[ WP ] You meet the man/woman of your dreams , fall in love and live out your lives together for many years , only for you to wake up and realise that your time together had been a dream . Some time later , you chance upon a stranger at the weekend . It 's them ...

I shot up in bed. It was the same dream again, but longer this time. The dreams always left me reaching out, wanting. Looking for someone who was n't there. Someone who did n't exist. They just kept getting longer. I worried one day I would n't wake up, or that I would n't want to. 
 
 I went about my day like usual, I had a routine. I'd go to work, deal with ungrateful kids. Go to the convenience store, buy too much booze. Lie on the sofa, watch the television until I pass out. Wake up in the middle of the night, drag myself to the bed. Every day was the same. The dreams punctuated the banality of my life. I had come to look forward to them, they were becoming part of my routine too. 
 
 But this dream had been so long, it threw me off. I could n't focus at school or get the kids to listen to me. In the dream, we had a family. His face was so clear. I could see him growing old, I could see the familiar lines in his face. I could remember all the smiles that put them there. I thought I could remember his smell, the feeling of his hands on my face. I told the principal I felt sick at lunch. It was n't exactly a lie. I walked to my apartment, but I kept walking. 
 
 I thought about the walks we took in the dream. I thought about our kids. I missed our kids, our fake dream kids. The longing was real. I tried not to think about it, started thinking I might be losing my mind. 
 
 I made my way to a park a few blocks from my apartment and sat in the grass with my lunch, but I did n't eat it, just kept thinking no matter how hard I tried to stop. How could a dream be so long? What if it was n't a dream? What if this was the dream? I shook my head. I was starting to lose it. `` Get it together, Claire,'' I whispered to myself. 
 
 I felt a sharp smack in the back of my head and the world went black for a second. I opened my eyes, everything coming back into focus too slowly. 
 
 `` Jesus, are you okay? I'm sorry, it's my kid -- the ball got away from him.'' 
 
 I sat myself back up, pushing away from the grass with my palms and came face to face with this man who was crouching down, holding a baseball. It was him, the man from the dream. My husband. The father of my kids. I stared. 
 
 `` Are you all right? Should I call an ambulance?'' 
 
 His voice was so familiar. A beautiful little boy ran up next to him. 
 
 `` Gus?'' I heard myself say. 
 
 `` Daddy, how does the lady know your name?'' 
 
 `` Are you all right?'' Gus repeated. 
 
 Their voices faded and the world started to go black again, until the ringing in my ears stopped. 
 
 `` I'm all right, I'm all right, I'm all right,'' I said, grabbing my things. They stared. 
 
 `` Are you sure?'' 
 
 `` Yeah, yeah, I'm fine,'' I tried not to look at him. 
 
 I started walking so fast I thought I might break into a full sprint, until I made it to my apartment. It was dark now. 
 
 I dropped my body down on the sofa and turned on the television, and waited for sleep to come.
