Haha! A dream about a runaway bride. What is this, some sort of futuristic romantic comedy? I seem to be having a lot of these futuristic dreams this year.
In a busy world where people live life on a strict schedule, planning every moment of their daily lives. Spontaneous and surprise are words rarely used in this era; ideals of being “free-spirited” or “living-in-the-moment” are nowhere to be seen.
In this era, dating and mingling are a thing of the past; arranged marriages are common practice. Marriage was no longer about love, it became a contract to secure financial stability, family connections and other benefits.
As one of the few existing “free spirits” this society was too stuffy for me, it was so hard to breathe. My way of thinking differs from most; having my life planned out for me, knowing where I would be and what I would be doing 10 years in the future just seemed boring.
Still, I had no way of going against the social rules and arrangements of this clockwork era.
Before I was even born, my marriage partner was chosen for me. It was my sixteenth birthday when I found out, it felt like “my” life was over. I couldn’t believe a man I grew up thinking as an uncle, the son of a family friend and over twenty years older than me was the man I was mean’t to marry. My parents always praised him for his achievements as a talented business man, in line to inherit the CEO position from his father one day. However, I only saw him as a boring man who lived to work. There was no way I was going to spend the rest of my life as his shadow.
This is where the dream takes a comical turn!
To avoid getting married at all costs, I spent several years hatching the perfect plan.
I used a large portion of the wedding fund to b book a week long holiday for the friends and family involved with the wedding (so about fifteen people). They were all instructed to pack a small suitcase and to bring their passport with them. Private cars collected the guests from their homes, including the groom, to ensure they all made it to the airport successfully.
After confirming they were all onboard the flight, I called my mother to tell her to enjoy her break away.
I was heading off somewhere else. Somewhere far away!
Part 2 … kinda
We all know dreams are unpredictable and change unnanounced, but that is what part of what makes them so fun to experience. This dream is one that changes from semi-serious to pure randomness!
So I basically run away! I end up travelling to Australia, somewhere really far away from my family and the wedding party. I spent months travelling all over the country, sightseeing, exploring and even had the chance to visit Summer Bay, the set location for the soap drama Home and Away.
On my travels I happened upon a diner which, for some reason, looked very familiar. The diner cafe was decorated to resemble The Max; a diner from the 90s American sitcom ‘Saved by the Bell’. The attention to detail was amazing! I felt like a kid again, reminiscing the my preteen years when Saved by the Bell was one of my favourite TV shows. Ah, how clueless and innocent I was back then.
The best part was, some of the Saved by the Bell cast members happened to be visiting the diner too! I couldn’t believe how lucky I was too have found the little diner.
But my luck ran out soon after. A freak thunder storm knocked out the electricity, leaving everyone trapped in the diner.
While waiting for the storm the pass and the power return we decided to have a bit of fun. In the dark we played games like Hide & Seek, Truth or Dare and I spy. We ate a load of ice-cream melting in the freezer, blew up balloons and did lots of other silly things to pass the time.
Even this disastrous situation was more fun than I ever had back home. Running away was the best decision I ever made!
Dedicated Dreamer 