SUNLAND CALIFORNIA The fragrance of coffee reached me, and the man beside me stirred. I could hear Rummy's calm tone telling Rumen and Philip to be careful not to hurt the cat during wrestling, and they were laughing. Everything that reached my hearing convinced me I was not dreaming. My daughter and Connie are chatting, and I was definitely at my girlfriend’s house with my whole family. I got frightened that I might miss a day of my freedom and dressed up fast, entered the living room, and greeted everybody there playfully: “Good morning, Americans! I prayed daily in Bulgaria to survive until I saw my children free, but now have to admit I like to prolong my life. I hope it’s not too much to ask for five more years?” Rummy offered me a cup of coffee and a menthol cigarette when she saw the empty box I opened. I made a joke: “I hooked you on KENT menthol. What happened? “Unfortunately, they are not popular in America.” “Then, I better go, explore the new place and find it for you.” ”Zaek, you are in the valley now, and while coming from snowy Austria, remember that you need time to adjust! Third days in a row the temperatures are 110 degrees.” “Girlfriend, this sounds not as a warning but as not a bad idea for adventure to me!” I said and left to buy cigarettes. The hot air was vibrating in front of my eyes, and the street was deserted as far as I could see. The asphalt was scorching, and at that point, I realized that I was barefoot and walking on my tiptoes. Fully absorbed by lovely gardens on both sides of the street, I suddenly found myself on the main street in Sunland. What I noticed first wasn't very encouraging. The few men that I saw seemed ordinary peasants, and these thoughts brought me back down to the earth, and even as I heard my father telling me: ”Don’t you see, Lilly, you are not in Beverly Hills! Sunland is a village, and no matter where you go, the Villagers are the same”. Hearing his voice somehow woke me up, and I remembered that I had torn more than six pairs of iron shoes by the time I got here. It won't be easy, but I must try to find the stairs to the society from this village I want to be in. Thinking so positively, I entered a small shop called “SEVEN ELEVEN” and lost my breath with surprise. The place was cold, and it seemed dark and unattractive. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and substantial, dead spiders and bats trapped in them. The man and woman behind the counter were dressed in rags, with faces so contorted and twisted they looked like masks. I stopped, still in shock, thinking I had forgotten why I was there. I wondered if I was in one of those places described by Truman Capote where cold-blooded killers hang out. Or was this just some kind of nightmare? The two people behind the counter smiled when they saw me looking for the door. Suddenly, I heard dragging feet, and when I turned around, I saw a woman dressed in rags, holding a newborn baby in one hand and a gallon of milk in the other. What I saw was too much for my wild imagination. Everything was so strange. "Why did she carry milk and not a bottle of red wine for the little monster?" I thought, but thank God I was already at the door, when a young man entered and greeted us with a friendly smile: “Happy Halloween, guys!” Eventually, I realized everything was fine, and I calmed down. People were celebrating some holiday. I went back to the counter and asked for a pack of cigarettes, and the lady asked me nicely: “Where are you from, honey? “At that point, I replied confidently: “From Sunland, but I don't know how long I'll stay!" I picked up the cigarettes and some coins from the counter and dived back into the heat outside. Yes, I was in Sunland, California, and it was a typical day for everyone else but not for me. As soon as I stepped outside, I lit a cigarette and almost choked on it, and I was forced to extinguish it. The left side of Foothill Boulevard was lost somewhere in the mountains. Thinking we had come from oposit way the night before, I turned right. The first house stunned me with wonder and confusion: I was in the desert, yet its yard was a true oasis. There was something unusual. In addition to the clusters of slender palm trees, there was a pine tree that reached up to the sky. For the sake of reassuring myself, I said to myself: “Zaek, for sure, your place is right here! “ I continued walking down the boulevard, where gas stations were on every corner, and gas was 79 cents a gallon. I was at the end of Sunland when I saw the park. Children were playing loudly, and not far from them, I saw three men lying on the grass, drinking beer from cans wrapped in paper.            At that moment, my only wish was that my father were with me, and suddenly my soul was flooded with infinite love -I felt like embracing the whole planet. I leaned down and, spontaneously, kissed the parched earth with gratitude and awe.