Abby shrugged, a smirk on her face. “Well, what can I say? You’re in good company. Freaky is my middle name, and you’ve always felt like one of the family.”
Chapter Seven – Time-Traveler Extraordinaire
Once more, I spent the night tossing and turning. My dreams were vivid. I almost felt them like they were trying to grab a hold of me, but I always slipped away. When I finally woke, my head was spinning and the only thing I remembered was once again a familiar voice speaking to me.
Nevertheless, I still couldn’t make out the face hiding behind it. It was like something was blocking my sight. I felt so close, and yet, so far away. It was frustrating, and I didn’t know what to make of it.
“You don’t look so good,” Andy commented as I walked into the kitchen, still in my pajamas, shuffling my feet. “Didn’t sleep well?” He shoveled another spoonful of cereal into his mouth.
I shook my head, which sent the world into another spiral spin, making me grab the back of the chair in front of me to keep upright.
Andy jumped up, alarm on his face. “You all right?” he asked, taking me by the arm and seating me on the chair. He could be really sweet if he wanted to.
“You should eat something,” he said, pouring me a cup of coffee and reaching for a bowl and another spoon.
I nodded, but when I lifted up the cup of steaming coffee, its usually delicious aroma rose in little clouds into my nose, and I suddenly felt nauseous.
Swallowing, I pushed the cup as far away as possible. “No breakfast for me today,” I said decidedly as though that would calm my upset stomach.
“You all right?” Andy asked again.
“I don’t know,” I replied honestly. “I don’t feel so good.” A sudden laugh escaped my throat. “But maybe that’s just a side effect of—” And there I stopped, seeing his frown and realizing what I’d said.
“A side effect of what?”
I shrugged, feeling too tired to think of a reasonable explanation. Sometimes I really felt tired of shielding people from the truth or at least what I thought to be the truth. Although having done it all my life for my grandmother, it still took a lot of energy and I never got used to it. It never got easy.
“Something happened to me,” I said, not realizing what conclusion his mind would jump to until I saw the horrified expression on his face. “No, no, no,” I quickly added. “It’s nothing serious…or at least I think it’s not.” All of a sudden, I wasn’t so sure about what was going on any more. All this did sound like something out of a freak show.
He took my hand, his eyes serious. “Tell me.”
I decided on the same approach I’d taken when telling Abby. “Do you remember, a few years back, there was that guy? I told you about him. He showed up at the restaurant and asked for me, repeatedly. But I never got to talk to him because he always disappeared before I had the chance. Do you remember that?”
After a while, he nodded. There was a hint of relief on his face. Apparently, what he was hearing didn’t confirm the fears that had flashed before his eyes only a moment ago.
“Well, when would you say that happened?” I asked to make him pay attention to the detail that might seem insignificant to him now.
He frowned. “A few years ago, as you said. Three, four maybe. Why?”
I nodded, taking a deep breath before going on. “You see, for me all that happened only last week.”
His frown deepened. “What are you talking about?”
“When I woke up yesterday morning, it was like four years had passed in one night.” Looking at his face, I could see that he didn’t believe a word I was saying. That was ironic. Usually, he was the one coming up with the crazy ideas. And now that our roles were reversed, he didn’t believe me. It was a little disheartening.
“What are you talking about?” he asked again, eyes narrowing. “Is this some sort of sick joke? Because it’s not funny.” When I started to say something, he lifted a hand to stop me. “I know I’m a little overly excited when it comes to this stuff, but that doesn’t mean you get to make fun of me whenever you feel like it.”
Waiting for him to finish, I leaned back in my chair. “You done now?”
He was still looking at me with that weird expression in his eyes.
“Okay, then listen.” I took his silence as a ‘yes’. “This is not about you. It’s about me and what has been going on in my life. Not yours,” I emphasized. “Do you think you could focus on that for a change?”
Looking a little annoyed, he shrugged his shoulders. “Go on.”
“What I told you is not a joke, nor is it meant to be one. Something is happening. I have no idea what it is, but it feels damn real. Believe me, I’ve already contemplated the idea that I’m dreaming. I’d actually prefer that explanation because then I’d at least have one. Right now, I’ve got nothing. I just feel like I should talk about it because…” I looked at him imploringly. “…because it makes this whole thing a little less scary. Not being alone in this, you know.”
He nodded slowly, then leaned forward, reached across the table and took my hand. “I’m sorry I didn’t take you seriously. I just thought…” He shook his head.
“I know,” I said. “Believe me, if our places were reversed, I’d probably think I’d be going crazy, too. I won’t lie to you, the thought has occurred to me. But it’s a little unsettling…actually more than just a little, and so forgive me but I’ve decided to walk down the path that won’t lead me to insanity.” I smiled at him. “At least for now.”
“All right then, tell me,” Andy said, an encouraging smile on his face. “I promise I won’t have you committed.”
I laughed. “Gee, thanks.”
“Hey, you’re my sister. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
I squeezed his hand, feeling relieved that even if he wouldn’t believe me, he would at least stand by me. It made me feel better.
