Chasing Time: A Love Through Time Novel

by Stephany Wallace

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  TRADEMARKS

  PROLOGUE.

  CHAPTER 1.

  CHAPTER 2.

  CHAPTER 3.

  CHAPTER 4.

  CHAPTER 5.

  CHAPTER 6.

  CHAPTER 7.

  CHAPTER 8.

  CHAPTER 9.

  CHAPTER 10.

  CHAPTER 11.

  CHAPTER 12.

  CHAPTER 13.

  CHAPTER 14.

  CHAPTER 15.

  EPILOGUE.

  PRE-ORDER THE NEXT IN SERIES

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Saturday, July 5th, 1978. Springport, Michigan

  The trees seemed to pass in a blur of green, while little Jonathan looked out the window. Each one making it more clear that the place he had called home had been left behind. The sadness increased inside him, although he still wasn’t sure why.

  “Why did we have to move?” Little Jonathan asked, once again. The nostalgia was raw in his voice. It was at least the eighth time he had asked since they left Detroit. Yet, he couldn’t seem to stop. He was truly going to miss it.

  “I told you sweetheart, we are here to be with Grandma Rose. She needs us, and this is a great opportunity to raise you in a better place,” his Mother Angela answered. Her eyes settled on him briefly through the rearview mirror, before returning to the road. She took a deep breath and tried to focus on the moving truck, her husband Peter drove in front of her. Her eyes however, returned to Jonathan. His head was low, while he silently played with his action figures.

  The car stopped in a narrow street and in front of an old house, calling his attention. The house was white although it seemed to need a bit of paint. There were flower boxes on the downstairs windows and a small porch outside. His eyes followed the length of the stained white columns on the porch, all the way to the big window on the second floor. His mouth dropped. The house seemed huge to him, but then again maybe it would have to every five-year old. Unfortunately, his observation of the house that would now be his home was interrupted when his Mother opened the car door.

  “Come on, sweetheart. We are here. I need you out of the car so I can go help your Dad,” she said, urging him to move. Jonathan nodded, and slid out. He stood on the sidewalk watching his Mother while she joined his Dad. The back door of the truck was already opened, and he was starting to get a few things out. Tired and bored, Jonathan sat on the edge of the sidewalk to play while he waited. Lightsaber noises and laser gunshots soon filled the air. Han Solo and Darth Vader had immediately engaged in a duel to the death. Suddenly, a cry broke his concentration. His eyes roamed the street until they fell across the road. A little girl sat on the grass, right next to the steps of her house, instantly capturing his attention. She looked about his age. Her long golden-blond hair was held in pigtail braids. A pretty white eyelet-summer dress covered her legs, although her bare feet stood out among the green grass. Intrigued, Jonathan looked over his shoulders to find his parents arguing as they set the boxes on the floor. He sighed, feeling the sadness spread.

  They were fighting again.

  They had been yelling at each other a lot for the past two months. They never seemed to mind if Jonathan was around. What he thought about the things that were said, or how he felt when his Mother silently cried afterwards.

  She always cried.

  The sobbing sound came again, bringing him back to his new discovery. Standing up, he decided to ignore his parents and walk towards her.

  “What happened? Are you ok?” he asked frowning. His eyes roamed her little body but he couldn’t see any cuts on her. His first thought had been that she had fallen, and injured herself but she seemed to be ok.

  Her glistening eyes looked straight at him while another tear rolled down her cheek. “My Barbie’s arm broke,” she said, raising the doll for him to see.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, while his eyes studied the doll.

  “My Mom says we can’t fix it, and she can’t buy me another one,” she added, and rubbed her nose.

  After deciding to take a closer look, Jonathan concluded her Mom was right. There was nothing they could do. Kneeling on the grass, he leaned closer and placed two little kisses on her forehead.

  “Don’t cry. It will be ok,” he said, offering a smile.

  Her eyes sought his while she sniffed, trying to hold it in as he requested. Her bottom lip quivered while she tried to be strong.

  He looked down at his action figures and handed her one. “Here, you can play with him if you want.”

  She briefly looked at the toy and handed it back to him. “That’s a boy.”

