?Hi, Daddy!? Shouted Jonathan.

?We thought you were sleeping,? said Malika. ?But when we heard the phone, we knew you had to be awake.? ?Hi kids,? I said. ?Is everything OK??

They must have seen the confusion on my face as I sat there. Malika replied, ?Yes, of course. What's the matter, Daddy??

?Nothing. Did you and Jonathan have a good time last evening? You didn't give the baby-sitter a rough time, I hope.?

?Baby-sitter?? She asked. ?What baby-sitter??

?The one who took care of you last night,? I said. ?What do you think I'm talking about??

?We didn't have a baby-sitter last night, Daddy. Are you sure you're OK??

?Maybe you were sleeping and the phone woke you up in the middle of a dream,? said Jonathan.

I looked at them curiously and then said, ?Yes, I must have been dreaming. It seemed so real.?

?Tell us about your dream, Daddy,? said Malika.

Not wanting to say much, I replied, ?It was something about going out to dinner with friends and leaving you and Jonathan with a sitter. That's how dreams are sometimes. They seem so real.?

?You were so tired when you came home from the office yesterday,? Malika said, ?that immediately after dinner, you told us you needed a nap. You changed into your nightclothes and fell asleep. It was very early. You really slept for a long time. I hope you're rested now and feel a lot better.?

?And, Daddy,? said Jonathan, ?you left the lights on. Malika and I turned them off.?

?Well, thank you. Let's go get washed up and I'll be down for breakfast in a few minutes,? I said.

I got out of bed and after a little while went downstairs for breakfast. Saturdays and Sundays have always been very special days for the children and me. During the week, they attend school and I go to the office. But on weekends we spend as much time as possible with one another. They grow so quickly and then they're gone. I wanted to enjoy every moment I spent with them. Although it may appear at times that raising children is 90 percent sheer frustration and 10 percent pure enjoyment, I think the joy and the love make it all worthwhile. Like most other Saturdays, today promised to be fun.

After breakfast, the children wanted to go over to a friend's house for a short while. When they were gone, I went upstairs and decided to rearrange some of my books while listening to music. Last night's dream was still so vivid. If I listened carefully, I could still hear the mournful sound of bagpipes and the crash of the ocean upon the shores of the little village.

Thinking about nothing in particular and everything in general, I was starting to put the dream into the background of my mind when I noticed a sheet of paper at the foot of my bed. Paper comes from trees, I mused as I reached down and picked it up. Trees? Theo was speaking about trees last evening. Who was Theo? Oh, the dream, of course. Well, dreams are dreams and reality is reality, and they are two distinct segments of life. Thus ran my thoughts.

I glanced at the writing on the sheet of paper, assuming that it belonged to Jonathan or Malika. There, penned in beautiful letters, were the words, ?Dinner at the Restaurant at the Edge of Eternity ? 7:00 P.M.? I stared at it again, as I stood there in total amazement. Perhaps my dream was not a dream after all.

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