Helen found her beloved Jaime sitting at her kitchen table, rubbing her eyes and yawning. As usual, she was delighted to see her, even if Jaime looked slightly grumpy and only half conscious.

"Good morning Sweetheart!" Helen said, kissing her on the forehead. "Want some coffee?"

"Please!"

"I'm meeting Bev Martineau and her daughter for lunch today. Would you like to come?" Helen asked hopefully.

"Um, maybe." Jaime was clearly unenthusiastic. "I'll have to check to see what I've got going on."

"How are you this morning?" Helen asked, placing a cup in front of Jaime and sliding into the chair opposite.

"I'm fine. Fine. Sorry - I'm just a little groggy. I had kind of a weird dream."

"Oh? You want to tell me about it?"

"Sure. Maybe you'll find it funny." Jaime smiled. "You don't mind? Other people's dreams can be so boring."

"Of course I don't mind! Unless it's a really loooonnnng dream."

Jaime laughed. "I'll try to be brief." She paused to collect her memory together. "It was the wedding day, and we seemed to be in an abandoned warehouse. Everything else was like a church, with the aisle and pews, but it was all concrete - dark, and kind of cold - but I was okay with it. Jim walked me up the aisle to the altar, and it was all touching and tearful and everything, and suddenly everybody noticed that Chris wasn't there. We were all looking around for him and there was some murmuring in the crowd - wondering if I'd been stood up. Then suddenly there he was - coming up the aisle wearing a hideous blue tux, and he was doing disco moves. And he was dancing pretty well," Jaime giggled. "but it was ridiculously inappropriate and so embarrassing. Then when he got up to the altar and took my hands, suddenly he was - get this - Gilligan from "Gilligan's Island"! I looked around at the rest of the wedding party, and everybody was looking dead serious - except for Oscar sitting in the front pew. And he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Then Peggy Callahan yelled 'Hey everybody, look!' and pointed at a little pond that was on the other side of the warehouse. The whole crowd stampeded over there, because we just had to look, and just as I pushed through the crowd to see it - and I knew it would be beautiful - I woke up.

"Well!" said Helen. How odd. Have you been watching a lot of re-runs?"

"Isn't that ridiculous?" Jaime laughed. "I mean Gilligan! Couldn't he at least have been the professor?

"Was Oscar laughing at you?"

"No." Jaime replied mildly. "He wasn't being mean." She paused. "You're not going to start analyzing are you?"

"Well isn't that why you told me about it?"

"No." said Jaime a little peevishly. "I just thought you would find it funny."

Helen rose up to retrieve cinnamon buns from the counter, and said lightly, "Well, you have to admit dear, that poor Chris doesn't come out of it too well."

"Well, yeah. But it was just a dream." Jaime frowned, twisting her coffee cup around on the table.

Helen put two buns down and looked at her dear almost-daughter as she stared intently at her cup. "Jaime, are your feet a little cold?"

"No!" Jaime looked at Helen in horror. "I love Chris." She sighed and her expression became sheepish. "Maybe a little chilly."

"Well, I have just the thing."Helen said confidently, patting her hand. "It's a little game my mother played with me when I was marrying Steve's father. It might help clarify things for you."

"Okay." Jaime replied uncertainly.

"Here's what you do." Helen said, using the same tone of voice she used when reading the Monopoly rules, which she did every time they played, whether anyone needed reminding or not. "I want you to think of all the important men you have in your life. Don't leave anyone out. Now, you don't have to tell me who you're thinking of, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to take note of which of these men comes to mind first. The name that just pops into your head without you having to think about it. And I don't want you to tell me who comes to mind. Okay?"

"Okay." said Jaime, still uncertain as to the value of this exercise.

"Who makes you feel cherished?" Helen asked, rapid fire. "Quick now, quick! Before you think too hard."

"Oh, gee, that's a hard one. I'm pretty lucky that way..."

"Don't think, Jaime!"

"Right! Right...sorry." Jaime laughed. "Try another one."

"Who would you go to with a little wee problem - the kind you don't want to bother people with, but you can't quite help yourself?"

Helen watched Jaime's face. She was getting it. Jaime smiled and said, "Well, I'd have to admit..."

"Shh!" interrupted Helen. "Don't tell me!"

"Oops." said Jaime, covering her mouth.

"Who could you lean on if you had really big problem? "

"Umm...okay."

"Who makes you laugh?" That's probably a difficult one. Jaime laughs so readily. She decided to fire out questions more quickly, waiting only long enough to see an answer register on Jaime's face.

"Who's your closest friend?"

"Who understands you?"

"Who would go to the ends of the earth for you?"

"Who challenges you?"

"Who makes you feel a little lighter when you're with him?"

Helen stopped.

"Who irritates you the most?" she added.

Jaime expression was perplexed. "What...?" She frowned and a slight look of alarm registered in her eyes. "This game is supposed to be reassuring?"

"I believe I said it might help you 'clarify' things dear. Did you not get the answers you were expecting?"

"But..." Jaime's look was distracted. "But that's not..."

"Not what, dear?'

"That's not right." Jaime replied, turning alarmed eyes to Helen. "What are you trying to tell me?"

Helen took her hands. "I'm not trying to tell you anything. I just want you to listen to yourself."

"But I am listening to myself!" Jaime responded angrily. "I know what I want. I know what makes sense for me."

Helen didn't reply. She only gazed at her with what she hoped was an all-wise look.

"Do you know who I was thinking of ... mostly?" Jaime stammered, as though asking Helen to reveal a terrible secret.

"I think I do." replied Helen gently. "And it's not who you think I hope it is...if you know what I mean."

Jaime searched her face. "But then you know it's ridiculous. This game doesn't work. I don't have those kinds of feelings...for him..."

"Far be it from me to tell anybody about what they feel. Only you know that."

"No, it's ridiculous!" Jaime continued, reassuring herself. "And I don't think he... no. No. Impossible."

"I don't think it's so ridiculous, honey."

"You don't?" Jaime asked, astonished. Helen shook her head.

Jaime put her head in her hands. "Oh my God. This is a little much. I can't think like this." She looked at Helen accusingly. "You didn't play this game with your mother, did you?"

Helen shook her head. "Just made it up."