  “So?” He shrugged. “Don’t you want to play with it? He’s from another planet, and has the coolest ship in the whole galaxy. It will be fun I promise.”

  Her sad gaze dropped, from his to the Barbie now lying on her skirt. She shook her head.

  Pensive, Jonathan looked at the Han Solo in his hands. “Wait here, I’ll be right back ok?” The words had barely left his lips when he turned and ran to the car. Opening the door, he struggled to climb in fast enough, and get his backpack out. He reached for something in it, and ran back to the little girl across the street. Sitting next to her on the grass, he handed her a packaged toy.

  “She’s a girl,” he said, waiting for her reaction. Her eyes widened in wonder, and she opened the package, to find a doll inside. A bright smile illuminated her face, her chubby cheeks glowing.

  “Thanks,” She said, throwing her little arms around him and hugging him. “Do you want to be my friend?” She asked pulling away and looking into his eyes. Feeling accomplished, Jonathan returned the smile and nodded. “I’m Samantha, but Daddy calls me Sam.”

  “Hi, Sam. I’m Jonathan.”

  She smiled, and her eyes went to her new doll. “Why is her hair like that?”

  He shrugged. “She’s from another planet too, and she is a princess. Her name is Princess Leia. Haven’t you seen the movie?”

  Shaking her head, she looked at the doll again then at her braids. She lifted one up, and began to roll it up over her ear. She tried to mimic Leia’s hair, but the braids wouldn’t stay in place. Noticing her predicament, Jonathan’s eyes searched the grass until he found a fallen twig.

  “Do it again,” he instructed.

  While she wrapped her hair around, he broke the twig in two and stuck a piece in each braid. Her hair stayed in place this time, wrapped up in a bun over her ears. He smiled.

  “There, now you are just as pretty as she is.”

  She giggled. “You want to play with me?”

  Nodding, he placed his action figures on the grass and they began to play. Lightsaber noises and laser gunshots once again filled the air, and Han rescued Princess Leia over and over again, as the afternoon unwound.

  “Time for dinner, sweetheart,” Angela’s voice broke them from their epic, intergalactic mission a few hours later. The sun had already begun to paint the sky in warm colors.

  Smiling, Jonathan took Samantha’s hand in his and shook it firmly. Just like his Father had taught him. He stood, picked up his Vader and Han action figures, and started to walk towards Grandma Rose’s house.

  Looking at Princess Leia on the grass, Samantha picked it up ran to catch up with him. “Wait! You forgot the princess,” she shouted and rushed to his side. She stretched her little arm, offering him the doll. Jonathan stopped, and looked at it, then at her.

  “You can keep it. It’s a girl, I don’t really like girls.”

  Her big, honey brown eyes turned sad again at his words. Her bottom lip stuck out. “I’m a girl. Don’t y
ou like me? You said you’d be my friend.”

  Seeing the hurt in her eyes again, his heart tightened. He dropped his gaze to Han, while trying to figure out why he felt confused. He finally shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

  Samantha’s lips stretch into a bright smile. The sight brought one to his lips. She looked at the doll again and hugged it tightly to her chest. “Thank you for my Princess,” she said excited. Before he could react, she planted a kiss on his cheek and turned around, hurrying across the street and getting into her house.

  Jonathan just stood there.

  His fingers touched the spot where she had just kissed him, while he watched her run away.

  Tuesday May 28th, 1996. Harvard University,

  Cambridge, Massachusetts…

  “Hurry up, dude!” Jonathan said, frustrated and paced around the room. “It’s ten minutes until the family dinner starts. We are going to be late. I told Sam I would meet her there at six o’clock. You know how she gets when I’m late,” he shook his head and turned towards the window that faced the university grounds. It was two days before graduation, and he was in his dorm waiting for Phil, his roommate, to be ready.

  “Dude seriously, you need to chill out! Samantha this, Samantha that, why don’t you just marry her already?” Phil retorted, putting his shoes on.

  Jonathan chuckled, incredulous. “Are you tripping? Sam is not my girlfriend. She’s my best friend. Like my little sister, nothing else.”

