by Ilena Holder
“Margaret. Margaret Sanger.”
“Is she still alive in this time period?” Now the waitress was near the table and Royce managed to catch her eye.
“No, she’s long gone, Royce. But her legacy remains. Why do you ask?”
The waitress scurried away to the kitchen when Royce indicated he wanted more fish.
“I’d like to talk with her and see her opinion of what her work has wrought. The happiness or sadness of so many women with childless lives.”
“Not everybody wants to be totally childless, Royce. Some families only want one child. Or the man and woman are in agreement to space them out over a period of years.”
“Still, it seems so strange.” Royce moved his empty plate to the side when the waitress quickly returned with a new heaped platter. “I know the Schuck family in Baroda, they spread their children over twenty years.”
He moved the piece of parsley aside to get to the lightly breaded fish. “Donna, I hate to eat in front of you when you are eating nothing.”
“No, please, enjoy yourself. It’s just that my mother’s call upset me.”
“She wants you to be happy.”
“She’s just nosy.”
“Donna, I know you wanted us to have a romantic meal, but truthfully, if it wasn’t for leaving this wonderful food, I would just as soon be with you at your apartment right now.”
Donna seemed to snap back to reality. “I’m sorry, Royce. Let’s get takeout boxes and we can leave right now.”
“Good. I want to go back to your place and make love to you.”
* * * *
“The clinic’s only five miles from my apartment,” Donna said. “Your appointment’s at ten.”
Bemused, Royce watched her. Donna had been rattling on about the upcoming cataract surgery at her apartment, but he paid scant notice to her. They had showered together this morning, with him soaping her hair. He quickly found out he liked her double-sized shower. With a hand control and shower head at each side, it was more than adequate to hold both of them at the same time. Since they had overslept, they did not have time to make love again. Donna said they’d be late to see Dr. Kravitz and it was imperative that they be on time because they were working Royce in as a favor. He was still in a good mood from their love-making the night before. He hoped to catch Donna’s eye, but she kept looking at the traffic. He wondered how she could turn her emotions on and off so simply? With him, being with a woman was allencompassing, a total body and soul experience. They had taken their time the night before, when they returned from the restaurant. They slowly undressed each other, touching and caressing each other’s body. Royce took his sweet time. He was no inexperienced youth; he knew a woman took longer to bring to fulfillment. While a man was ready to go in a minute’s notice, a woman had need of lingering kisses and slow caresses. Though his own desires were greedy, he wanted Donna to experience as much pleasure as he did.
She allowed him to stroke her slowly, inching up into the wet tangle of curls between her legs. When he probed her and parted her flesh with her fingers, she shook at first, almost wilting with arousal. He clasped her around her waist and took her into his arms, carrying her across the room. He placed her on the bed, looking down at her in his lust, wanting all of her at once. She beckoned him with open arms. He cupped her breasts at first, brushing her peaks with his thumbs until she moaned deep and low. She ran her hands from his neck to his waist, then back again. She hesitated touching his manhood, as if teasing him. She was no virgin and he liked her that way. He needed to be inside of her and soon.
He slid his hands between her and the mattress, gripping her bottom. His mouth was hungry and open on hers, tasting her lips and tongue. Desire flickered through him with intensity. He now pressed his hard tight flesh through her legs, into her body. He could feel her tightening with anticipation, lifting her hips to receive him.
And then they were one, wildly mating, tasting each other’s flesh. They pulsed at first, deep and fast, then slowed to match each other’s rhythms. Soon shudders racked their bodies simultaneously and he had to rest his head on her chest. For a few moments neither one of them moved, not wanting the moment to end.
