Undercurrents in Time

by Pamela Schloesser Canepa

  “Okay. Details on the scratch, please. And are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Stop asking me that! I was on the run. George Mahoney was there. I stopped him. I knocked him down. He had a Stein blaster. I foiled his plan. No one was killed.”

  “Did he cause the scratch? Was he chasing you?”

  “An officer was chasing me. This was on the second day, before I got out of town and headed back home. Oh, don’t look so sanctimonious. It was because of Dr. Mahoney. I was a witness. I swear. I couldn’t let the cops haul me back again. They might have kept me for God knows how long. Mahoney was there, trying to kill someone with that, that weapon of his. His car was antique style too, like the Envo.”

  “I may have been the very one to design it, then. Or will one day. Go on.”

  “Well, he took off and I just wanted to get home. But the police officers wanted me to stay and give a statement or help find him, I don’t know. It didn’t help that I’d already talked to the police about Mahoney.”

  “Wait.” Milt frowned. “You said you were chased by cops the first day, but you got the scratch being chased by cops trying to get out of there and come back home.”

  “Milt, I stuck out like a sore thumb to those officers. I didn’t know where I was, drove erratically, and evidently behaved erratically the first time I was stopped.”

  “Well, I don’t think this was a good time for you to pull such a stunt. You sort of have a lot going on in your mind, and we’ve got the baby.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean? So, you’re saying those cops had good reason to lock me up for the way I was acting?”

  “Lock you up?”

  “Yes, they kept me overnight. Or, at least one night. I had to stay longer because Wilkes said I was behaving erratically again.”

  “Wilkes?”

  “Lieutenant Phil Wilkes.”

  “Tabitha, you didn’t tell him too much, did you?”

  “I don’t know, Milt! He saw the wrench key and had no idea about its use, so I lied about its importance. He knew I was a new mother, and then I saw Mahoney at the station. Oh, they must’ve all thought I was crazy!” She started pacing. “That is, until Mahoney proved just how dangerous he could be. But no one got hurt. I made sure of that. I just hope he has returned to whatever hole he crawled out from under.” She started crying and shaking, just from the sheer energy it cost her to relive the events again. Yet she was proud of herself and how she had handled everything. And she wanted to end the conversation on that note. No mention of Ellie, the potato woman, or how or why she may be showing up in the present.

  “I need to go see Jack Fontaine. I’m sorry, Tabitha, you’ve given me a lot to process. Who was George Mahoney trying to kill, and why?” he asked, knowing full well Tabitha might not know the answer.

  “I don’t know! It was just an employee at the mood sim shop. He was probably just trying the gun out!”

  “Yes! That makes sense; if he does it in the future, there is no chance of messing up any already established contingencies. Trust me, you never know what you might be messing up if you go to the past. Really, Tabitha, I know you’re tired. I can’t just stay here and do nothing after all you’ve told me. He may have seen you. And why did he show up in 2047?”

  “Maybe he knows you already went there.”

  “Okay, just stop it. I mean, yes, you’re making perfect sense. Because he must have left from a time after I would have already met him. I have to go. I can’t stay here and do nothing about it.”

  “You wouldn’t be doing nothing; you’d only be taking care of your son, your only living offspring.” She glared at him. “And there’s probably nothing you can do about Mahoney.”

  He hated to admit it, but he actually wanted to get away from her in this moment. Not because she looked a mess and was not acting at all like herself; she was allowed a little of that, but it had gotten worse. He wasn’t sure what the answer was, and even if he figured it out, he was not sure how to broach the subject. He’d lived in a family with a strong-willed matriarch who was a lot like Tabitha. He had learned to tread lightly.

  “You’re right. I’ve said the wrong thing again. I seem to be putting my foot in my mouth a lot lately.” He stood at the door, looking down as he spoke, feeling a little inept in his words at the moment. “I’m sorry. And you said you were sorry. Can we leave it at that? I’ve forgiven you. Can you forgive me for leaving you right now?”