  Phil laughed, loudly. “Sister? Dude, she’s seriously fine! That golden-blonde hair, those honey eyes, those legs! Uff, I’d like to have her as a sister!” He said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, as though imagining the prospect. “She is banging, dude. The best part is she doesn’t even know it. Even in those loose jeans and oversized Harvard sweatshirt she always wears. Her hair up in that weird messy bun with the pencils stuck in it. Oh, and the glasses. Mmm, mmm, mmm! Talk about a sexy librarian. Perfect fantasy right there, my friend.”

  “Dude, you are fucking sick! Just lay off, ok? There is nothing going on. Like I said, she’s like my little sister. I’m very protective of her, so be respectful or I swear to god, I will punch you in the gut.”

  “My bad,” Phil answered raising his hands in surrender. “I just thought with the way you are with her. Spending every free minute you have together, eating together, studying together… plus, she gets all googly eyed every time she looks at you, so I figured you were in love or something.”

  “Seriously, dude?” Jonathan snapped, his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets. “Whatever, dude. I’m gone. I don’t have time for this shit,” he said, shook his head, and stormed out.

  “Wait for me, man! I’m ready. Geez!” Phil yelled, running out the door to catch up. “Hey, so if you are not dating her, can I hit that?” Before he could laugh at his poorly timed joke, Jonathan turned around and punched him in the stomach. Phil gasped, trying to recover the air that left him. “What the hell? I’m just kidding!” He said coughing. Jonathan didn’t turn. Heck, he didn’t even stop. Phil cursed, and hurried after him.

  Jonathan walked through the campus faster than he ever thought possible. It didn’t really help.

  “Shit!” he mumbled, looking at his watch and started running. It was already fifteen minutes past six, and he was barely at the parking lot of Soldiers Field, where the Family Dinner, and party for the graduates were being held. “Samantha is going to kill me!”

  He stopped to see his reflection on the window of a van. He was now a block away from the entrance of the event tent, but he needed to make sure he was presentable. Samantha had told him to wear something nice. Sure, he was only going to see his parents but she was still right. This was a special occasion. He should look his best. He took a deep breath, standing in front of the large window and inspected his reflection. He was wearing a light blue button down shirt, with a navy blue blazer and beige slacks. Brown shoes, brown belt, no tie.

  “Shit! I forgot she told me to wear a tie,” he blurted out, frustrated just as Phil caught up with him.

  “Friends… sure,” Phil said, looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

  “Oh, shut up!” Jonathan snapped, resuming his pace and hurrying towards the event tent.

  *

  Samantha stood at the entrance of the tent, with her friend Lucy. They had become good friends after being roommates for the past five years in the university dorms. They remained silent, while Samantha looked at her watch for the hundredth time. Jonathan still hadn’t arrived. She sighed. If it weren’t for the fact that this was a family dinner, she would probably be more excited about it. After all, she was graduating with honors from Harvard. But she couldn’t help but feel down. Today was one of the most special days of her life. She had worked incredibly hard to get there, and she had no family to share it with. Her Mother, Grace, has died of an unexpected heart attack at the age of thirty-five. Samantha had been only ten years old when it happened. She was an only child. Her Father, Frank, had to work in the mattress factory back in Michigan. It was expensive to travel there and he couldn’t afford to go, so he wouldn’t be able to celebrate with her. The logical part of her brain understood this, but she was heartbroken nonetheless. On the other hand, she had Jonathan. This brought a smile to her face. They had known each other since they were five years old. They had gone through everything together. First day of school, first bike ride, first love, first heartbreak, family drama, among other things, and now Harvard. He was her best friend. He had always been there for her, and she knew tonight would be ok, because he would also be there.

  “Oh my gosh, girl! This is mad exciting, isn’t it?” Lucy said, breaking her train of thought.

  Samantha turned to look at her, forcing a smile. “Yes, it is, we are finally graduating.”

  “Yes, we are! Oh my gosh. I can barely control myself,” Lucy squealed, excitedly then frowned when Samantha didn’t exactly share her burst of enthusiasm. “But you know, for such a great accomplishment you should be ecstatic, girl.”

