Jud dashed down Brompton Road at breakneck speed
eager to share the news. He was still in a state of shock and did know
whether to laugh or cry. As he neared the entrance of the pub he
slowed to gain his composure.
‘Breath deep and show a bit of
sobriety’ he said to himself.
Standing outside looking in, he
cast his mind’s eye back to that night two decades earlier when the group had
formed. He and his friends were at a celebratory party on the night of
their graduation; united in drunken bliss, they had declared unwavering
commitment to their dreams and pledged that they would not fall into the same
trap as their parents who, in their view, had embraced the mundane and were
ensnared in a life of drudgery, predictability and regret.
“The pact is forever,” they had
exclaimed as they formed what looked like a rugby scrum of seven men and five
women.
They decided to have a reunion
at the pub every five years, not only to hold each other to account, but also
to inspire each other to chase their dreams, no matter what.
They called themselves the
Dream Weavers. During the web-publishing boom years later someone
commented they were fools for not having patented the name. They chose it
because it aptly described their aspiration: to weave all that they do
into the pursuit of their dreams, leading integrated yet diverse lives never
settling for the status quo.
Their numbers had dwindled over
the years, and as far as Jud knew, only two besides him would make it to this reunion.
Most of the members had fallen away because of “busyness.” A few saw each other
from time to time, and e-mail messages were occasionally circulated with
pictures of babies, new houses or holiday snapshots: typically of the sender,
standing on a beach holding a drink and sporting a grin.
Jud seldom reciprocated but he did enjoy getting the news
sent by others. He had not intended to attend this gathering, a decision
confirmed by the untimely death of his father just ten days before. But the
surprise package given to him by his father’s lawyer immediately after the
funeral changed his plans and not only made the trip to London possible, but
also imperative.