  She turned her head away, not wanting him to see the tears in her eyes.

  He rested a hand on her shoulder. “I won’t be gone long; I will come back after meeting with Jack Fontaine. I need to increase our surveillance on Mahoney. And our research. It seems he must be looking for a place to try out the blaster and be able to leave without a trace, ensuring he won’t get caught. Just don’t worry; it’s okay, I’m not mad.” He rubbed her shoulder. “I’ll be right back. The baby’s sleeping. You can rest if you need to.”

  “You know, Milt, I don’t regret going.”

  “I’d just like to know why you did it.”

  “I can’t explain. But you know I’m not happy right now. I don’t know what I was looking for.”

  “You have everything here, Tabitha. If I am not responding to you correctly, don’t worry, it will get better. We need time alone, soon. I almost wish I could have gone with you, but we could never risk the possibility of not coming back to our child. Not to mention, it’s just all too risky in so many other ways. I knew you were up in the middle of the night, but for a split second, I felt that emptiness. It must have been the possibility that you would not make it back. You know all things are possible. Please, don’t do that again.” He put his arms around her and held her close.

  “I won’t, Milt.” She buried her face in his shoulder, wanting to cry, but choking back the tears. She had been weak enough and it was getting tiring.

  She walked back to the bedroom, giving him a wave. He closed the door and went out to the car.

  Chapter 17

  Y2K is on its Way

  It was early afternoon and Tabitha sat on the sofa watching a cable news show about Y2K. Some people had bunkers stocked and ready for the New Year. These were the ones who believed the New Year would bring riots, power outages, and a world gone mad by computers suddenly offline and unable to deal with the date 2000. Footage was shown of bunkers full with bottled water, canned foods, and guns. Then, of course, there was the fear of looters.

  A man was being interviewed. “Yep, my family and I will be here for New Year’s Eve. We’ll send my dog out to survey on New Year’s morning. I know there’s a chance things will be okay, but then, there’s a chance they won’t.” Others interviewed spoke about having theme parties where everyone had to wear their best survival gear. It was either a really good joke or they were serious about this. Tabitha wasn’t capable of wrapping her head around it completely.

  Panic could have overcome her, except that she had seen two possible futures already that showed that we overcame the year 2000, unscathed. The TV news report also showed police stations full of officers; one officer who was interviewed reported the amount of overtime that would be billed because of the possible hysteria and repercussions of paranoia over Y2K. Security guards would also be in full force at places of business. How silly.

  Peter started crying again, and she went to get him and give him a bottle. She looked at her sketch pad. That was Salamanca with the ears. It really resembled her quite well. She moved on to the couch and shut the TV off. Was there a chance things would turn out differently? Did her disappearance from this world for one minute set off any contingencies that might have changed the outcomes of Y2K? It was absurd, but still, it was in the back of her mind.

  She heard the garage door raise. Milt was home. He walked in with some milk and juice. Tabitha walked over and handed Peter to him.

  “I’ll put these away,” she said.

  He patted Peter on the back, then went ove
r to Tabitha. “Please, take him again. There are still some more things in the car.”

  She put Peter over her shoulder, and he started fussing and crying. A check of his diaper showed no issue there. How could this be? He had just finished his bottle. Whatever could be wrong?

  Milt came in with some bread and pasta sticking out of a grocery bag. It looked like a good idea to Tabitha. Peter was still fussing.

  “What’s up with Peter?” Milt asked.

  “I don’t know. He had his bottle, his diaper’s dry, there is nothing wrong. I think he just wants to be in your arms. Maybe he feels like I betrayed him.”

  “Betrayed? Tabitha, you came back. He shouldn’t even know you were gone. You know, sometimes new mothers go away for a weekend. Of course, usually their significant other is told they are going.”

  She glared at him. “Maybe he senses something different about me. You obviously seem to feel betrayed.”