  Samantha sighed. “Yeah, I know. No, I am happy, of course I am. It’s just… I’m sad my Dad couldn’t make it.”

  “Oh, but at least Jonathan is here with you.”

  Samantha nodded, and smiled. “Hey, did you receive word on that job you wanted?”

  “Yes! I got it. I’m so excited. You are looking at the new Chemical Engineer for Primatech Pharmaceutical. Great salary, I get to live in Boston, and travel to their different labs around the world.”

  “Wow. Congratulations, Lucy. that’s great.”

  “Thanks! How about you?”

  “Well, I got two offers. One at Boston University as a Lecturer, and the other as Assistant Professor at Oxford. It’s at the English, Language and Literature Faculty.”

  “Wow, girl. Congratulations! See? Graduating from Harvard rocks!”

  Samantha chuckled. “It sure does, Lucy.”

  “So, what are you going to do?”

  “Well, of course I’m going to accept the one in Boston. It’s where I wanted to be to begin with, and what Jonathan and I agreed on. It’s just, the other one is sooo tempting.” She answered, almost pained. “I mean it’s Oxford, you know? It’s such a great opportunity. I could work on my doctorate while being an Assistant Professor. And once I finished, I would have a greater chance to get a job as a Professor there. Can you imagine? Me, as a Professor at Oxford? Talk about a dream come true. It’s crazy scary though, it’s all the way in England,” “and Jonathan wouldn’t be there.” She added in her mind, and took a deep breath. They chuckled, and Samantha turned to look for Jonathan once again.

  “Oh look, aren’t those your parents and sister?” She said, looking at the group approaching.

  Lucy looked their way, and squealed. “Yes! They are finally here. Ok girl, I’ll see you inside,” she added, turning to greet her family and took them into the tent.

  It was now 6:20pm and Samantha still stood by the door. Her eyes looked everywhere for Jonathan. Th
e nerves and sadness were mixing in a not-so-desired way, making her really anxious. She walked to the door and took a peek inside the tent. She could see his parents, and Grandma Rose already sitting at their table.

  “Ugh, I’m going to kill him!”

  She exclaimed frustrated and turned in the direction of the parking lot again. Walking the few steps back to her waiting spot, she finally caught sight of him. He was running towards her, about a block away. She crossed her arms, and planted her right foot on the sidewalk. Tapping the concrete, as she waited for him to finally make it the last ten steps.

  “I’m so sorry, Sam. It’s all his fault. He made me late,” Jonathan said, pointing behind him at a flustered Phil who frankly, looked like he was going to pass out.

  “Oh, no. The arms are folded, people. I repeat, The. Arms. Are. Folded. Run while you still can,” Phil said, standing behind Jonathan, and earning a murderous glance from Samantha.

  Her eyes focused on Jonathan, and she shook her head dropping her arms to the sides.

  “Jonathan Edward Smith! Do you have any idea what time it is? Everyone is already seated inside. Even your family! They have been there for almost half an hour while I stood here. Waiting for you!”

  He took a step closer to her and cupped her cheek with his right hand. Leaning in, he gave her two small kisses on her forehead. “I know, Sam. I’m sorry.”

  “Hey Samantha, looking good.” Phil interrupted, walking around Jonathan.

  He stood next to him with a full-blown smile on his lips that just screamed troublemaker, earning a second, murderous glance from her. Phil was almost the same height as Jonathan who was six feet four. His hair strawberry-blond and he had light green eyes. He enjoyed exercising, so his body was toned and his chest and arms nicely built.

  “If he weren’t such a player, he would be appealing,” she considered, looking at him with a calculative glance.

  “Hi Phil, why are you guys so late?”

  “Sorry,” Phil muttered. “It was my fault.”

  She sighed turning to Jonathan. “Whatever. Let me see you,” she shook her head. “You look like a mess. Did you run all the way over here?” He nodded. She shook her head again. “Come here, let me fix you,” she pulled his blazer down straightening it, then at the collar of his shirt and folded it neatly. Her eyes widened, as she suddenly realized something. “You forgot the tie?”