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When She Sleeps
By Yalonda Smith
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“No, no, no. Oh god please no!” She screamed.
“Gina, Gina, wake up.” Her roommate Tiffany
had burst through her bedroom door, awakened by
Regina’s screaming and panting.
“I’m, I’m, I’m bleed, bleed.” Regina was breathing heavily. She could
barely get the words out of her mouth.
“Regina, what‘s wrong with you? You‘re not bleeding,” Tiffany said.
Regina looked at herself, she felt her neck, she
looked at her hands, and rubbed her behind to see if
it was bleeding. “I, I, I’m not bleeding,” Regina
said.
“Regina, did you have a bad dream?” Tiffany
asked.
Regina took a while to answer. She took a
deep breath. “It was a dream! I’m alive,” Regina
said, coming back to reality and realizing that it was
only a dream.
“Regina, what’s wrong with you, you’re
scaring me,” Tiffany asked with fear in her voice
afraid of what Regina was going to say.
“Tiffany, when did you come in here?” Regina hadn’t noticed
that Tiffany was the one who had awakened her.
“Are you all right?” Tiffany asked.
“Yeah,” Regina said.
“What happen Regina?”
“Nothing, I don’t want to talk about it right now.” Regina had been
having the same nightmare over and over again
constantly for the last two weeks. Every dream would
show a different part of that day and this dream
showed the ending. It seemed so real to her. Her
best friend Tiffany had come into the room to see what the
problem was.
Tiffany and Regina had been friends since they were
babies and they never kept secrets from one
another no matter what the circumstance was. They
never kept anything from one another. They were
more like twin sisters than best friends. Whatever
one of them was going through the other one felt it.
But, this dream frightened Regina so bad that she
feared telling anyone for fear that it might come
true.
Although Regina had the dream Tiffany felt the side
affects. When Tiffany had come into Regina’s
room her eyes were red from not getting enough sleep
and she had been sweating so profusely that it was
showing throughout her clothes. She didn’t know
exactly why she was sweating but, she knew it had
something to do with Regina.
Tiffany knew that there was a problem with Regina and
she was shocked when Regina didn’t tell
her what was wrong. Regina always told Tiffany every
thing. Regina got up out of her bed and went into
their kitchen to get her something to eat before she
had gotten ready to go to her first class. Tiffany
watched her as she got up out of her bed.
She saw that Regina was limping on her right leg, she had her
hand on her right butt cheek, and she had her left
hand on her neck. Tiffany followed Regina into their
kitchen. She saw that Regina was pouring herself a
bowl of cereal. Regina didn’t go to the table to eat.
She stood in the corner of the kitchen between the
stove and the sink to eat her breakfast. Tiffany
stared at Regina hoping she would tell her what the problem
was. But, Regina ignored the attention and
continued to eat her cereal.
Tiffany could see Regina’s hands were shaking and that she had began to
cry. “Regina why are you shaking?” Tiffany asked.
Frustrated by Regina ignoring her and upset because
she will not tell her what the problem is as to why
she is acting so strange. Tiffany asked. “Why won’t
you tell me what is wrong with you?” Tiffany voice
cracked with fear in it as she asked. “Tiffany,
please don’t ask me what’s is wrong with me anymore, I’ll
tell you what’s wrong with me when I get ready,”
Regina said as she tossed the bowl into the sink
making milk splash all over the counter.
Regina and Tiffany grew up together in the same
neighborhood, attended the same schools,
graduated the same year, and decided to go to the same
college. They were 18 years old and in their first
year of college at the University of Arkansas Little
Rock. Regina was majoring in psychology and Tiffany
was majoring in accounting. It was the fourth week of
classes and everything had been going well for
Regina until now. Until now she thought it was just a
dream, she feared that her dream was turning into
reality.
The pain in Regina’s neck and butt had gone away. She
walked to her room in tears and sat
down on her bed putting her face in her hands. She
had a test that day that she couldn’t miss. Regina
told herself that it was only a dream to clear her
mind of any fear and so she could go to school. She
managed to get up and get ready for school.
“What are you doing?” You are not going to school today.
