5 January 2007

I was working with one of my former consulting coworkers, but at some point I was supposed to catch a flight to Washington, D.C., also for work. I was carrying a suitcase, but had no ticket or even date and time.

Along with my coworker, I was supposed to meet with the corporate comptroller and corporate director of human resources (possibly the city of Chicago). I took a bus, which passed through a particularly tempting rural area of woods and winding roads, where I really wanted to walk.

I never decided, and then the scene changed. I was in the city and then at the outer glass door of the corporate controller’s office, on which I knocked. I realized, though, that no one was there, possibly because I was late, and that I should go to the office of the corporate director of human resources. I couldn’t find it.

I was in an atrium area and began to recognize people and offices from my old firm, even though the offices were open and otherwise different from what they had been. There were also many new people mixed in.

I encountered the former IT director, turned health care consultant. After some questioning, I told them all who I was looking for and why. They told me they were going to scheme to get the business from us.

At some point, I felt like they might have tried to get me to come back, but when I woke up I wasn’t sure about that. Still anxious because I didn’t know when I was to leave for Washington, D.C., I managed to find the office of the corporate director of human resources. The consultant was not there. I apologized for being late, but the director asked me if we had added the word “local” to the ad. I knew nothing about an ad, but I didn’t want her to realize that.

The director showed me a printed piece that was long and folded accordion style. While discreetly trying to find the word “local,” I discovered that, if I let fall open a certain way and at a certain speed, the images in the photos moved, as they do in a flip book. There was one of a waterfall in which the water flowed. I showed this to her, and she became fascinated with it. Meanwhile, I was distracted by thoughts of the travel issue, the missing consultant, and the scheming consultants, as well as anxiety over whether or not they wanted me back or not.

It took me an hour to wake up.