Lost Dreams
by
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"Mommy, who was your best friend in high school?" my daughter Tesla asked. It had been awhile since I thought about my other half, Marissa. We had become instant best friends in the first grade. A boy named Jon threatened to beat me up unless I returned his crayon that I had taken away from him. That is when Marissa came to my rescue. From that moment on, we were inseparable. We created a magical world of our own, often shutting everyone else out. I was busy working on a story for a television station and was on deadline. I really did not want to be bothered right now, but my daughter looked up at me with her big brown eyes, which reminded me of Marissa. She always had this pouty expression on her face when she wanted something. And it always worked. "Her name was Marissa Drake. I never had another friend like her," I said sighing. "How come I never met her before, Mommy?" my daughter asked. "Because she lives far away from us, I guess." We live in southern California and it had been years since I visited the small town of Milton, Wisconsin where I grew up. There was a time when I thought my best friend and I would never part ways, but I guess that was just a childhood dream. Everyone grows up and moves on. "I wish I had a best friend," Tesla said looking down. "You will. When it’s the right time, you’ll meet," I said, trying to cheer her up. She had a bad day at school and was moping around the house with her hands in her pockets. Tesla was a lot like Marissa. They were both always melodramatic. "Tell me what she was like?" Tesla asked. "Well, she was always there for me. She helped me become the person I am today," I said smiling. "How?" Tesla asked. "By just being herself," I said. All these questions reminded me of a promise I once made to my best friend: to write a book about our days together in Germany. I thought she was nuts at the time. Those days were long gone and sometimes I wish I could forget all about them. We ran away to a communist country looking for treasures, but instead found ourselves. I closed my eyes for a second and could see the cornfields in East Germany. The stalks were looming high over my head, scraping my entire body as I ran through the muddy field with my best friend. My heart was beating fast as uniformed soldiers quickly drew closer. Marissa was screaming in agony and holding onto her baby as tightly as she could, but the gunshots continued getting louder. "Mommy, what’s wrong?" Tesla asked, shaking me. "Nothing," I said startled. "I need to get back to work, so go play." My daughter left me to my thoughts but instead of continuing with my work, I starting typing a different story.
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About the Book
Have you ever wondered if all your dreams one day could be lost forever? "Hurry up, Rose, we're going to miss the train!" I must admit, I was definitely dragging my feet. It had been a long, drawn out night. A night not only filled with getting everything into place, but a night filled with emotion, deceit, apprehension, and uncertainty. Our drive to escape an overwhelming darkness, however, was strong enough to keep us moving. My other half, which is what I called Marissa when we were by ourselves, had gotten some sleep, maybe a couple of hours. She needed it, being four months pregnant. I had finally put our plan into action: the bikes by the river, the backpacks open with books strewn about. I hope it works. Nothing can go wrong now. Thinking back, my eyes swelled up with tears remembering how we got to this point. From two teenage girls with so many hopes and dreams to two lost souls on the run. As we took that first step onto the train headed to an unknown territory, we knew there was no turning back. A plan to uncover my family's lost fortune in Germany was our only hope of maybe one day recovering what was so viciously taken from us. Our dreams.
About the Author
First-time author Tammy Rose grew up in the small town of Plymouth, Wisconsin. After graduating Plymouth High School in 1988, Rose received her Bachelor of Science degree at Northern Arizona University in 1990. For more than 15 years, she made Broadcast Journalism her career. From television news and weather anchoring to reporting on the ground and in the air via helicopter, Tammy has experienced many aspects of writing. This book, although fiction, is a continuation of bringing her creativity to life.