friend and foe

Date: 12/7/2016

Dream recollection is foggy, but here are the fragments I remember, in no particular order. I was in Joanie's old building, up the block from where I used to live as a pre-teen. Something odd was going on in her apartment. There was some guy she wanted to hook me up with, but I just had a bad vibe, because anyone she associates with is a loser. (Whoa, that's harsh. Maybe I fit in that category, too, because she still associates with me!) The guy was okay looking and kind of short, but had the greasy smile of a snake oil salesman. I needed to high tail it out of there and sought a temporary reprieve at her neighbor's apartment. But her neighbor from childhood wasn't there. Instead, it was a mutual friend from that same era, Cathy. (In recent years, Joanie and I both chose to cut ties with this individual, because she and her mom, who live together, are mean and vindictive, the "kick 'em when they're down" type of folks.) When I walked into this apartment, Cathy, her mom and their other friends all stared at me and I immediately felt the need to explain. They all had a stupid smile on their faces, like I was the prey walking into the lair of the predators. As I was explaining, I felt uncomfortable and immediately thought of an excuse to exit. I went back to Joanie's apartment where it all seemed calm once more, and I was among loving and friendly people again. The apartment was neater than it was last time I was there, as if an unknown time lapse occurred, not just a few moments.