He enjoyed replaying the memory in his mind while he looked at scenery passing by. Donna had assured him there would be few complications if the doctor accepted him to be a patient. They had been doing the surgery for over thirty years and it was streamlined and routine nowadays. That was almost incomprehensible to him, that a doctor could operate on his eye and cure it. Since he knew nothing of medical practices in the future, he had no fears, not the slightest. Pain didn’t bother him, he was stoic in most things involving cutting or stitching up. Donna said now they had painkillers that were amazing if you needed them. Before they left their car in the parking garage, they kissed and held each other tightly.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry about a thing and if you have any questions, just go ahead and ask him.”
“I will, don’t worry,” Royce said.
The waiting room was plush, with thick gold carpeting and overstuffed chairs and two couches. Royce picked up a magazine, as he saw others had done. While Donna asked questions of the receptionist, he looked briefly at the other people in the room. There were five of them, male and female, all much older than him. He didn’t want to appear that he was staring, so he began flipping the glossy pages of the magazine.
When she finally finished with the nurse, she sat down next to him with a big smile on her face.
“It’ll only be a few minutes. The nurse said these people are just here for checkups and they’re all seeing technicians or nurses, not Doctor Kravitz.”
“Great!” Royce could have whiled away plenty of time since the room had a large set of windows looking out over Lake Michigan. The television began playing a raucous sort of show with flashing lights and bells and scantily clad women. The host, as they called him, was boisterous and eccentric acting. The participants from the audience were dressed in silly costumes and hats, trying to attract the host’s eye. It was strange and odd but also energetic and humorous. Just when he was starting to figure out the scoring and seeing who was ahead, a nurse came to the door and called his name. Sighing, he stood up. He didn’t want to disappoint Donna, but he was enjoying the silly show.
They went back to an examining room and in a few minutes, Doctor Kravitz knocked and entered. He was a smiling, ruddy-faced man. Since Donna knew him, Royce figured he was as good a choice as any for fixing his eye.
“What have we here?” Doctor Kravitz motioned for Royce to lift his eye patch.
“A cataract, sir. And Donna says you’re the one to remove it.”
“Let’s get an exam going here and I’ll see what my diagnosis is.” Dr. Kravitz pulled out a small flashlight, much tinier than the one Royce had seen Donna use in the stable. He turned it on, opened Royce’s eyelid and peered in, around, and under.
“Hmm. I’d say you have a standard garden-variety cataract. You’re quite a young man to have one, but yes, I think it can be easily removed.”
Royce felt happy at the prospect of having two good eyes. “So we can do it right now?”
Dr. Kravitz laughed. “No, Royce, it’ll be at least two days before I can work you in. Today I am seeing office patients and of course, you’ll have insurance paperwork to do beforehand.”
Royce looked over at Donna.
“No, there won’t be any insurance paperwork, Doctor. I’m paying cash. The details were on the fax I sent you.”
Peering into Royce’s good eye, the doctor was quiet. “Yes, my scheduling clerk told me about that. I’m not opposed to doing it that way, it’s just unusual. Since I know your family, Donna, I will do it, but you know I’ll require post-surgery checkups also.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“I’ve had a few Amish patients in the past who have come here from northern Indiana and as you know, they don’t have insurance either. They shop around for bargains and good doct
ors and they pay cash. Some of them even fly to India and the Caribbean to get hip replacements.” He stood and shook Royce’s hand. “Young man, you and Donna go to the lab down the hall and they’ll draw some blood, start a little pre-op file on you. Then go to the scheduling clerk on your way out and she’ll set you up for a surgery time. You’ll soon be seeing twenty-twenty with both eyes! No more eye patch!”
Royce replaced his eye patch and stood. He felt quite a thrill at hearing the doctor’s encouraging words. “Thank you so much.”
Doctor Kravitz smiled as he gathered Royce’s paperwork. “You might want to get in some sight-seeing in before the surgery. You won’t want to be going outside in the wind and dust for a while after I replace your lens.”
After he left and shut the door, Donna hugged Royce.
“I’m excited, too! We’ll go take in the Shedd Aquarium today and I want to show you the Picasso statue downtown. Chicago has a lot of tourist stuff for a visitor to see.”
