Dreams Or How I Live My Life in Daydreams

Benefactor

Autumn didn't have the slightest clue of how to set up a GoFundMe campaign. Nara, her best friend ever, walked her through it.

Going through the prompts, Autumn set her goal for two-thousand dollars. She reasoned that on top of replacing the slashed tires; the muffler needed repair.

Checking through Google, she found out that the cost could range from two-hundred dollars to six-hundred dollars depending on the parts required and labor time. The rest of the money would cover the overdraft fee while leaving some leftover as a nest egg.

"I hope this works," Autumn said, crossing her fingers.

Nara patted her shoulder, reassuringly. "It will," she said with an air of confidence. Straightening herself in her seat, she fired up the engine of her white Honda Civic, the engine humming like a well-oiled machine. "Want to stop by Starbucks for a Frappuccino?"

Autumn nodded. "Sure." 

Her hand resting atop the gearshift knob, the redhead, smirking impishly, shifted it into drive and floored the accelerator.

The movement thrusting her forward; the seatbelt cutting into her shoulder-blade, Autumn tremulously gripped the armrest, digging her chewed fingernails into the padding. "I'd like to get there alive, you know."

The redhead howled with laughter.

Storefronts and restaurants blurring by them, the redhead stepped on the brakes, veering into the parking lot of the popular coffeehouse.

"What the hell!" Autumn muttered, rubbing her neck, reeling from whiplash.

Nara covered her mouth, giggling.  "Sorry for driving like a bat out of hell. I just craved a Frappuccino so badly that I could taste it."

The perplexity on her face ebbed away. "I hear you," Autumn replied, stepping out of the car and stretching, pumping her shoulders.

Nara locked the doors with a click of the remote. "C'mon," she said, grabbing Autumn's hand and pulling her eagerly towards the door.

Inside, Autumn stalled, withdrawing her hand from the redhead's grip. Nara seemed unusually chipper.  It bugged her. "I'm just going to wash my hands," she said, jerking a thumb over her shoulder.

Antsy, Nara nibbled her bottom lip. "Okay," she said. When Autumn retreated from her range of sight, she took out her phone and sent a quick message.

It's set up.

Seconds later, she received a reply.

Okay.

Her hand trembling, she tucked her phone back inside her purse and stepped up to the counter to place her order.

Drying her hands off, Autumn snapped her gaze at her reflection. She had enough lines in her bloodshot eyes to draw a road-map. Sighing, she wondered how it would feel if she was a celebrity. The money wouldn't be an issue, that's for sure. She'd have so much, she'd swim in it. There would be no more overdraft fees, late payments, living paycheck to paycheck, and struggling to make ends meet.

On the downside, she wouldn't have any privacy. Her life would become a fishbowl for prying eyes, entitled fans, paparazzi, and every inch of her life scrutinized on social media. To live debt-free, she'd take it in a heartbeat. She'd be lying to herself if she didn't seize the opportunity.

"I'm not Cinderella with a fairy godmother to make my dreams come true," she mumbled.

A knock at the door startled her.

"I'll be out in a second!" she yelled.

Pinching her cheeks to give them color, she exited the restroom, nearly colliding into a frazzled bleached-blond woman ushering a little girl in pigtails inside.

"Sorry," Autumn muttered as the blond woman pushed her way through, shoving her aside. Autumn narrowly avoided face planting the wall.

"No need to be so—"

The door slammed shut.

"Rude," Autumn said incensed. Balling her fist, she wished she could wave a magic wand and make all the mean people disappear.

Finding Nara seated in a corner, Autumn stomped over to the table, pulled the chair out, the legs screeching, and sat down, her brows tight and teeth clenched.

"What happened?" Nara said.

Autumn met her inquisitive eyes. "Had a run-in with a woman with a crappy attitude," she said. "What's wrong with people nowadays?"

Nara reached across the table and squeezed Autumn's hand.

"Nara Egan," a voice called out.

"That's our Frappuccino's," the redhead said, rising from the seat. "Be right back."

Curious about how her campaign is going, Autumn checked her phone. No donations, so far.

Nara returned to the table, holding a Caramel Frappuccino in one hand and Vanilla Frappuccino with two straws in the other.

Autumn grabbed the Vanilla Frappuccino. "Thanks," she said. Jabbing a straw in the cup, she took a sip. Savoring the sweet flavor on her tongue, she laid her phone down on the table.

"So, what are you going to tell your mom and dad when you raise the money?" Nara said, slurping from her straw.

Autumn regarded her question. "I don't know yet?  I'm not even sure if this will work."

A sense of dismay came over her. What if it didn't work? What if the campaign turns out to be a failure?

She shook her shoulders as though to shake off the self-doubt.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she grabbed her phone to check for donations. To her surprise, there were three. Twenty dollars. She eyed Nara, a smile on her lips. "Thanks," she mouthed. Nodding, Nara slurped her Frappuccino.

Autumn checked the next donation. Ten dollars. She didn't recognize the name. At the next donation, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. The donor was anonymous, the amount, five-thousand dollars.

She motioned to Nara, frenetically. "Come look," she said, tears pooling in her eyes. The redhead rounded the table. Autumn held up her phone, the redhead peering over her shoulder. "Does this say what I think it says?"

Gasping, the redhead nodded.

Overcome with emotion, Autumn set her phone back down on the table and covered her mouth, the tears she tried to hold back streaming down her cheeks. "This is more than what I asked for," she said, her voice quivering.

Nara wrapped her arms around her, stroking her hair. "It's all right," she murmured.

Autumn held onto her, weeping. Pulling back, she wiped her tear-streaked eyes. Nara handed her a tissue.

"This was the silver lining in what was a dreary, stressful, day," Autumn sobbed. "There are still good people in this world."

Nara flipped her hair to one side, her head tilted. "Some you least expect," she mumbled.