Regina look at you you’re shaking too bad to be going
to school, and if you did go you couldn’t do any
work in the class because you’d be shaking to bad,”
Tiffany told Regina. “Why are you going to school
anyway?”
“Tiffany you are not my momma, but if you
must know I have a test today in my first class
that I can‘t make up,” Regina said.
When she got outside of the dorm building she looked
around as if it was the first time she
had been there. She had her backpack on her back and
her Psychology book in her arms with her
notebook. As she stood there a guy came up behind her
and put his arm around her “Hey girl, what’s up,”
he said. Regina screamed, jumped, and dropped her
books. She turned around to see who it was who had
put their arm around her. Her hand was on her chest
as she turned and she was breathing heavily. She
saw that it was her cousin Undray.
“Boy don’t scare me like that no more,” she said.
“Girl what in the world is wrong with you? And why are you shaking like you have just seen a ghost?” He asked out of
concern.
“Na, no, nothing is wrong with me,” she said.
“Are you sure?” He asked.
“ Yeah, I’m all right,” she said.
“No you’re not,” he said. “Why do you think there is something wrong with me?” Regina asked.
“Regina, I’ve known you too long not to know when something is wrong with you and when something is not wrong with you. Come on let me
walk you to class,” Undray said. “That’s o.k.
Undray, I’ll be all right,” she said. “What I say,”
he said. As he put his arm around her and proceeded
to walk her to her class.
Undray was Regina’s first cousin who had transferred
to the University of Arkansas Little Rock
from Washington State University to finish his last
year in college in his home state, to lower his
college expense, and to be near his family again because he
was homesick. He was going to school to be a
Scientist and after graduation he was going to move
across seas to work for a chemistry company
which had already offered him a job but he had to
graduate first. He lives in the dorm as well.
When she got to her first class to take her test she
couldn’t remember what she had studied , and
when she tried to write down her answer to the
questions on the test her words look more like clouds
in the sky. “Ms. Mathew I would like to see you before
you leave?” Her professor asked.
“Ms. Mathew this is a history course not an art class. I don’t
understand what the problem is, since the school
semester has started and I have had you as a student in my class
your grades have been at the top of the class. You
get all the questions right. I can’t see why you would do
so poorly on this test. Let’s not make this a habit.
I know you can do better,” her professor said.
Regina know she wasn’t up to going to her other
classes but, she couldn’t let her fear get the
best of her. After her classes Regina went to the
bookstore on the floor of the Donaghey Student Center
to get something to drink. Every time she would go
inside the bookstore to buy something there would
always be this guy who would follow her every where
she went. He wouldn’t follow her with the
movement of his body all the time but whenever she
would come in the store it was as if he could feel or
sense her present. If it wasn’t his eyes following
her she always noticed that when she would be in a
different part of the store he would move closer to
where she was, and when she would need to reach or
find out where a book was he would always be the first
to help. Even if she didn’t want or asked for his
assistants. She didn’t pay him much attention most
of the time but after this last dream she felt very
uncomfortable, and she decided to approached him and
confronted him.
“Look, regardless if you like me or not, from now on don‘t look my way, and when I come in here the only face I would love not to see is
yours?”
He couldn’t believe that she was actually
talking to him. His eyes widened, and when she spoke to
him his mouth dropped. He was speechless. He wanted
to talk to her, but his words wouldn’t come out
of his mouth, and when Regina said those words to him
he felt hurt and embarrassed. Because when she
confronted him there was a crowd of people inside of the
bookstore and she did not talk softly.
A tear came down his face, he couldn’t believe that she was that
kind person. Regina didn’t want to hurt his
feelings,
she saw that she had because after she confronted him his face looked like he had just lost heis best friend as he turned and walked away with his head down.
When Regina got home she went to her room. Feeling
tried and worn out from a day of
being at school. She lay down on her bed. Afraid to
go to sleep she tried to stay up by watching TV but, when her eyes closed she did.
“Hey girl,” her boyfriend Ricky said. He had met Tiffany in the
hallway and came in their dorm room with her. He had
entered Regina ’s bedroom and when he saw that
she was sleep he decided to surprise her by whispering
softly into her ear. Regina woke up swinging, kicking, and screaming. When he saw her reaction he quickly jumped back. He grabbed Regina from behind and tried to get her to stop kicking.