Chapter Fourteen
“You’ll have to be still, Royce so I can squirt these eye drops in your eye.”
“Donna, this inactivity is boring. I’m using to being more active.” He fidgeted, dabbing at the eye drops that spilled a bit from his eye. “When did the doctor say I could work again?”
“It’ll be a while. Remember, he said you don’t want to be bending over. And no picking up heavy objects.” Donna thought how confusing all the restrictions and medical procedures must have seemed to Royce.
“I didn’t know I’d have all these rules afterward. I thought he would just slice it off and then I could see.”
“That’s sort of what he did. He lasered it off and then implanted a new lens on top of your cornea. It’ll stay there the rest of your life.”
“Isn’t that magical? And he said my left eye was perfect. So when this is healed, I’ll have great vision—even better than before.”
“Yes, having to wear an eye patch would have thrown off your balance and perception through the years. You’ll be seeing things quite different when it’s healed.” Donna recapped the bottle. “Is there anything particular you want to do now?”
“Can we watch the game shows? They’re so amusing.”
“Of course, you have to take it easy anyway.” She walked to the television and turned it on.
“I’ll catch up on paperwork out here.”
She hadn’t told him yet, but she was falling in love with him. Caring for him had made her realize this. After the surgery he was at her mercy, and needed assistance in doing so many things. Though he wasn’t in any real pain, he was in some discomfort and had to have her help in doing little things such as dressing and shaving and washing his face. She had never cared for anything or anybody except herself in a personal manner before. She never even thought she could play the role of nurse. But bustling around her apartment, fetching pillows and slippers and food made her feel worthwhile. It was different than her career; this was taking care of another human being. She felt happy and fulfilled.
“Donna, I want to tell you something.”
“Yes, what is it?” Donna sat shuffling papers at the kitchen table.
“I want to go back to eighteen-sixty-five. To show my mother my eye. And tell her about the miracles here in the future. Then to set things up for her if I never go back. Do you think we can use your brooch?”
“I don’t know, Royce.” Donna left the table and walked over to the recliner. “When you came with me I was unsure what would happen. I liked you, of course, but I hadn’t developed deep feelings yet. Now everything is different.”
“Are you saying you love me?” Royce asked softly.
“I don’t want to say it until the time is right. But my feelings have changed for you over time.”
“I’m glad. I don’t want to push you to say something you don’t want to say.”
Donna gulped. Suddenly, this was turning emotional fast. “We can try to travel back. I just wonder if the surgery will undo itself. You know, make the cataract grow back?”
“I’ve been thinking about it. Though I’m not a man of science, I noticed things about you that did not change. The little black things in your teeth are still there. Your ears are still pierced. Your tattoos are still on your skin.”
“Good point. But these things were already done before I time-traveled and locked in. Your surgery is fresh.”
“Yes, but the lens is set forever the doctor said. I could wear some kind of protective helmet or shield.”
“Perhaps I could get you a pair of safety glasses. I’ll think it over. Royce, I liked the past. Saint Joe was exactly the place I could live in forever and work and grow. I wouldn’t mind being there permanently if I could work out the logistics. Things were so much simpler.” She thought back to the quietness of Fallow Field, the home cooked food, and the bucolic nature of life. Living there was peaceful and rewarding.
“Donna, I love the future. The speed of things, the entertainment, the medicine and science. There are so many things I would love to learn about.”
“But we would need jobs, money, a place to live in the past,” Donna said. “We would have to work it out.”
The sounds of bells clanging and canned laughter came from the television.
“So, we are at odds of what time we will live in.” Donna felt like laughing. “People joke about bi-coastal couples and sometimes living and working in two time zones. But never about what century to live in.”
“Donna, I want to say one more thing.”
“What?”
“I want to have babies with you, whatever time we live in. And I want them all to resemble you.”
