05/18/03
The Honor Of The Gypsies


I had this dream during my regular sleep. I don't remember it very well so much of it might be conjecture.

It all took place in the parking lot at Glen's. It was bright and sunny out, perhaps noon or early afternoon as the sun seemed to be high--the type of weather you squint in. I sense it might have been summer, but it could have been breezy as it wasn't sweltering. There were some cars around but there were also empty spaces in big patches so we could wander around. I think I had been driven here with some other people, but I'm not sure who they were; they didn't seem like family, unless perhaps my brother and MAYBE my dad were here, in addition to these other people. I think there was at least one older man, maybe in an old suit and a hat; I don't remember any women. I also don't specifically remember being in the car, but I think I remember getting out of it and standing in the parking lot. My memory seems to pick up just as I put my feet out on the asphalt, exiting from the right side; I think I was wearing sandals and the inside of the car might have been dry and dusty. We were closer to the side where the new Chinese restaurant is; we went there just this past Friday to eat.

I don't know what happened first--if I saw the case first, or learned the story behind it. I'll just say that I saw the case first. Sitting either near a car or in an empty space was a little silver suitcase or briefcase. It was one of those ones made of metal, for keeping things safe. I won't say it was ribbed but it had some smooth ridges rising along parts of it, maybe the top and bottom; you know, a little metal security case with a carrying handle. It was perhaps about a foot wide, not quite as tall, and maybe six inches or so deep. A sturdy little case, just sitting there on its side in the parking lot as if it had been abandoned.

I must have shown some interest in it as I was curious about why it had been left here. Perhaps the older man informed me why. Some Romany, Gypsies, were in the area and they tended to congregate in parking lots like this one, he said. They had a special ritual or custom involving these little metal cases. I THINK (but I'm not positive) it involved one Gypsy leaving a case behind, and maybe in it was a little bit of money. This was intended for another Gypsy who needed money to come and take it when he needed it. He would show up in the lot, retrieve the case, and take the money. Perhaps sometimes the opposite happened, and somebody would pick up a case and leave money in it for someone else? In any event, there was a great deal of trust involved in this, for some reason; the Gypsies had a sort of honor code that prohibited someone from taking too much money (though only a few small bills seemed to be in any case at one time), or from taking money if he did not need it. Also there had to be some measure of trust toward the Gadje (non-Gypsies) if they were expected to not make off with the cases themselves. I found this amount of trust touching, and respectful.

I think there were even a few Gypsies in the lot, picking up and leaving the little metal cases. I believe I went to open one that sat almost beneath a car and found a few bills inside. I think I took them out. I was tempted to take them, but not out of greed. Maybe I was just curious to keep a reminder of all this, or maybe I intended to deposit them in another case or give them to one of their rightful owners. I could see several such cases lying at different spots in the parking lot. I believe the older guy told me I should put the money back, so, not wanting to displease him or anger the Gypsies (it WAS their money), I probably did.

I also got a feeling of worry for the Gypsies, because I did not feel they would be able to hold onto their sense of trust for long. I felt they were no threat to themselves; they understood and abided by the honor code. Rather, it was the non-Gypsies I felt they should not trust. I knew they were taking a chance leaving the money and the cases out in the open like that, because not all Gadje would be as respectful as my own group was. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up robbed by someone of my own race, and this thought saddened me. I wanted to warn them against trusting us too much, because that trust was bound to backfire on them.



2003 Dreams
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