“To tell you the truth, I’m not sure there is a lot more to tell. It all comes down to that one night two days ago. I went to bed and woke up four years later.” Seeing his face, I added, “Believe me, I know how insane that sounds. But that’s just how it feels. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
“Okay, so let’s assume that–for the sake of the argument–you traveled forward in time,” he said, trying to keep the doubt out of his voice. “Why? And how?”
I laughed at him. “Those are two unbelievably good questions. Unfortunately, I do not have an answer to them. I’m far from it. And besides, I’m not sure I actually ‘time-traveled’.” I used air quotes, which made me feel a little less insane. As though we were really just talking hypothetically.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I talked to Ryan and—” His eyebrows rose in surprise. “Calm down, I didn’t tell him. I don’t need more people believing I’m losing it. I just talked to him, you know, hypothetically. It was actually him who introduced the topic because right now he is doing an interview on that new sci-fi author. What’s his name? Alexander something. I don’t remember.”
“Nathan Alexander?”
I frowned. “Yeah, that’s the one. How do you know?” He looked at me like a teacher would look at his student after asking a very obvious question with an even more obvious answer.
Nodding my head, I said, “Stupid question, I know. It’s your forte. I really shouldn’t be surprised.” A thought flashed through my mind that made me laugh. “Hey, do you want to trade lives? I bet you’d love this.”
He smiled. “If it were for real, yeah.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “Thanks. I guess I don’t need to ask if you believe me.”
“Sorry, Sis. But this does sound…I don’t want to say crazy, but it’s the first word that comes to mind.” Again, he squeezed my hand. “But go on, I’ll listen…even if I think you’re going crazy.”
Taking what I could get, I went on. “All right. Well, Ryan said that if I…well, a person would really travel forward in time then he
or she,” Andy grinned at me, “would not remember what happened in-between.”
“But you do?” he asked.
I nodded. “At first, I wasn’t sure. But yes, I do. I remember everything that happened. Maybe not every detail. But you know what I mean. I remember the way you usually remember your past. Some things are clearer than others. But mostly, yes, I do.”
“Okay, so that would mean that you didn’t travel forward in time. That’s good, right?”
I nodded. “I guess so. It’s just that what happened four years ago is clearer in my mind than…last month or the last two months.”
His forehead turned into a frown as he thought about what I’d just said. “So, you remember everything that happened up to…what?…four years ago better than what has happened since?”
I was about to say ‘yes’ when I realized it wasn’t true. “Not exactly.” He looked at me as I tried to figure out what I wanted to say.
“Actually, it’s not much that I remember from four years ago…I mean, that I remember more clearly. It’s just about a week or so. I don’t know. It’s weird.”
“So, a week from four years ago is what is clearest in your mind?” he asked.
I nodded. “Weird, isn’t it?”
“I’d say so. And to tell you the truth, I have no clue what that could mean. It’s not like anything I’ve ever read about.”
“What do you think I should do?” I asked, knowing that he couldn’t give me an answer.
He shrugged but then said, “There is nothing you can do but live your life. The way you would’ve if nothing had happened. Move forward and see what happens.”
I nodded. “And what if it happens again?”
“Then we’ll deal with it.”
“How?” I asked, again knowing that he didn’t have an answer.
***
Heeding my brother’s advice, I put all the gloomy thoughts in a box and buried it deep inside, determined to move forward as he’d said.
After taking a long hot shower, I felt more relaxed. The dizziness had disappeared, too, and I felt relieved to have talked the whole thing over. Even if Andy didn’t believe me, it had felt good to have someone listen. With a somewhat lighter heart, I dressed and twisted my hair into a bun with only a few strands falling into my face. Then I grabbed my keys and headed out. I was already a little late for work, and so I hurried down the street, bought a sandwich from a street vendor–in case I got hungry after all–and was about to enter my office building when I stopped, staring at the man looking at me from across the street.
It was the guy from the restaurant.
For a moment, I just stood there, unable to move. It was like time had slowed down. Looking at him, I noticed his face bore that same expression I’d seen a couple of times before. The way his eyes searched my face felt so familiar that then and there I would have sworn I knew him–knew him well–and yet, I had no idea who he was.
However, not only the expression on his face had stayed the same. He was still wearing what he had worn every day he had come to the restaurant. It was like he hadn’t changed in the last four years. It was almost as though he too had traveled through time.
That thought struck me as suddenly and unexpectedly as he had shown up out of nowhere. Had the same thing happened to him? Was that why he seemed to follow me? Why he tried to contact me? Because he knew we had something in common?
With my eyes still staring into his, I started toward him.
In the next instant, there was loud honking and tire-screeching. Snapping out of it, I realized I’d walked right onto the street without regard for my surroundings.
“Hey, lady, what’s wrong with you?” a cab driver yelled at me. “Get your ass off the street!”
I mumbled an apology, trying to ignore the confused stares and headshakes of the people around me and returned to the sidewalk in front of my office building.
