“Don’t punish yourself,” he said. “I know what it’s like to waste years of your life blaming yourself for mistakes of the past. It’s not worth it!’
She looked up at him.
“Is that what was wrong between you and Mars?”
“You saw that so quickly?”
“What did you blame yourself about?”
“There’s no point in my telling you. I had a good reason though, to blame myself about what happened back then.”
“So do I; about what’s happened now.”
“You’ve been wonderful now, Ffip. You never faltered. You were more loyal to this mission than I was sometimes.”
“But you’re the one who accomplished it, Jeremy. Everything you set out to do. You completed your mission! I don’t have the luxury of knowing that about my design.”
“I was given tools you didn’t have offered to you. With those gifts and all of you by my side the accomplishment had nothing to do with me, not really. But I’ve learned one thing about being a Time Mechanic. We don’t get to go back in time. The place to fix history is here, and now. From this moment it’s up to us to build the best future possible, for ourselves and our loved ones and our city.”
“I’m not sure I should build anything special anymore. Perhaps that’s the lesson I should learn.”
“We’ve already built so much together though. The special part for me now isn’t the fact that I was the Time Mechanic, but the people I get to keep by my side after this adventure. Mars is my friend again; I’ve got Nemeth, Kannikey, too, but mostly you. If I lose you there’d be no triumph anymore, not for me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I love you.”
With the turban cap gone her eyes were beautiful, clear even through her tears. But at least, after a last troubled crinkle between her eyebrows, joy entered her face again. She released the burden of guilt she felt with a sigh. She allowed a small nod and laid her head across his chest.
“Ow,” he murmured.
“Your broken ribs, I forgot!”
“Blasted inconvenience.”
She sat up and smiled.
“It’ll be all right,” she said, the dimple settling over her mouth. “I’ll hug you tight eventually. We’ve got time.”
And then she leaned down and kissed him.
***
Six weeks later Jeremy stood on the top rung of a ladder, hammering. His broken arm had healed and he needed to grow the muscles up around it again so he grunted when he hefted the sign.
“Hey Jeremy, be careful!” called his former boss, and now partner who was walking by.
“Yes, all right!” he said to Nemeth.
He was working on hanging the sign to his booth. He had a permanent spot in the marketplace and this booth was large and fancy. It had two back offices, a large roof over the whole to cover the crowds on rainy days, and a sleek wooden counter with plenty of shelves and slots for product underneath.
The city of Tonturin didn’t know why Jeremy, a mere shopkeeper’s assistant, had been awarded the newly built booth and the warehouses that had been associated with Surebelow. But it was explained that although he owned the booth and warehouses, he was working with the shopkeepers Nemeth, Mars, and even Stedland, who was a hero that’d taken a big loss of his own profit in order to save Tonturin.
Jeremy would sell some of their product at his booth, as well as the contraptions designed by his fiancé, Fillipi. The little mechanisms worked correctly now since it was Jeremy who followed her design and put them together. Some were convenient, some were entertaining, and all were, in their way— amazing. She had bigger designs too, which were being developed in the warehouses.
Jeremy hung his sign and climbed down the ladder to admire it.
“Ffefferpip’s,” it said.
He put away his tools, brushed off his pant legs and hurried along. His uncle Tov was making a special dinner that evening and Jeremy still needed to buy a few ingredients.
It was a rehearsal dinner for the double wedding that was going to happen in just a few days. He and Mars were marrying Fillipi and Kannikey. Stedland had no more objections to her choice and he even approved of Mars’ pleasant and comfortable house for her to live in. Kannikey said she’d never have been happy living too fancy.
Jeremy and Ffip were making their home with Uncle Tov. Jeremy had always loved the gentle fields, the little wooded pathways that ran through the property, and the airy, spacious farmhouse. Although he and Ffip intended to spread their business to a second booth in Tetoross so she could have regular time with her family, Jeremy was pleased that it’d been her idea to live with Tov as a new family and end the man’s loneliness. His uncle was even hinting at the prospect of them giving him some children to spoil someday.
Meanwhile, after the wedding, was going to be the honeymoon. Jeremy had the booth all ready to open the day before the wedding. Stedland and Nemeth were giving them extra assistance with their own employees as a wedding present so the booth could function in their absence. Joram was loyal and could be trusted to take care of Mars’ shop while they were gone. The four of them would travel together.
To Tetoross first to stay overnight with her family, and then beyond— Jeremy intended to take Ffip to as many of the ten cities as they cared to see during the trip. He’d waited too long to visit the rest of the world. But after that, home to Tonturin. In a closet at his uncle’s house hung the magnificent coat which Jeremy had bought with his last paycheck as a shop assistant. His friends had found it and got it cleaned from all traces of poison for him when he’d been unconscious in the hospital. Every now and then he could put it on and remember his brief sojourn into a new identity. The Time Mechanic had arisen and completed his mission. He was glad of that. But he was even happier that he was going to be an ordinary man again— one with the benefit of a clever and attractive wife, a business he could try to build to secure his future, and his best friend by his side.
The End
Thank you for reading. If you enjoyed this book, please look for more of my titles on major retail sites. Also, I would appreciate it if you felt so inclined, to leave a review of my book on Amazon.com or Goodreads.com.
God Bless! Victoria Bastedo
The Time Mechanic Page 32
