Where was I...?

Oh...right. A dark and stormy night.  In Arizona, which alone itself is a strange thing. It was late October, and I was wondering what the heck I would write about if I chose to tackle the November writing challenge. 
I was swimming every day in the pool that noone but me seemed to use in the early morning, but on this day I woke up to grey skies and what felt like impending rain.  

And I had some kind of emotional hangover from the strangest dream.

A woman I couldn't really see, but who felt like me somehow, had walked into an old timey sort of cafe.  In front of her were 4 women, seated at a table, dressed in the clothing of the time. I'd guess early 1900's?  I didn't recognize them. After a moment of staring and silence, a beautiful woman dressed in black, took off her hat and revealed a mass of dark hair piled high on her head. She spoke with a strong accent. Italian, I thought. Anyway, it wasn't the accent that got me ( or at least the me in the dream).  It was what she said, in a soft but direct voice. 

"Well, you finally arrived. We've been waiting for you." 

And then of course, I woke up. 

I carried bits of that dream around with me all day. The wooden table, the glasses of wine, cups of coffee, the strange clothing of each of those women.  I wondered what it meant, who they were?  Or was it just a dream brought on by too much time alone worried about too many things? 

Later, the rain came, and even at five o'clock, the skies darkened. The palm trees outside the sliding glass doors shook when the wind grew stronger. I tried to distract myself with television, but I finally turned off the lights and just listened to the rain.  I must have dozed off, curled up in the big leather recliner, when a roll of thunder woke me.  I switched on the lamp next to me and said out loud  - the grandmothers.  And somehow I knew what I would write about.  And why. 
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You might think it was smooth sailing from there.  But nothing that seems so easy rarely is.  I was in for a ride full of bumpy roads, but with the best companions.  And I was about to get to know them really well.