As She Dreamt of Time

She woke up feeling like a million pesos. Her husband was at her bedside, waiting for her to wake up.
“Wake up darling. Happy birthday. I love you.”
The husband sealed the deal with a kiss and he took her to the kitchen for breakfast. The kids were also there, their smiles warmer than the sun.
“Happy birthday, mom!”
The kids sweetened the cake with their soft embraces. Everything is perfect, she thought. All my life I've wanted nothing but to have a life like this.
“I love you guys.”

A tear fell down and she woke up.

She is a wreck. This house is a wreck. The stench of her drunk husband assailed her nostrils.
CRASH. The drunk smashed a plate in anger.
“Damn it woman! Where's my breakfast?”
She passed by the calendar and she noticed that it's her birthday. She dared not mention it, for fear of her husband's wrath.
Too late, youngest son already started crying. The drunk bastard hit the kid across the face, making him cry harder.
“Fuck this! I'm going back to drinking!”
She slowly collapsed into a sobbing heap. What did I ever do to deserve this? I'd give everything just to have a better life than this.

She felt the moisture of her tears on her palms, only to found out that it was her drool.

Was I dreaming about my mother just now?

She woke up to the sound of her classmates laughing at her. She wiped her mouth and the professor handed her the test result.
“You aced it. Congratulations. The University is waiting for you.”
The jeers turned to cheers and she threw her hands in the air.

Her hands fell slowly and the world suddenly turned dark.

She woke up in a dark, cramped place. The smell of the place was rather offensive to the nostrils.
“HELP! SOMEONE GET ME OUT OF HERE!” Someone turned on the light and she realized she was on a bathroom stall.

Well, this is awkward.

The handsome man from across the table woke her from her daydream.

She realized that she is in a fine dining restaurant with the finest of cuisines before her.
“Is this still a dream?” she asked the man.
“What do you think?” the man replied with his dimpled smile.

It was a blur again, and the shrill cry of a baby woke her again.

“Your son! Give him his milk already!” shouted an older woman.
“Ah, forget about it.” and she went back to sleep.

She woke up in her rocking chair exhausted. Though she wanted to move and reach for the picture frame on the table, she couldn't; her old bones would not move any more. She looked out the window and saw that the sun is already halfway down the horizon. The sky is turning orange, and the birds are getting ready to rest.

And so was she.