uber service. “Aye, that is a bit rude sir if I may say so myself, I provide a very fair and reliable service. Yes, there are other options out there but Uber is by far the cheapest one,” James corrected Scott.

  It was just getting dark, but light enough for Scott and I to get the shock of our lives when we both turned to see this Uber driver and realised it was, in fact, the James from our dream. The James that was Sophie’s very supportive, very kind and very Scottish boyfriend.

  Scott froze as did I for a few seconds, before we looked at each other to see if we were seeing what the other was seeing. We said “James” in unison. James and Sophie looked at us strangely.

  “Aye that is me, I am James.”

  “Are you two ok?” Sophie asked concerned.

  “Aye yes of course, sorry it’s just been a long day,” Scott said.

  “We have your cup of tea brewing inside and dinner is in the oven. Will you be joining us too James?” I asked.

  “Well I don’t normally stay for dinner with my customers, but this really isn’t a normal situation. Oh hell why not,” James said.

  “Great, the more the merrier,” Scott said. “Everybody is welcome at Swan’s Cottage. Come on in and make yourself at home.” Scott helped James with the bags and brought them inside while all the girls caught up with one another.

  Over dinner, Scott and I had specifically placed James next to Sophie, not that they needed any help in that department; the attraction for one another was strong. You could see it in the way they looked at one another. After dinner we had bread and butter pudding for dessert before James announced he better be off. He was meant to be studying tonight for an upcoming university exam.

  Scott and my eyes grew large and we had to hold back from saying anything. “I will walk you out,” Sophie offered.

  “Aye that will be great. Scott, Letticia thank you for a beautiful dinner, it really hit the spot,” James said.

  “Any time James, we hope to see you again,” Scott replied.

  With Sophie out farewelling James, and Polly and Leah, who had both fallen asleep at the dinner table, now up in the loft fast asleep, Scott and I had time to reflect and to digest what had just happened.

  “Letticia, how is this so, that is James from our dream. James the perfect boyfriend, James the man that loved Sophie with all his heart.” We were both just as confused as each other.

  “Oh, I really do hope they hit it off, after what Sophie went through with the other James, she deserves a good James in her life.”

  Just then Sophie reappeared inside, looking all flushed. “James just gave me his number.” She was holding his business card. “He wants to meet up with me again very soon,” Sophie said very excitedly.

  “That is great news Sophie, just like I said, you were going to meet someone who was right for you in the very near future,” I said.

  “Yes, that’s right you did too, how could you have possibly of known that?” Sophie asked sounding suspicious.

  “I know a lot of things Sophie, just trust me on this.” I ensured her.

  We all helped to tidy up before heading off to bed. Sophie thanked Scott and I for a lovely dinner and a lovely welcome, before climbing the ladder up to the loft for the night.

  Scott decided to have a shower before getting into our pull-out sofa bed, which gave me time to enter the whole James and Sophie situation into my journal. I opened it up to the next empty page and realised I was nearly at the end. I wrote in detail about James and Sophie’s meeting, it took up four pages resulting in coming to the end of my journal. I decided to go back and read my very first entries, but as I did so I noticed the front two pages were stuck together, I carefully peeled them open so as not to rip the pages. Once they become unstuck, I noticed somebody had written something in my journal. It read: ‘A blank book. Fill the pages up wisely. Be sure to rest and recharge throughout by using this bookmark.’ There was a bookmark stuck in the middle of the page. The bookmark read:

  You can do it!

  Your time is valuable.

  Your talents are many.

  And your future is bright.

  Those were the exact same words Mrs. Wilson had written in my journal tha
t she had given me before I left Scotland to head home to Australia. But that was in my dream, which was when I was in the coma. How on earth did I come to be holding a physical object in my hand that I got in my dream?

  Where was Fletcher when I needed him to answer my questions, I thought. I was too tired and in no mood to explain this recent coincident to Scott, so decided to leave it until tomorrow morning to tell him. Deep down I knew that there was more explanation needed for my Scotland dream and Scott’s attempt to find it in the form of ‘Caer Ibormeith’ the Celtic Goddess of Dreams, and the shape-shifting swan was just a band-aid effect. I felt it was an explanation that would not hold its ground for long at all.

  Scott finished his shower and hopped into bed beside me, leaned over and kissed me goodnight before we turned off the lamps beside the pull-out sofa bed on each side. Swan’s Cottage was now in pure darkness and everybody that was meant to be here was here under the same roof.

  Having my children with me made me feel content. However, this feeling would not have been the same if I had known who was standing right outside Swan’s Cottage lighting a cigarette for each other as they watched the cottage go into darkness and off to sleep.

  Behind the large trees scattered in the front yard stood two very angry, revenge stricken people who were out to reclaim what was theirs. They stood there puffing on their cigarettes as they concurred their revenge on Scott, Sophie and I.

  If we had come face to face with them in the front yard that night, Scott, Sophie and I would have recognised them to be none other than Mila, Scott’s ex-wife and James, Sophie's ex-boyfriend she met in Australia and the same James that had put me in a coma for six months. How on earth did they know one another and why on earth were they trespassing and watching Swan’s Cottage go to sleep? As I always say time will tell.

  About the Author

  Samantha Liddell has three novels under her belt and the 4th in the series is on its way.

  She writes Scottish romance and is sure that in a past life was a Scottish monarch married to a kilt wearing warrior. However in this life she will just have to settle with living out her fantasies by writing novels.

  She is a mum to two beautiful, amazing daughters who mean the world to her.

  Samantha lives on the Sunshine Coast, Australia with the desire to one day actually travel to Scotland and see it in person rather than just in her imagination.

  Writing is like an escape from reality and she can take her readers along on her adventures, without them having to leave the comfort of their very own homes.

  Writing is Samantha’s passion and her addiction.