Dreams #2: Woman with boils

I was wearing my school uniform.

I climbed over the walls of the cemetery where my classmate had been buried after he committed suicide.

I crossed to the other side and climbed down.

On the street, a woman approached me. She had boils on her face.

She said she had a job interview that day and asked if one of my relatives could give her a ride to the workplace.

The relative she mentioned was pious, and I was fairly certain he wouldn’t want to share his motorbike with a strange woman.

I couldn't bring myself to say this, so I lied: "My relative is busy today."

Then I suddenly remembered that some Maldivians had a prejudice against people with disabilities.

I placed my hope in the idea that she would get the job if she sounded passionate about the work she was pursuing.

It was important that she conveyed her seriousness to the interviewer.

So I told her, "Be sure to look directly into the interviewer's eyes and explain how serious you are about working there."

I hoped that would help convince the employer—especially in a society where some Maldivian men gave jobs only to physically attractive women.

The way she held my gaze showed me that she was serious about life—and in that moment, she was beautiful to me.

I don't remember the rest of the dream.