  He held up his hands. “Tabitha, I’m not insinuating anything by that. But they’re allowed to do that. That’s my point. Sometimes there is a family emergency. They come back, and things go back to normal. We’ll treat this as your own temporary emergency.”

  “You mean temporary insanity?”

  “Tabitha, I didn’t say that. He’ll be fine. Don’t feel guilty. It happened. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t do it again.”

  “You think Peter will get over this?”

  “Well, I believe it’s not what you think it is. Please, don’t worry about it.”

  “Did you find anything out?”

  “No, but we are putting our feelers out. Jack has a good computer program, so that should help. I also gave him the vehicle description you gave me. We’ll see what happens.”

  “So, you don’t think Mahoney would come here looking for us?”

  Milt pondered for a moment. Actually, it was possible that he was doing some fact checking in the future and might come back to cause trouble for them. “No, Tabitha. I don’t.” He added, “You said he didn’t see you, right?”

  “No, I am pretty sure he didn’t. I dove for his feet; I don’t think he saw my face. He was too busy trying to right his weapon and get away without dropping it. No, I don’t think he saw me, even in the police station.”

  “Well, there we go. Nothing to worry about.” He made a mental note to have Jack hire someone to watch the house. This was too close to home. His wife had averted Mahoney’s attempt to test his weapon in the future, a place where he could feel no guilt or repercussions for hurting someone with it. They needed to be safer than this. What would it take? Would they need to go away, change their identities? No, he couldn’t tell any of this to Tabitha, not with her state of mind.

  “I’m going back to bed,” she announced, confirming Milt’s thoughts of concern for her.

  He stopped himself from asking if she felt alright. Instead, he asked, “Can I get you anything?”

  “No. You can’t change how my son feels about me.”

  “I’m telling you, it’s nothing. Please don’t worry about it.”

  #

  A couple of hours later, Tabitha awoke and came out of the bedroom.

  Milt was cooking fried chicken in a pan. Vegetables were in a pot on the stove. He had been cutting up potatoes as well.

  “No potatoes for me.”

  “Are you sure?” He didn’t know why he was surprised. Yes, she had always loved red potatoes with the skin on, but of course, lately she was not pleased by anything that she normally would love.

  “Did you have a good sleep?” Milt asked.

  “Strange dreams, but yeah. I slept.”

  “Well, that’s either good or bad.” Milt picked Peter up from the swing and gave him a bottle. “Do you want to take him or watch over the stove?”

  “I’ll watch the stove. You can cut the potatoes when you’re done with him. You know, I just can’t help thinking, why did we ever open up that Pandora’s box?”

  “Time travel, you mean?”

  “Yes. It’s like we went to another world, another dimension where Dr. George Mahoney exists, and we never knew he existed before. It seems as if going there is what brought him to life for us. Maybe it’s some sort of punishment for us tampering with time.”

  “Oh, no, I don’t see it that way at all.”

  “Of course you don’t.” She walked back to the bedroom. “I don’t want to go to the parties on New Year’s Eve. I guess you’ve noticed, I haven’t been to the gallery all week.”

  “Why not?”

  “I just haven’t felt up to it.” She came back out wearing a different top.

  “Why not go to the parties? You were so excited about the gallery party.”

  She shook her head. “No, there’s too much controversy surrounding 2000 and the New Year. I don’t know if I’d say I’m nervous, but I don’t want to be in the midst of any chaos right now. I sure don’t need it.”

  Milt couldn’t disagree. In fact, he thought it may be a good decision. He didn’t want to take her out and about if she was a bundle of nerves.

  “Did you shower today?” he asked.

  She narrowed her eyes as if ready to spit at him.

  Yes, of course, he knew there must have been an insinuation there. He had read books lately about relationships and about changes in marriage when a new child arrives. Apparently, many other men were at a loss as well. He never intended any of his comments to be passive aggressive or to imply that there was something noticeably wrong with her.

