Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real that you could almost touch it, taste it and smell it? That was how real this seemed to me... or did it really happen?
I was walking though a shopping center. This was a truly posh kind of place with various little shops that sell trinkets and things that you usually wouldn't buy, but are presented in such a way that causes you to buy it just "because".
There were also little bread shops and cafes that had luscious odors emanating from each shop that melded together to entice appetites and overwhelm the senses.
I had made several small purchases and just seemed to be wandering through the shopping center with a small smile on my lips when I started to notice that not all of the shops were selling things.
Some places indeed seem to be areas where people lived. In thinking about this, I couldn't image what it would be like to live in such an environment.
A thought crossed my mind that this was rather odd and that I had never been in a shopping center before that had combined such as mix of shops and living areas.
I saw a man who was just coming out of one of those apartments like places and he proceeded to walk in the general direction I that I was going. I took little notice as I had spotted a café where I could get a glass of wine and an appetizer and just relax.
The hostess seated me at a secluded back booth and handed me a menu. I notice that the man who had exited the apartment area had stopped as well and approached me at the table.
He smiled and said that he couldn't help but notice me as I walked by and wanted to know if he could join me and buy me a drink. I returned the smile and nodded yes to his requests.
He placed an order for a bottle of wine, red at my request, as well as for a variety of cheeses, fruits and bread. The order arrived minutes later and we made a friendly toast to each other's health and good fortune.
The two of us spent the next hour or so sipping wine and nibbling on the assortment of cheeses and fruits. The wine had been an excellent suggestion and not only blended with but complimented the cheese selections. This resulted in a wonderful blending of tastes and seemed to further reinforce that unworldly atmosphere that seemed to be engulfing me.