A short dream from last night. Quite straightforward and no (obvious) woo involved, but that it has stuck with me despite the chaos of the day usually means I’m missing something in plain sight.
As the dream opens, I’m at work, having picked up my purse for some reason. In the purse were two rosaries, the one that was the token of the covenant, and a second that was set aside for heretical academic reasons. However I had not had a chance to use the second rosary just yet and was carrying it to remind me to catch up on my nefariousness.
A resident came in to take care of business. In obvious distress, she couldn’t take a few steps without shuddering from muffled sobbing. I brought a chair to her and had her sit in my office out of the way (and sight) of everyone else. After some conversation, I discovered she is a devout Catholic and had received some very distressing news involving an aged friend of hers.
“Oh, if only I had my rosary! Just holding it would be a help, but I left it at home thinking I would only be going to the mailbox, and here I am now, trying to take care of things.”
Now, I keep my (lack of) religion and my (overenthusiastic) esoterica out of sight at work. Anything I do, is done on the down low and I will deny even the hint of superstition three times before the cock wakes much less crows. Questions about my beliefs are deflected, but my coworkers do know I will make allowances for their beliefs should it come up. If a resident wants to pray, I’ll step back to give them room in silence without being an asshole that I won’t join them. If a man states he can’t touch a woman because of a holy day, I will sit across the table and push the papers towards him rather than try to hand them directly to him, risking an accidental brush.
But Keri’s personal observances are Keri’s alone.
And no one knows what Keri carries in her purse.
Except this woman is just as distraught that she doesn’t have a rosary on her person as she is about the circumstances that brought her here.
“Here. Take this one. Keep it. It’s not blessed, but surely your faith is enough, yes?”
I still don’t realize I’m dreaming, so I’m turning beet red as several coworkers see through the open door that I’ve taken a rosary from my purse and was offering it to the crying woman. I hear someone whisper that being Catholic was the last religion they thought I would be. Someone else wonders how deep a black hole is my purse because obviously I carry more than the average woman.
“I can’t take this. It’s yours. What will you have, then?”
It is a set of cheap beads on a cheaper string. To the devout, my intentions are nothing good. I spent more on coffee this morning than I did on this rosary, and by this evening I could have purchased a dozen more for my intended uses. But for all the trouble I could get into with it, none of it is worth denying this woman a second of comfort.
“I’m not Catholic. I have them because… because I was curious about a thing, but I can always look that up later. They mean nothing to me, but if they will comfort you, then they are better in your hands. Here. Take this rosary. Keep your faith and know the promises will be kept in return.”
She tried to push them away, but her sobbing unwillingly intensifies. As her hands trembles, I wrapped them around her fingers, along with several tissues.
“I’m going to close this door and leave you alone for a moment. Except, now that you have a rosary in your hands, you’re not really alone, are you. I’ll knock before opening it again.”
I turned away in respect and quietly but quickly closed the door behind me.
Except instead of being in the hall, I was back in the office.
Where the woman was sitting, an angel now stood.
The inert rosary that I had given her was now coiled neatly on my desk.
“The promises will be kept.”
The angel bowed kir head after speaking and the dream ended.
…
I swear, I’m missing something in plain sight and it’s annoying as hell.