  Why should he be surprised, though? She was so headstrong that for anyone else to imply something was wrong would be taken as the utmost insult.

  “I’m showering now,” she said with her back turned, heading toward the master bedroom, middle finger up.

  He almost chuckled. That was his old Tabitha; she might be on her way back. Perhaps. It would be important for them to get along; no marriage could continue with such lack of positivity he was sure. He didn’t want a pretend marriage for the child’s sake. No, they got married because they were best friends who finally realized they were in love with each other. He wished they could feel in love again. Another piece of advice in the relationship help book was to say exactly what you mean but only in context. He was sure just asking if she’d showered might have been taken as a hint that she smelled.

  Hmm, he thought. I just can’t win these days.

  Peter had fallen asleep, and he placed him in the crib, but he didn’t dare go back near the master bedroom or bathroom based on how she had reacted the other day when he saw her doing her dance in the mirror. He shook his head.

  Later, she came out and they had a quiet dinner. “I’m going to go and get more formula,” she announced.

  “Really? We’re not even out. I think it’s about half full.”

  “It couldn’t hurt to have extra, in case our store gets looted.”

  “Shoot, Tabitha, don’t worry about that. It’s not going to be as bad as some people think.”

  Just then, the cell phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “He called, Tabitha.” Louise sounded distraught and ready to cry. “He sounds SO messed up. He just wanted to let me know he was alright.”

  “It’s okay, Louise.” Tabitha put her hand to her forehead, trying to hold it together. “Do you know where he was? Did he tell you?”

  “Oh, he can’t be far, but just far enough, ya’ know what I mean? I bet e’s in Jersey.” She sniffled.

  “Well, at least we know he’s okay.” Tabitha rubbed her forehead. She didn’t know what else to say, and she wasn’t even sure if she and Milt could be of any help now. “Do you think he’ll come back to the halfway house?”

  “Oh, sure, there’s a chance. He’s goin’ through that cycle, you know. At least I hope he goes back. I’m praying.”

  Tabitha mouthed the words ‘It’s Louise’ to Milt, as if he couldn’t already have figured it out.

  Milt just
nodded. At this point in their lives, there was no bringing him in, giving him shelter, loaning him money. If he called, either of them would take the time to speak with him, to try and talk him down if it seemed necessary. Their main goal now was to keep the lines of communication open.

  “Yes. Okay. Please let me know if you hear anything more.” Tabitha hung up the phone, put her head in her hands, and sobbed.

  Milt went over and ran his hand softly through her hair. She leaned in to his shoulder. He kissed the side of her face. She turned and kissed him back.

  It came as a shock to Milt. Albeit, a pleasant one. Then, the cell phone rang again, and she pulled back abruptly.

  Tabitha grasped the phone. “Hello?” She cried out desperately. “Jared!” She held her hand to her mouth, struggling against tears.

  “Hey, Tabitha. I just wanted you to know I’m--I’m alright. I had someone pull a knife on me last night. I thought it was the end. I’m gonna come back soon. Gotta see my little girl. It’s just, it’s really hard right now.”

  “Jared. Listen. You will get through this. And one day, you will help others get through it.”

  “How do you know, Tabitha? Cause I can’t see the light right now.”

  “Jared, you remember my dreams?”

  “You had a dream? Like the one where Mom had a flat tire, and then it really happened?”

  “Yes. And you can believe it or you cannot believe it, but I believe it.”

  Jared was sobbing now. “You can’t save me, Tabitha. No one can.”

  “No, Jared, I can’t save you, but you can save yourself. You can one day help others get free from this. It will happen. I believe it.” She heard more sobs for what seemed to be forever.

  “Thank you, Tabitha. I have to go.” The line went silent.

  Would it have been different if she had told him the truth? Still, she did believe it, totally believed it was possible.

  “What was that about?” Milt asked.

  Tabitha jumped out of her seat. “I need to change my shirt and go to the store. I almost forgot what I was doing.”