“What in the hell? “Regina wake up!”
Regina opened her eyes.
Ricky sat her down on the chair that was in her
room. Girl what is wrong with you, and why is
Tiffany telling me that you are acting like you, have
lost your mind. Tiffany told me that something was
wrong with you but, I didn’t know it was this serious.
Baby, why are you shaking,” Ricky said. Ricky had
gotten in the front of Regina facing her. When he got
in front of her he knelt.
He reached to grabbed her hand as she put her hand in his. Regina looked Ricky straight into his eyes rubbing his face as she
began to cry.
“Baby, why are you crying,” Ricky said.
“Ricky I’m scared,” Regina said. “Scared, scared
of what,” Ricky said. “Baby for the last past two
weeks I’ve been having this dream and last night I saw
the end of the dream and I was bleeding he stabbed
me.”
“What, baby, come on now. A dream and the
end? Baby, what are you talking about?” Ricky said.
He was very confused and couldn’t understand
what Regina was talking about. Regina took a deep
breath and squeezed Ricky’s hand trying to hold her
cry in.
“Ricky for the last past two wee’s I’ve been
having this dream. Every time that I would go to
sleep my dream would show a different part of the day.
Last night when I went to sleep I saw the end of
my dream.”
Ricky looked at Regina like she was crazy.
He couldn’t believe what Regina had just told
him but, he did. Regina had never been scared of any
thing in her life and for a dream to be scaring her
like that something had to be wrong. He looked into
her eyes they were blood shot red from her crying,
and he looked at her face there wasn’t any need for
him to doubt her. He rose up from the floor where he
was kneeling and sat on the bed in front of Regina
who had tears rolling down her face. He picked
Regina up out of her chair sitting her in his lap as
he sat down in the chair. He could feel her body
trembling next to his. “It, Going to be alright, I’m
here.” He said that but, that wasn’t the truth. It
was the weekend and he had came to Little Rock to see Regina from Fayetteville. He had to be back at school
for an assignment that was due that following Monday.
Ricky was a junior at the University of Arkansas
Fayetteville. He and Regina had been dating for three
years.
Day 2
That night Regina did everything to ignore going to
sleep, but by 5:00am her sleep had gotten the
best of her. Ricky woke up and found her sleep in the
lazy-boy chair in her room. He had gone into the
kitchen of their dorm to get something to eat. When
he sat down at the kitchen table after fixing himself
some cereal Tiffany walked in.
“How is she doing?” Tiffany asked.
“She finally fell asleep at 5:00 this morning. I’m suppose to go back at school Sunday night but, judging by the way she is acting I might
stay. Something just don’t feel right to me about the
way Regina is acting,” Ricky said.
“I loved you but if I can’t have you no one else will
either,” after she heard that she felt
something sharp go across her neck. Regina woke up
screaming and hollering with her hand on her neck.
Tiffany and Ricky ran into the room. “My neck, my
neck, my neck he cut me on my neck,” Regina said.
“No, no, no, no Gina there is nothing wrong with your
neck,” Ricky said as he put his arms around
Regina, her hand was still around her neck.
“It hurts, my neck it hurts.”
“Regina what happen?” Ricky said sitting Regina down on her bed. “He, he, he told me he loved me then he cut my neck.”
After Tiffany heard that she started crying and went to her
room. Ricky reached for the phone, called Regina’s
parents and he looked up in the phone book to find
help.
“Hello, Mrs, Mrs. Mathews this is Ricky. Something is
wrong with Regina. She has been
having this dream for the last two weeks where she
gets stabbed at the end. Since then she has been
shaking and acting paranoid like she is afraid that
the dream is going to come true,” Ricky said talking
to Regina’s mother on the phone about Regina.
“What is she doing now?” Regina’s mother had just came
home from the hospital after giving an eight-hour
surgery. So when she received the phone call about
her daughter having nightmares her voice was tired. But,
when she heard that her daughter was acting frantic
over having this dream she quickly rose to her feet.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Regina’s mother and she were from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, although, her
mother worked in Little Rock. She had just made it
home from working and was on her way back when she
heard the news.
