Now, G.D. had a family and a career. He still called me to go to ball games or to go out and grab a beer now and then. It was easy to become real friends when I finally sat down with him and told him the truth of what I did, who I was. It felt so good to tell him all of this, because I was finally trusting someone with the truth, with my identity. For a good while, I had been living an identity that did not agree at all with what was in my heart. I wasn’t sure why I could trust him with this, but I did.
He told me about his abusive step-father and leaving college due to lack of funds, refusing to take a loan from that man. Having gone off the grid, Gary James Decker resurfaced as G.D., a man with no true friends and a family he no longer spoke to. Hanging out with people for money had seemed like the rational thing for him to do, because delivering pizza was not delivering a comfortable lifestyle at all. Just like me, he had been living a temporary life, an identity and line of work that delivered. I think it got old for him, just as mine did for me. He was now a stock broker hoping to move his family to New York. His wife was quite charming and boy, was she quite the cook! She must’ve liked me; she kept suggesting friends of hers that I ought to meet. I was happy to see G.D. happy. Who would’ve thought? You never know how things will turn out.
Friendship with Macie was not as easy. I attempted contact, but we didn’t really seem to be connecting.
“I appreciate the call, Malachi, but I’m happy, and I’m engaged to a real estate agent.”
“Well, that’s great. I’m happy to hear that!” I truly meant it.
“You ought to be. It’s been years since I’ve heard from you.”
I lowered my head. “Yeah, you’re in the right. I can’t believe I’ve waited so long. If you ever want to—”
“What? Catch up? So you can make up stories about what you’ve been up to? They say, ‘once a liar, always a liar.’”
How did she become so bitter? “Okay, I understand. If you ever want to grab a coffee, just let me know. Call me at this number.”
She interrupted me. “I’m really busy right now in my life, but do call again in five years, okay?”
“Alright, Macie. Take care.”
Eventually, her number changed and I didn’t pursue it any further. I figured there was a reason I wasn’t invited to the housewarming party. It’s true; I was not honest with her at all, and she was a good person who deserved more. It was my opinion that any relationship in the early twenties just ends up with both parties going separate ways; that is, when one of the parties is not really who they say they are.
Despite growing up, however, I still had the child within me, the one who wanted to use my talents for purposes of the imagination that transcended money and work. At times I wondered what had happened to those dreams of my youth. I gave up on going to California and pursuing a career in LA. I was working in sales, of all things. Still, that urge was in the back of my mind. I joined a community theatre group for a summer production. There wasn’t much sleep going on for me, and I had to beg for different hours at work, but it was worth it. It got my brain working.
I started getting ideas for my own dramas. Luckily, I was writing it all down and started writing a screenplay. Anything once learned in college had drifted out the door, but I took some online courses. Hopefully, someday it would pay off. My screenplays would likely need a lot of work. Some of the people from my past showed up disguised as fictional characters; Jack was certainly one of them.
On the first night of my community theatre rehearsal, I arrived early to the run down stage we had chosen. Remy had been working on repairing it with sturdier wooden board. I saw that it hadn’t been painted yet. I heard an engine in the distance, but looked and saw nothing. I stood up on the stage, planning what sort of props we could use that would not be too heavy.
“All the world’s a stage,” I whispered.
The wind carried a laugh to me, a woman’s laugh. On turning around, I saw no one. I almost went as far as to climb back down the steps and follow the sound, but I suspected it was my usual experience of sensing something and finding nothing there to fulfill my expectation. Over the next few weeks, we would build and strengthen the stage so that performances would be a little safer there. I felt a presence around me, a presence other than my fellow thespians and the sparse crowd that cheered our rehearsals and performances. This presence comforted me.
Ellie crept into my dreams again and again. I still saw her, down the street at the neighbor’s house, from afar while I was in the grocery store, at the coffee shop, at a concert. G.D. was with me a few times, but when I’d point her out, he never actually got his eyes on her; she would turn to us and be someone else or be gone completely while I was trying to get his attention. When I was alone, I’d move closer, and either it was another person entirely, or she’d be gone. Somehow I really felt in my heart that we would cross paths again. She appeared to have the freedom to pop in and out of my life as she pleased.
I was still single, unconnected, and chasing after a ghost. I wanted it to be her each time, wanted to learn and know her secrets, for she definitely had many, starting with everything she seemed to have known about me and my doings. In all truth, I would have to admit that Ellie would haunt me, possibly for my whole life.
***
-The End-
Keep Reading for a Sneak Preview of Ellie, the Time Traveler
Whatever happened to Ellie? Enjoy a brief teaser from the upcoming novel, tentatively titled Ellie the Time Traveler, due for release next year:
There seemed to be a little bit of a commotion in the corner store. Malachi paused. He might not need that soda after all. While he briefly pondered calling the cops, a woman appeared in front of his face, blocking his view of the store. She held a finger to her lips.
“Ellie?” She was not the Ellie he had seen a few years before; she now appeared to be in her early fifties, yet still lovely. But how could she be fifty years-old? he thought.
She put her hands on his shoulders, looking intensely into his eyes. "You don't know how many times, and how many different ways, I've tried to keep you from being here, right now." She glanced at the watch on her wrist.
