[ WP ] You have dreams every night of the future . The problem ? It 's always from someone else 's perspective .

**Circadian Rhythm & Blues** 
 
 
 Sleep is a warm blanket. It ’ s a cool breeze on a summer day, hot socks on frozen feet, it ’ s when you ’ re rolling hot with Lady Luck hanging on your arm. Sleep ’ s a godsend, a miracle; one of the most precious things the good Lord bestowed upon us mortals. Yet, Leeroy didn ’ t seem to comprehend the beauty of somnolence. 
 
 Leeroy, in a lot of ways, was a good man -- but, in a lot of ways, he was also the epitome of everything that was wrong with this godforsaken city. He ’ d never hurt a fly -- unless it was your fly. Leeroy ’ d never take what didn ’ t belong to him, ‘ cept in his eyes everything belonged to him. He was the city that treated you with respect, ‘ til he was certain you had something worth taking. But the problem, the really big problem, with Leeroy, was his steadfast refusal to allow to get my 40 winks. 
 
 “ Hello? What? ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ What do you want Leeroy? ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ Wha -- slow down; can ’ t understand anything you're saying! ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ Dream? What dream? ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ Well I wish *I* could dream, but I can ’ t ‘ cause some lunatic keeps calling me at ” -- *checks clock* -- ” 2:30 in the freakin ’ A.M. ” 
 
 …! 
 
 “ Alright, alright, a ’ right! Alright?! I ’ ll meet you, Jesus… ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ No, what? No guns -- what you need a gun for? ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ Just, look ” -- *pinching the bridge of my nose* -- ” meet me at Wilma ’ s ”. 
 
 … 
 
 “ No not that Wilma ’ s, the other one. ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ No, not that other one -- ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ Yeah, that ’ s it -- the same one we always freakin ’ go to. ” 
 
 … 
 
 “ A ’ right, see you in half an hour. ” 
 
 
 **Wilma ’ s Waffles & Diner** 
 
 
 Leeroy might ’ ve been a real prick for waking me up in the middle of the night when the sky was weeping so bitterly -- but the man really did look like he needed help. Sweat stains in the pits and chest of his white-collared shirt, his hair a mess ‘ cept for what little grease was left in it from God knows when, and a 5 o ’ clock shadow so dark it was being cast by Plato himself. Yeah, he was a real case study. 
 
 I took off my soaked jacket and hat and ran a hand through my hair. Reaching into my shirt pocket I produced one of my -- 
 
 “ Hrmm… ” grumbled Leeroy. 
 
 -- two of my hand rolled cigarettes. I lit mine and tossed the other one to Leeroy; I made the number two with my fingers towards the waitress behind the counter -- she knew coffee was our regular. I took a long drag on my cig and stared across the laminate table into Leeroy ’ s puffy, bleedin ’ red, crusted over soul sockets -- blowing the smoke out of the corner of my mouth. 
 
 “ You know what Leeroy? ” His eyes lock onto mine. “ I was pretty pissed when my phone rang this morning. I was thinking, this goddamn circus again? I got ta get up an ’ meet somewhere at three in the freakin ’ A.M. because my ‘ friend ’ can ’ t at least take some freaking-goddamn sleeping pills? Yeah, I was pretty damn livid. But you know what? While I was grabbing my coat and my hat and putting on my freakin ’ shoes -- I stopped myself and thought, ‘ I won ’ t be angry, I ’ ll be cool -- *I am cool*. ” 
 
 “ Why ’ d you think that? ” 
 
 “ Why? I ’ ll tell you why, here ’ s ‘ why ’: because I am my own master. See, a man ’ s eventually got ta realize that there are two kinds of people in this world. There ’ s the kind that are slaves to their desires, needs, and passions -- that end up in the freakin ’ gutter. And there are those who ’ re in control, that have power, that manage their own destiny. Got it? Now I want you to be the second type, I really do. But that ’ s not enough -- I want you to want it but you ’ ve got ta want it for yourself. ” 
 
 “ I do -- ” 
 
 “ You do? Good! ” 
 
 “ But I -- ” 
 
 “ No, no ‘ buts ’ Leeroy. ‘ Buts ’ just get you in the gutter. ” 
 
 “ But the dreams Vincent! ” 
 
 “ Oh, the dreams again? ” 
 
 “ But you don ’ t understand! ” 
 
 “ Don ’ t understand them? I ’ ve heard about your dreams before Leeroy -- everybody ’ s got some cuckoo ones every once in awhile. ” 
 
 “ But Vince -- this one was different! ” 
 
 The waitress hurriedly places the coffee before us. 
 
 “ Look, alright, look -- calm down Leeroy, you ’ ve frightened the girl. Look, take a deep breath -- that ’ s it -- now tell me how this dream was different. ” 
 
 “ Well, it isn ’ t so much this particular dream -- it ’ s something I ’ ve come to realize that affects all of them… ” Shaking now, he sips his coffee and drags on the cig I loaned him. “ See my neighbors, or really the floor above me, they ’ re nice enough people. Young couple: the guy ’ s moved around in the city, born and raised here; and the broad? He scooped her out of her parents ’ nest from somewhere in the suburbs. They got a newborn too, and they ’ re always happy: smiling and laughing, you know; all smiles. But sometimes real late at night I can hear ‘ em argue. It ’ s just a bit, nothing ’ s being thrown or nothin ’ -- just some disagreements. They yell a little, but the next day they ’ re back to smiling and laughing. ” Another pause for coffee. 
 