Ricky had laid Regina down on her bed and Tiffany had
come back into the room. “Regina are
you ok?” Tiffany asked as she sat down beside Reginaon her bed. “I’m ok.” Regina said. “Will you
please tell me what is wrong with you now?”
“For the last two weeks I’ve been having the same dream
and I’m afraid that it is going to come true. Be
cause at the end of my dream I had gotten stabbed.”
No least than 30 minutes after receiving the call
there was a knock at the door. “Who is it?” Ricky
said as he walked to the door. “Mrs. Mathews.” The voice said.
Ricky opened the door.
“Where is my baby?” The first word out of the woman's mouth as she continued walking. It was Regina’s mother. She had on some
Nike sweats with the shoes to match. She went right
into Regina’s room with out Ricky replying to her
question. When she walked into the room she saw Regina
lying on the bed and Tiffany sitting on the bed
next to her. “Regina, are you ok? How do you feel?”
Mrs. Mathews said as she approached Regina‘s bed
and sat down beside her on the other side. When
Regina saw her mother she smiled because she was
happy to see her. “Hey, momma,” Regina said in a soft
voice.
“Hi, Mrs. Mathews,” Tiffany said. Ricky
had come back in the room. “Now, what is this about
this dream that you are having or have been having
that is causing you to act this way. Do you truly and
honestly believe that this dream is going to come
true,” her mother asked as she rubbed Regina’s hair
looking at the top of her head. Regina sat up in her
bed as all eyes turned towards her. She felt safe and
like nothing could harm her now that almost every
one who loved her was around.
“I’ve had a lot of dreams that have come true and sometimes I just have
dream that meant nothing to me, but the other night
when I had that dream... I have never in my life have
had a dream like that. It scared me too bad. So much
that when I woke up I was sweating in places
where I had gotten stabbed at in my dream. I know
you’ll think I’m crazy and that I have lost my mind
but I really do fear for my life now.” Regina said.
“Come to think of it I did see wet spots on you when I
came in your room that day,” Tiffany said. “I am not
going to school Monday, I‘ll just have to call and
make arrangements for my paper to be turned in at a
later date.” Ricky said after hearing what Regina
said about her dream.
Next weekend, Friday
It had been a week and with every passing day that
past Regina’s dreams had gotten worst.
Every time she went to sleep she would have dreams of
what people would say in it. Her mother had been
staying with a relative to be closer to her daughter.
But, she was constantly at work on call for surgeries,
and Ricky was trying to keep up with his assignments
by computer but, all his classes were not on the
computer. They had called the doctor to see if he
could help but, the doctor said there was nothing he
could do because it was too early. Regina had not
gone to school any that week. Tiffany had told
Regina’s professors why she wasn’t there but, her
grades had still fallen behind. The most sleep she
had gotten that week in a whole was 5 hours. It was the
next Friday and Regina looked a mess from lack of
sleep and her eating habits had changed. She only ate
a candy bar three times a day and drunk a liter of
soda a day.
“Professor Davis, Professor Davis, um Regina is sick
and I was wondering that since you are a
professor of psychology that you could help her,”
Tiffany asked Regina psychology professor when she
saw him going to a restaurant inside of the Donagehey
Student Center.
“Yes, you did tell me about Ms. Matthew’s and her illness. How is she doing?” Her professor said.
“She’s not doing so well. I was
hoping that you could come by our dorm room to see if
you could help her. She is loosing sleep and she
only eats three candy bars a day. Professor Davis I‘m
begging you could you please come to the dorm and
see if you can help her.” Tiffany has these words out
of fear that her friend was about to loose her mine
completely.
“Well, I’ll see if I can squeeze that in
my schedule this weekend,” professor Davis said.
“Thank you,” Tiffany said with a smile on her face.
When Tiffany walked into the dorm room she went straight
into Regina’s room were she saw Ricky
on the computer and Regina trying to not fall
asleep on her bed.
“Has she been to sleep today?”
Tiffany asked Ricky as she walked toward Regina lying at the
head of the bed.
“Barely but, not enough,” Ricky said as he turned toward Regina’s bed in the chair, putting his hand together and his arms on his upper
leg.