Where dreams come true, Part I

Hello everyone! I was looking through some old (old) short stories of mine and thought I would polish them up and share them with you. This one, which will be posted in two parts (Part II will be next Thursday), was inspired by a family trip to Disney World when my daughter was six. It is light and fluffy and reminds me that, one day, the pandemic will end, and we will be able to travel again.

Where Dreams Come True, Part I

Where dreams come true, Elizabeth Bennet thought as she looked around the pool area of Animal Kingdom Lodge at Disney World. Ha!

The lodge and its pool were filled by families. Children ran everywhere, their squeals of delight, and the occasional cry of exhaustion, filled the air as parents and grandparents chased them down.

Elizabeth was on holiday with her sister, brother-in-law, and four-year-old niece: Jane, Charles, and Katie. She had been at a conference, staying at the Grand Floridian resort. When her sister learned about Elizabeth’s travels, she hatched the idea of them meeting up for a holiday after the conference was over, and Elizabeth had relocated to the family-friendly Animal Kingdom Lodge just the day before. As much as Elizabeth loved spending time with Jane and her family, she wasn’t sure five days at the oh-so-cute Animal Kingdom Lodge was her idea of fun.

At least the weather is nice. Much nicer than cold, damp Toronto! And I have my own room, even if it did cost me a fortune.

It was the sight of all of the happy families that was making Elizabeth grumpy as she sat on her own, legs stretched out on a pool-side lounge chair. Her dream, one she didn’t share with anyone, was not going to come true here. What she wished for was to meet her special someone, a man she could spend her life with and have a family with, someone she could love and be best friends with, and who would love her in return. At thirty, she didn’t think she was in imminent danger of having to give up on her dream, but she was starting to feel…not desperate precisely, but definitely lonely. She dated, but not that frequently. She didn’t have the time or inclination to stick to anyone she knew was not ‘the one’ after a few dates.

Maybe Mom is right, and I am too picky, she thought. She laughed to herself. I must be going crazy to think like that! Her mother was constantly pushing her to settle down and get married so that she could finally, as Fran Bennet said often, ‘stop worrying about you!’ Her mother was full of not-so-useful advice about her love life, including her most recent nugget of wisdom – that Elizabeth shouldn’t wait to meet a man as intellectually inclined as she was.

I couldn’t compromise like that, Elizabeth told herself. How could I ever be happy with someone I didn’t feel was my equal in all ways? I need someone who, well, who will understand me and want me just as I am. Who wants to be my friend as well as my lover, a partner. Someone who is sexy, but also interesting to talk to, and who I know I can rely on.

She looked around the busy pool area with its palm trees, shimmering water, and broad white umbrellas. The perfect man, in other words. The one who doesn’t exist except in my imagination.

Just then her eyes fell on a very fine male specimen. He was tall, had dark brown hair with a slight wave, and wore a loose-fitting t-shirt with black and grey swim trunks. He was gorgeous. Beyond his male beauty, there was something alluring about him. It might have been the expression on his face that gave a sense of the person lying beneath the attractive covering. He just looked like he was a nice, interesting person. As she continued to appreciate the view, a little child, about the same age as her niece, toddled up to the man. He bent down, picked up the little boy, held him so that their faces were at the same level, and began to talk.

Married with a child and possibly more than one. Of course. Elizabeth sighed. Nope, no dreams coming true for me. Not here, not now.

Before she could fall into melancholy, Katie bounced onto the end of her seat. As Elizabeth pulled the child onto her lap, she looked around for Charles. He was several metres away. Jane was napping; being six months pregnant, her sister required the extra sleep. Charles joined them, and they went on to enjoy another hour or so by the pool before going to their rooms to get ready for dinner.

***

What was I thinking? Will Darcy thought as he stood by the pool at Animal Kingdom Lodge. He was the one who had suggested they take this trip, and now he found himself in a sea of children and families large and small. He had just walked by an extended family that, from what was written on their t-shirts, was there for a reunion. There must have been at least twenty people in the group. The whole lodge was loud, chaotic, and he had no part in it. He had to stand on the periphery and watch the action, wondering if it would ever be his turn to listen for the sound of a little voice calling ‘Daddy’ and knowing the person behind it meant him, if he would ever be the one sitting as a cozy group with his partner and their child or children, smiling and laughing and enjoying a break from everyday life and the so-called ‘magic’ of a place such as this. He must have heard the word ‘magic’ or one of its variants a hundred times since arriving two days earlier. It was starting to drive him a little nuts.

His thoughts were depressing, and he tried to shake them off. His time on his own would be brief, and he didn’t want to present a sombre face to his family when they joined him. His sister, Georgiana, was visiting with her husband Tom and their two children, six-year-old Rebecca and four-year-old Sam, from England. He had suggested that, as they were in North America for almost a month, the lot of them should spend a week at Disney World. After all, Toronto in November was not that exciting for kids, but it was the only time Tom could take such an extended break from work.

