The cancelled party and the too big dress

Date: 8/18/2019

I'm driving with my grandparents to the shore for a party they're holding. Our car, a spitting image of my old Honda, Ike, follows an all but vacant road along with the ocean on one side and the sea on the other. It's cloudy but not overly gloomy. It's like it's five o'clock on a night where it will soon begin to rain. Robyn and I chat about a handful of things. I've gotten back with Vile Kyle to avoid being alone and tell her I plan to break up with him, but not just yet. I'm not sure really when as the thought of being alone seems awfully... Lonely. He fills the same kind of role Lucas does, but without the genuine love and affection. I message Sam from my phone letting him know that I'm back in New Jersey and that he can come visit me. While discussing my availability, he asks how long I'll be here. Honestly, I'm really not sure. We've since driven past the coastline to a more developed area with more roads and buildings. My grandparents pull into the driveway of a tan hotel with big pillars and a mass-manufactured kind of feel. It comes up on the left of the car, with plaster walls like a cheap hotel on the way down to Florida. I get out with Robyn and stand on the curb as an elderly couple comes out of the building and warmly greets my grandparents. It's Mr. and Mrs. Mecca, who grandma explains will be coming with us to the party. Looking at how many seats are in the car, I see that this will certainly involve the two of them squeezing in the backseat between Robyn and me. While figuring out the logistics, my mother and grandmother decide it's best to cancel the party and return all the prepackaged food they'd bought. Nothing lost ultimately. We step out of the car and walk to a kind of deck or wooden pier like the one that hung over the water at the park in Harvey Cedars or at the old bay beach we used to go to. As I walk down, I see that there's a girl with short, light colored hair like Luz standing on the dock. She's facing away from me and staring down at the water. A river of sorts flows from the ocean under the boardwalk behind us. This is clearly man-made, though watching the water, the girl doesn't seem to mind. I want to talk to her and I know her well. Is it Meredith? While part of my motivation lies in wanting to watch the water, I also want to strike up a conversation. I'm just afraid of scaring her away. She's skittish and in an emotionally vulnerable state. I walk along the edge of the wooden railing until I'm on the same side as her with the river, but not so close to the boardwalk. I watch the artificial river running under the boardwalk. A mysterious, human figure twists and turns underwater in the shadows below the boardwalk. I look closer and realize it's my cousin, Andrew. He's happy as a clam and hardly comes up for air, as it seems he just doesn't need to. I finally get close enough to the girl and she actually starts talking to me. Our conversation is short and she leaves, allowing me to take her old spot and watch the river run under the boardwalk. My mom comes from the direction of the hotel and tells us we're going to start heading home. She leads Robyn and I into the hotel and down a staircase which leads to a paseo of shops like on 18 de Julio. I desperately have to pee, but not enough that I'm willing to stop to find a bathroom now. We get down to the shops almost at the exit where there's a small dress shop with industrial carpeting. She and Robyn choose a dress that's got a fine floral print like a tea towel. Delicate lace and ribbons hang from it with no apparent reason to why they're like that. I remark to Robyn that artistically, it's an excellent choice. It gives a child like vibe, like when your parents but clothes that are a little too big so you'll grow into them, or like when you receive hand me downs. I now tell my mom that I really have to use the bathroom. She's almost frustrated in a very minor way that I only insisted with such urgency now, even though I swear I'd told her when we entered. She leads Robyn and me to the bathrooms, which are just two stalls in a crowded room. The doors don't seem to close right and the toilet is shaped strangely. It's long with no tank and you have to squat over the middle. Honestly, I'm hardly sure which side to face and the door is absolutely transparent. The people from outside watch me. Unlike my other dreams, this time I just tried not to care and was able to use the bathroom without an issue. I came back, joined the group, and we left the mall.