 “ Yeah, so what Leeroy? ” 
 
 “ Yeah, well, there ’ s this one time though. Middle of the night, real dark outside, must ’ ve been about three or four in the morning. I ’ m sleeping in my bed, only, it wasn ’ t me exactly -- ” 
 
 “ What? ” 
 
 
 “ Hey, let tell the story a ’ right? So I ’ m laying in bed, only it ’ s not my bed and it ’ s not really me. I ’ m just lying there when I ’ m jerked awake -- a bad dream or something. Except, there ’ s somebody lying next to me, some guy, but I ’ m not nervous -- I know who this guys is. ” 
 
 “ ‘ What ’ s wrong honey? ’ He says to me. ‘ Nothing, ’ I say, ‘ just need a glass of water. ’ So I get out of bed, pull my hair back behind my head, and go to the kitchen. The weird thing is I don ’ t know where I am, but I know exactly where everything is. Like, I don ’ t know in my head where I ’ m going, but my body sure as hell does. ” 
 
 “ So then what? ” 
 
 “ So I get to the kitchen, ” sip of coffee, “ and I reach up for a glass. Only, I don ’ t fill it with water -- ” 
 
 “ You don ’ t? ” 
 
 “ No -- ” 
 
 “ So what do you fill it with? ” 
 
 “ What? Nothing, shut up. I just set the glass on the freakin ’ counter. But that ’ s when my eyes -- well not *my* eyes, the eyes of the broad -- are pulled to the drawer just under the counter. So I open it up and there it is: a big ‘ ol shiny blade. ” 
 
 “... ” 
 
 “ Suddenly, some little prick -- *my* little prick -- starts bawling from down the hall. ‘ I ’ ll check honey, ’ I call out. But when I get to the nursery ” -- Leeroy starts shaking again -- ” I look into the babe ’ s eyes and I start singing, ‘ Mister Sandman, bring me a dream, ’ but the fucking knife Vince. The knife ’ s moving faster than I can track -- *shriinngg! * And there ’ s so much. Fuckin ’. Blood. Stupid bitch slit its throat! ” 
 
 “ Jesus Christ! ” 
 
 “ So I -- I mean her -- am covered in blood and waltzes into the bedroom and fuckin ’ offs the hubby as well. Just sneaks in there and bam -- while he ’ s sleeping and everything. ” 
 
 “ And then what? ” 
 
 “ Well, she offs herself and I wake up drenched in sweat. ” 
 
 “ Just like that? ” 
 
 “ Just like that, it ’ s done. So I get up, wash, get dressed, the whole nine right? Act like everything ’ s fuckin ’ normal. Only now, and here ’ s the weird shit, I go to leave my apartment and there ’ s cops all over the freakin ’ building. And some detective, he comes up to me. ‘ How you doing? Know the couple upstairs? ’ He asks me. ‘ Yeah, sure, ’ I say, ‘ I saw them a few times; always real happy. ’ 
 
 So the detective, he starts eyeing me. ‘ Is that right? ’ He says to me, ‘ well they ’ re probably smiling and laughing their way to hell right now, except the little bundle of joy. ’ ” 
 
 “ The fuck you sayin ’ Leeroy? ” I ask. 
 
 “ So this cop, he asks me, ‘ did you hear any arguments, loud noises, anything like that last night from upstairs? ’ Real calm too, the son of bitch. I says, ‘ no officer, all quiet last night, ’ only… ” 
 
 “ You fuckin ’ with me Leeroy? ” 
 
 “ Only, I start remembering -- they *were* arguing last night, not a lot, just a bit; like I was saying. ” 
 
 “ You told him that? ” 
 
 “ No, of course not. At least, not yet, I started remembering when I walked away from him. ” 
 
 “ Shit Leeroy, did you…*did you? * ” 
 
 “ Did I what, kill ‘ em? ” His eyes glisten. “ No, no; *I dreamt it*. But that dream, just like the others; all so fuckin ’ real. It ’ s like when you watch a flick and they show someone ’ s perspective -- only I ’ m feeling what they feel, thinking what they think, doing what they do. ” 
 We both stay in our booth for a while after Leeroy paused. Sipping my coffee, I reached for another two cigarettes. 
 
 “ Shit Leeroy... do you think all your dreams… ” 
 
 “ I don ’ t know Vince, but I ’ m scared. I ’ ve been trying not to sleep since then. It ’ s been, god I don ’ t know, a week or something? I ’ m tired Vincent… ” 
 
 “ Alright, alright, shit, let ’ s relax; let me think. You know what? You probably just heard more while you were asleep. ” 
 
 “ Huh? ” 
 
 “ Yeah, I mean you heard them arguing before falling asleep and you probably just heard more noises while asleep -- causing your dream. ” 
 
 “ You think so? It felt so real… ” 
 
 “ That ’ s trauma Leeroy -- you heard something fucked up and your brain dealt with it. ” 
 
 “... I don ’ t know... yeah I guess that makes sense. ” 
 
 “ Right? ” I check my watch -- 4:30 now. “ Alright, so here ’ s what we ’ re gon na do: we ’ re gon na pay our tab, get our cabs, you ’ re gon na get some sleep for fuck ’ s sake, and we ’ re gon na move on, right? ” 
 
 “ Yeah, alright Vince. ” 
 
 We stood outside Wilma ’ s for a bit, smoking and waiting for cabs. Leeroy was the first to hail one down. 
 
 “ Hey, get some rest, alright Leeroy? ” 
 
 “ Yeah, I will. Oh, and Vince, don ’ t uh, don ’ t get in the next cab, ok? ” 
 
 “ What? ” 
 
 “ Well, the reason I called you, the dream that woke me up tonight -- just don ’ t take that cab… ” 
 
 “ Hey, wait. What do you ” -- he ’ s getting in the cab -- ” Hey! What does that ” -- he ’ s gone.