Will was always glad to see how happy his sister was with her marriage and children, and he wished for the same for himself. At thirty-five, he was starting to wonder if he would ever have it.

Maybe I’m just too picky, he thought. Maybe the woman I’m waiting to meet simply doesn’t exist.

He had dated a number of women, but none offered him what he really wanted and what he felt he needed to be happy. There were women who appealed to his intellectual side, but for whom he felt at best a fleeting physical attraction. Then there were women who appealed to him physically, at least for a time, but who did not feed his intellectual appetites. Even the few women with whom he had shared longer relationships had not fit the bill. He knew, he always knew, that they would not make him happy in the long run. There was something missing – some spark, some sense of deeper connection, something that would give the relationship lasting power.

He sighed and looked around, hoping to spot at least three free seats together. It was a beautiful day, and the pool area was crowded. As he scanned the area, he spotted her. She was lovely, and something about her made him stop and stare. Her shoulder-length hair was the colour of melted milk chocolate. He guessed that she was above average height. Based on how well she looked in her one-piece blue and green bathing suit, she was lean and her body, well, she had been blessed. Her legs were stretched out in front of her. Two books sat at the end of the lounge chair, and some sort of smoothie was on the table by her elbow. She was looking around and seemed pensive. There was something about her that suggested she would be really interesting. He wanted to talk to her. It was ridiculous to be drawn to a complete stranger just based on looks, but it was almost as though he recognised some sort of simpatico.

Sam ran up to him, crashing into his legs. He looked down at the little boy’s face, again noticing the similarity to Georgiana, and bent down to lift his nephew up so that they could talk. He waved off Georgiana and Tom, signalling that he had the little boy and was fine. They went to the bar to get drinks, Rebecca trailing alongside, holding Georgiana’s hand.

Will loved being an uncle. Sam chattered about some craft he had done at Simba’s clubhouse. Before moving off to join the others, he glanced back at the woman who had drawn his attention, wondering if he should introduce himself. It was stupid on several levels, not the least of which was the fact that he was on holiday and so was she. She probably lived halfway around the world, and beyond that…Before he could go any further in his thoughts, he saw a little girl, about Sam’s age, jumped onto the end of the woman’s chair. The lovely woman laughed and reached for the child, pulling her up to sit on her lap.

What was I thinking? Of course, she’s here with her husband and children. Or wife and children. Whatever. Isn’t everyone? Except for me. What was I thinking?

He returned his attention to Sam and walked off.

***

Over the next couple of days, Will continued to spot the unknown woman around the lodge. It was coincidence, although he continued to feel drawn to her, which he knew was wrong. Sure, it was all right to appreciate an attractive person even if they (or you) were married, but to do anything about it was playing with fire. She might be alluring, but she was off limits.

He shared an elevator with the lovely woman and her little girl one morning. It was just the three of them, and although the ride was quick, listening to her quiet conversation with the child left him believing the woman was not only lovely, but also a gentle, caring person and one with a good sense of humour. It only intensified his feelings of longing. He had almost talked to her then—just to have her attention directed to him for a moment. But he managed to resist the temptation and went to meet Georgie, Tom, and the kids so that they could being that day’s adventure to Epcot.

Late that afternoon, Will walked by the lovely woman in the bright, spacious lobby. She did not stop, but she did look at him and smile. All of the usual noise that filled the space—of people talking and laughing and suitcases being dragged across floor—dulled to a buzzing in his ears, and he almost tripped over his feet. He glanced over his shoulder at her retreating figure. Her hair swayed back and forth like a gentle wave, and the fitted pink and green top and white capris showed off her figure to advantage.

Will retreated to the bar and had a drink and a long conversation with himself to get out of the funk caused by the thought that she was, despite that irresistible smile, not available.

How I wish I could have that smile turned on me every day. Now that I would call magical.

The trip to Disney World had seemed like such a good idea, but when he wasn’t with his sister and her family, and especially when he saw the lovely woman, he could only feel his singlehood all the more and it was grating.

All right, that’s it. When I get home and Georgie and Tom are on their way back to London, I will just have to do it. This is getting ridiculous. I need to meet someone. I want to meet someone.

The ‘it’ was contact a match-making service. There were many around the city, and he had had a long conversation about his continued single status with Tom one evening; it was he who had made the suggestion.

When Will expressed reservation, his brother-in-law had said, “What can it hurt? You’ve got the money, and it isn’t as though you haven’t been on dates with incompatible women before. At worst, you waste some money and time. At best, you find the right woman.”

Tom was right, and Will would give it a try. He didn’t hold out much hope of finding someone with melted milk chocolate hair and a smile that could stun at three metres, but he had to get the lovely woman out of his mind.

I hoped you enjoyed Part I. The story concludes in Part II, which will be posted on Thursday, 19 November. Have a wonderful day!

Lucy