The phone rings. I can’t pick it up. The incessant ringing persists, but the phone won’t connect. I can hear my aunt, in Maryland, on the line. She’s trying to get her message through the white noise. Each and every time, she fails. I fail to answer, to hear her frantic pleas. Beads of sweat drip down my forehead. I awake in a state of panic. My nightgown is drenched and I’m in a cold sweat. I soon realize it’s a dream. A recurring dream.