Following the Dream

Tibet. Who would have thought that after all these years Alfie, her couch potato of a husband, would finally shake himself out of the ingrained apathy of years on the dole, years of indifference - and follow his dream? The one he'd had when they met, way back in the sixties when it was all Flower Power, Peace and Love. Alfie didn't want to travel to India overland in a beat-up old Volkswagen camper like the rest of them. He wanted to trek across the top of the world, see the Himalayas and travel into the interior of Tibet and Nepal, visit a Buddhist Monastery and learn from the monks. That was his dream. It became Evie's dream for him, too.

Over the years, through busy years working and raising a family and then the long years of unemployment, with no hope of finding a job (so he told himself after a couple of failed interviews), the dream slowly faded away. The last few years nothing seemed to matter. Except the box', that is. Everything seemed to center around what was on the telly and almost every waking hour was spent on the sofa, a can of lager in his hand and an overflowing ashtray at his feet. But Evie didn't forget the dream he had cherished so long. The memory of who he used to be remained with her through the ups and the downs of their lives. One day, she was sure, the true Alfie would return to her.

Then, flicking through the TV guide, looking for a crossword, she noticed a full page ad: A Charity Trek across the Himalayas - and a whole year away. Plenty of time for Alfie to get fit and to get enough sponsors, too. She would sort out all the paper work. She liked a bit of organizing, something to get her teeth into. Yes, Evie would be behind him every step of the way. She'd even put up the sponsor money herself, if she had to. She left the magazine on his armrest when he popped to the kitchen for another can of lager; saw his eyes light up when he spotted it. Evie nodded, smiling, as he picked it up to study it. Got to go out for a while, Evie.' Yes! He had taken the bait. She smiled to herself in triumph. At last Alfie might turn the corner and do something for himself. Follow his dream.

Later, as she took him his dinner - he always ate in front of the telly (no surprises there), not wanting to miss any of his programs - she found him perched on the edge of the chair, excitedly waving a new remote control in the air (the old one wasn't lost; she had hidden it). 'Hey, Evie, take a look. What I've always dreamt of. See?' He stabbed his finger at the page. "Michael Palin, trekking across the Himalayas - visiting Tibet. 21.30." His eyes were alight with excitement, but Evie's dream slowly crumbled away.

Learn more about this author, Marit Meredith.
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