* * * *
Donna was pleased that Royce’s surgery turned out so well. The doctor said he was a model patient, and his recovery would probably be quick. He told Royce he could resume his normal duties within a month. His only warnings were to keep his eyes, face, and hands clean and avoid any type of dangerous sports that might involve objects flying at him. Other than that, he could go on with his life.
She was glad his recovery was going smoothly, because now she had to deal with Royce’s request to travel back in time. Since he wanted to travel back to 1865, Donna thought how she would set the wheels in motion again. She thought the simplest plan would be the easiest. Since her parents were still out of the country, there was really no one she had to answer to, outside of a few clients. All of them could be postponed for all sorts of plausible reasons. While Royce was recuperating, she had been contacting people she had to tie up loose ends with, wrote up some business plans for new clients, and looked at her scheduling calendar to see how long she and Royce could feasibly stay in 1865. Oddly enough, she found she could block out up to four weeks of time, give or take a few days. If she worked in another vague business trip to tell her mother about, it would work. A quick trip to Florida or the coast of Georgia wasn’t unheard of for a cold Chicagoan.
They decided it would be best to do their time traveling in the dark. Though it wasn’t entirely necessary, it would be difficult to explain if someone came up. And Donna said she would hide her car so it wouldn’t be conspicuous either. They would wear all black clothing so they would immediately blend in if someone was at the stable. Since Royce still had clothing at his cottage and Donna had a change of clothes there, they were all set as far as changing. Donna was glad that Royce had grabbed up his duffle bag at the last minute when they left for the future. He had brought some items that may or may not have had a use in the future, but they were meaningful to him. Donna hoped they would tie them to the past, perhaps grounding them to where Royce lived. After all, didn’t her heirloom brooch tie her to 1865?
They had gone over the items the night before. He had brought a crumpled 1865 calendar, his scrimshaw tools plus a few pieces he was working on. Additionally he had brought his father’s pocket watch, a wooden whistle, and a spare knife besides the one he kept strapped to his belt. He said he didn’t think anything of what he had done; he
just always carried a small bag with him when he went to town or traveled out. Sometimes things came in handy to have and not have to go to a dry goods store to purchase something when you needed it. So they were on their way. They stopped in Gary, Indiana to get a hearty meal in a diner.
“Royce, you appear a bit tense. Are you worried about something?”
“Just that—perhaps—oh, I must say it. Donna, I would hate to lose you in the trip.”
“You won’t! Didn’t we travel together the first time? It turned out alright.” Donna scraped up the last of her mashed potatoes.
“It’s just that I think what would happen if you died and I was alone.”
“Then you would do just fine, Royce. It’s not as if you would have to live in the future. You would be in your time and everything would be as it was.”
“All right. If you say so. I’ll just be glad when it’s all over.”
The waitress came and left the ticket for their meal. Donna dropped a twenty on the table and they left in the darkness.
* * * *
As they approached Fallow Field, Donna was glad to see nothing was amiss. It had been a scant two weeks since they had been there and she had been hoping that nothing had changed. She parked her car deep in the pear orchard, behind a large clump of briars and tangles. Even with the leaves off the trees, the undergrowth was so dense no one could have seen her car unless they deliberately went searching for it. The brown color helped too. Then she and Royce walked back up to the stables.
They arranged themselves as closely to their departure stances as they could remember. Donna sat atop the cleaning rack and Royce sat directly behind her, his arms clasped tightly around her waist.
“Are you ready?” Donna asked, clutching the brooch.
“As ready as I’ll ever be. Go ahead and stick yourself, darling.” He buried his face in the nape of Donna’s neck. Then with his duffle bag slung around his neck he closed his eyes and felt the swirling motion overtake him.
Gasping, they were both jolted back to consciousness as they hit the hard floor. Shaking his head, Royce felt stunned and then quickly grabbed Donna. She appeared breathless, but opened her eyes and smiled.
