Dad showed up in a dream last night, a thing I've been expecting. First time I remembered, anyway, except for one other where he was a minor presence, sitting silently in a room where other people were, where other things were going on. In this dream I was leaving some sort of apartment. I was supposed to have everything packed but my sparse belongings were still in a partial state of disarray. I was up on a high floor and the vibe of the building and halls was more like a hotel than an apartment but the space was large. No sense of context at all in the dream, of why or when, just there, and going. Dad came alone to pick me up. I had closed circuit cameras patched in through the television, saw the car arriving, saw him coming up and spoke to him at the door. No Jennifer, no Jonah, but the cats were there oddly enough. Did he come inside? I can't remember. I woke up, it was 3 am.
I wonder when the last time Dad came to collect me on his own was? For the most part Mom was always along, and then it has been a long time since I started responsible for my own transportation. Some time in college no doubt; I never had a car and nobody at school was ever going my way. The only time that stands out in my mind though was when he came to pick me up after the freshmen orientation session the midsummer before I started. Smoking with Jack at picnic tables out back of the apartments while I waited for him to come. 22 years.