"What?" Just then, a bullet whizzed past Malachi’s ear as Ellie grabbed him and pulled him to the ground, the bullet slamming the clerk who had been standing at the door, knocking him to the ground. Blood began seeping through the clerk’s light colored shirt. He slumped down at the door.
Malachi kept his head covered.
“It’s okay,” Ellie whispered to Malachi. “He’s gone.”
Malachi looked up in disbelief.
“The robber ran. He went right past me, huddling here with you. But, you see, I knew he would do that.”
“H-how?” Malachi stuttered.
“I knew, Malachi.” Ellie took him by one arm and hurriedly guided him down the street, head down to avoid onlookers. Sirens blared as squad cars sped past them. “I’ve seen this happen to you several times, never reaching you before the event. It was horrible.” She held him close, much to his surprise. “You should have believed what I said when I visited you the last time.”
Let Ellie tell you her story. Due for publication, 2021.
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If you haven’t yet, read the story that first introduced Malachi, Undercurrents in Time, or start the whole series with Detours in Time at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0711ZW6XF
Dear reader,
Back in the old days, writers relied on word of mouth to get news about their books out. These days, there are so many social media outlets and places to express your opinions of a book. If you can take the time, please leave a review of this book on its page at Amazon and Goodreads. (Insert link) If you enjoyed it, please also share about it on your social media. I will greatly appreciate it, and it will help me to continue writing books to share my stories with the world.
Sincerely,
Pamela Schloesser Canepa
Acknowledgments
To my friends and family who gave this manuscript a first read, I thank you! To my beta readers and editor, I am so appreciative of the help you provided. To the countless people along the way who inspired my character-building, you might never know who are, but then again, maybe you will. Thank you. I think we all may have known a ‘Malachi’ at some point in our lives, for better or for worse. I am thankful for my youth, which provided a lot of experience in not knowing who I was and struggling with my identity, and I am grateful for the many lessons. It was a pleasure to look back and think of the lessons I have learned as well as the cheap noodle meals and late night coffee sessions. To all of the adult mentors from my own youth, thank you for believing in me. Sadly, not all of these mentors are still living, but they are remembered. They were not all perfect, but I learned from them, just as Malachi learned from Jack.
I am also thankful to my loved ones who just left me alone when I really needed to write and channel Malachi. I took two years to write this short book, but it also took a lot of thought and staring at the coffeemaker wondering what it was like for a young person who had nothing else in their cabinet. It also took a lot of nostalgia, which is a healthy thing, if you ask me!
Last but not least, I am thankful to my readers: those who know me and those who discover me by accident or through mutual friends. Is a writer truly a writer if no one reads them? Let’s not ponder that circular logic for too long; the point is, knowing someone reads my writing and that some of you will do so repeatedly helps fuel my motivation to continue writing. Thank you!
Sources of Inspiration and Knowledge:
El-Amin, Judge Hassan. “Domestic Violence and 1st Responders.” Officer.com, Sept. 29, 2008. https://www.officer.com/home/article/10248591/domestic-violence-1st-responders
Gilsinan, K. “9/11 in the Nation’s Capital.” The Atlantic. 2016.
https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2016/09/where-were-you-on-911-stories-from-dc/499400/
Hecht, Marjorie. “What to Do if You Get Hit in the Throat.” Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/what-happens-if-you-get-punched-in-the-throat
Holtzman, David H. “Cyber Security Enhancement Act of 2002 Changes Rules of the Game Forever.” Feb. 1, 2003. https://www.csoonline.com/article/2116143/cyber-security-enhancement-act-of-2002—csea—changes-rules-of-the-game-forever.html
Ross, Brian. “While America Slept: The True Story of 9/11.” ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/ten-years-ago-today-countdown-911/story?id=14191671
“Victim of domestic violence teaches firefighters how to respond to calls.” ABC News 4. Dec. 11, 2014. https://abcnews4.com/archive/victim-of-domestic-violence-teaches-firefighters-how-to-respond-to-calls
Discussion Questions
1. Do you think that Malachi’s experience of growing into adulthood is representative of that of many young people? Why or why not?
2. Looking at Malachi’s family situation as a teen, do you agree that there is a time when a white lie is acceptable? Why or why not, and where does one draw the line?
3. Before his leaving the job with Jack and starting over, what positive character traits did you notice in Malachi?
4. If you can remember the events of 9-11-01, did you feel drawn even closer to others the next day, or were you feeling more alone in this world, nation, community, etc. and why?
5. Did Jack seem, to you, to be a father-like figure, and was he a good one? Why or why not? What do you think Malachi learned from him?
6. Do you think Macie should have given Malachi more of a chance?
7. What is Otis’ relevance to this story?
8. What did you think of the relationship between G.D. and Malachi? What purpose do you think G.D. served in his life?
9. If you are one that believes everything happens for a reason, then what was the reason for which Malachi was placed in this lifestyle and job?
10. Why do you think Ellie keeps popping up in Malachi’s life? Is it believable that she’d want to keep showing up? Why or why not?
11. Does it seem to you as if Malachi is seeking to be absolved by Clinton? Do you feel as if he deserved to be absolved? What would you have said to him if you were Clinton?
12. What do you think Clinton’s reaction towards Malachi’s confession tells us about his character?
13. Which situations in this story do you think best convey a person trying to be who they are not?
Malachi, Ruse Master Page 16