A little shaken up, my eyes returned to the spot across the street where he had been standing. But naturally enough, he was gone. Like he always was.
I shook my head. Why did he always disappear? None of this made any sense. I felt more confused than I had waking up. Things seemed to get more complicating with each hour that passed.
Heading into the office, I spent my day lost in thought. I hardly noticed how time flew by, mechanically delivering mail and contributing a few words of small talk here and there without knowing what I said or heard. By the end of the day, if asked, I couldn’t have said what I’d done all day. It was all a blur.
Getting home, I sank onto the couch and just sat there, maybe an hour, maybe two, just staring at the wall. Only hearing Andy’s key turn in the lock chased away the same thoughts that had been haunting me all day. I hadn’t gotten any closer to finding an answer.
Seeing my pale face, he offered a weak smile, holding up a brown paper bag. “In the mood for Chinese?”
I smiled at him gratefully. “Yes, please. I actually haven’t eaten all day.” I remembered the sandwich I had bought on my way to work but never gotten around to eating it. It was still in my bag.
Setting the table, Andy looked at me out of the corner of his eyes. “I take it today wasn’t just another busy day at the office.”
I sat down, tearing open the wrapper of the chop sticks. “Yes, and, no. Work was work. Nothing new there.”
“Then what happened?” he asked, handing me the fried rice. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. It was as likely as anything else. “Maybe I have,” I said.
He frowned at me. “What does that mean? And please don’t tell me that you also see ghosts now. I mean, besides your stunning career as a time traveler.”
I tried to elbow him in the ribs, but he dodged my attack. “Can you try to be serious?”
He grinned at me. “As much as possible under the circumstances.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure I should even tell you. You’ll just laugh about me.”
“I promise I won’t,” he said, crossing his left index and middle finger. “Scout’s honor.”
“That’s not how that goes,” I chided.
He shrugged. “Whatever. I’ve never been a scout. Would you just tell me?”
“Fine,” I said. “But promise you won’t laugh.”
“All right, all right,” he said. “Now spill it!” He shook his head. “Unbelievable how touchy you are.”
“Shut up!” I replied, taking a dumpling from his plate.
For a moment, we ate in silence, and I collected my thoughts. In the end, I didn’t dance around the topic but asked him head-on. “You remember the guy that came to the restaurant, right?”
He frowned at me. “Excuse me, but I think we’ve had this conversation before. Are you now adding amnesia to your long list of unbelievable occurrences?”
I simply ignored him. “I saw him today.”
Andy’s eyebrows rose in astonishment, wiping that annoyingly smug smile off his face. “Where?” he asked.
“Across the street from my office. He just stood there looking at me.” I shrugged. “Again. It’s becoming a bit of a routine.”
“Did you talk to him?”
“I tried. It almost got me run over by a car. But again—”
“What?” Andy interrupted. “Are you all right?”
“I said almost,” I reminded him. “I wasn’t paying attention and walked onto the street and…”
“You should be more careful,” he chided.
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I said, shrugging off his concern. “But again, he disappeared before I could talk to him. Why would he do that if he came to see me in the first place?”
“Maybe he didn’t,” Andy suggested. “Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”
I shook my head. “No. The way he looked at me–he definitely was there for me. And for whatever reason he came, I feel like it must be something important.”
“Why?”
“I’m not sure.” Agai
n, I shook my head. “It’s just the way he looks at me. You know, when someone comes to see you and you can tell right away from the expression on their face that something’s happened, that what they are about to tell you is serious. That’s how I feel when I look at him.”
“Okay, so let’s say he has something important to tell you, why doesn’t he? Why does he keep showing up without saying anything?”
“Don’t you think I’ve wondered about this? The answer is ‘I don’t know’. But there is something else that occurred to me today.” Andy leaned in, listening closely. “The first time I saw him was during that week before…my time shift or whatever you want to call it. And then nothing for four years. He was gone. At least I don’t remember seeing him.”
Andy shook his head. “You’re right. I don’t remember you mentioning him. One day, he stopped coming around, and I guess we forgot about him.”
“But now, he’s back. After four years. Only, to tell you the truth, to me it doesn’t seem like he’s been gone. If you take out those four years in-between, his appearances at the restaurant and now at my office line up.”
Andy’s eyes opened wide. “What are you saying? Do you think he has experienced the same…time shift you have?”
I shrugged. “How should I know? It’s just a thought. But I can’t help feeling that he is connected to this.”
“Whatever you do, please be careful. You know nothing about the guy. He could be dangerous.”
Chapter Eight – Unreasonable Reason
Walking to work the next day, I kept searching the faces around me, hoping to see him again. He seemed to be the only one who might have answers. Call it a hunch, but I felt like this situation wouldn’t solve itself. It wouldn’t just go way if I ignored it. And finding him was the only thing I could think of that might–just might–bring me a little closer to the answers I needed.
However, seemingly life had a sick sense of humor for he was nowhere to be seen. Now that I was actually looking for him, he was gone. Outside my office building, I hesitated, looking around, but as the minutes passed, I gave up and went inside.