Changed by Time

by Zoe Matthews

  When she came down the stairs, she saw Megan and Keegan sitting at the table with a plate already set for her. “Thank you,” she said as she sat down. They blessed the food, then all ate in silence for a few minutes.

  After Barbara had curbed her hunger, she felt an overwhelming need to tell Megan the truth about her birth. She wasn’t sure what had changed in the last week that made her feel better about telling Megan. Maybe it was meeting Daniel, finding confidence in who she was, or defending herself against Mr. Baldwin the night before.

  Could it only have been one day since that horrifying moment?

  One thing was for sure: after everything that had happened with George, it was likely going to come out soon-- and Barbara didn’t want Megan to hear it from anyone but herself.

  “Megan, I need to talk to you,” she said, but she couldn’t seem to be able to launch into the story right away.

  Keegan stood as if thinking Barbara wanted to be alone with Megan. “I will be in the other room.”

  “No, Keegan, please stay. You should hear this, too.” Barbara felt Megan might feel better if she had him there to help comfort her.

  “I haven’t told you much about your father, and with everything that has been happening, I feel like it is important that you know more about him now.”

  Megan seemed surprised at the topic, then grew concerned as she exchanged glances with Keegan. “Okay.”

  “His name is Jason Cooper. He was the son of my parents’ closest friends, so we grew up around each other. He usually didn’t like to do things with me and ignored me for a long time. When I was a senior in high school, he started showing interest in me, sitting with me at lunch, and walking me to my class. He asked me to the Christmas dance; I was so shocked and flattered. He was the one all the girls wanted to go to the dance with.

  “On the way back from the dance, he took me to a side road that people didn’t use much. He started kissing me, and when I asked him to stop…he wouldn’t.”

  Barbara wasn’t able to say anything more than that. She didn’t want to go into details with her daughter and was scared it would trigger a flashback. She glanced up at Megan and saw a shocked and outraged face. Keegan reached across the table to place his hand over Barbara’s while simultaneously pulling Megan closer to him. She knew then that they understood what she was trying to say.

  “I went to the police. My parents were furious. Jason’s parents were their closest friends, like I said. They couldn’t believe that their friends would raise a boy capable of that. They thought I was lying.” Barbara cleared her throat. The way her parents had treated her was still painful. “When I found out I was pregnant, they created this plan for me to visit my aunt until you were born. I was then to give you up for adoption and go to college. I knew I couldn’t give up my baby. So I left right after graduation. I changed my name and started over. You know the rest of the story.”

  Barbara waited in silence for a moment, watching Megan carefully. Emotions flitted across her face so quickly, she couldn’t be sure exactly what Megan was feeling.

  “I don’t want you to let this become a part of who you are,” Barbara said with fire in her voice. “Even if your father was a horrible man, it hasn’t reflected on you one bit. You are the brightest part of my life, and I have never regretted having you. Not once.”

  Megan looked surprised yet again, as though she hadn’t considered letting this news affect how she thought about herself. “Mom,” she said but didn’t seem able to continue. Megan jumped up from her chair and ran over to Barbara to give her a tight hug. “Have you been dealing with this by yourself all these years? Please tell me you have at least talked to someone who understood.”

  Barbara had a hard time understanding what Megan was saying. She was worried about Barbara, instead of herself? She found her bearings enough to answer Megan’s question. “Do you remember Mrs. Whittaker? The woman who owned that herb shop I worked at for so long? She was a big help. I talked her, and she taught me how to deal with the memories so they don’t affect my day-to-day life. She is the reason we are where we are. In so many different ways.”

  Megan seemed relieved by this. “Good.” She didn’t talk again and seemed to be thinking hard.

  “Are you going to be alright?” Barbara worried.

  “Me? Of course. I know who I am, and I know it is because of you, not my father. I am worried about you,” Megan said honestly.

  Tears welled up in Barbara’s eyes. “You are such a good girl.” She pulled Megan into a hug again for a few long moments before moving away. “There is something else.” Caution filled Megan’s eyes again, and she slid back into her own chair.

  “George Manning found out. I don’t know how, but he knows my real name, and he knows who your father is. He has threatened to contact him and reveal where we are. I thought he was just bluffing, but with how things have been escalating, I thought it was time you knew.”

  Megan nodded. “It all makes so much more sense now that I know. I could never understand why you still agreed to marry him after I Keegan offered his house as a solution.”

  “Yes, I was just trying to keep you safe. I didn’t want him to come and bother you. I came to realize that by marrying him, I could effectively ruin our relationship, so that is why I called it off. He has been threatening me ever since.”

  Megan nodded again, then sat for a moment in silence. “Thank you for telling me, Mom. You don’t need to worry about telling me things like this. I can handle it, I promise. I can help.”

  “We both can,” Keegan spoke up. “You will need to stay here until we get everything sorted out with George Manning. You will be safe here.”

  “Thank you both so much.” Barbara could barely get the words out as tears threatened to fall again. She forced herself to think about something else. “How has Mary Anne been working out?”

  Megan grinned for the first time since Barbara had returned. “She has been great. A godsend, really. She knows how to run a small business and already has some good suggestions. She is very eager to learn all she can about herbs and she absolutely loves to cook.”

  Barbara felt relieved and a little guilty that she hadn’t thought about her shop at all while she was in Daniel’s time. She was glad she had inadvertently helped Megan out by hiring Mary Anne just before she disappeared.

  “I’m so glad to hear that. I had a good feeling about her, but it is nice to know she is working out.”

  “She’s brought her boys by a few times. I told her that was okay. They absolutely love Keegan,” Megan said.

  “Of course that’s okay,” Barbara agreed, remembering how another woman had helped her by giving her a job in her herb store when Megan was a baby. She had also allowed Barbara to bring Megan with her.

  “Well, I think it has been a long enough day. Let’s all get some sleep,” Barbara suggested.

  Megan and Keegan agreed, and they all went their separate ways. Megan went back to her studio apartment, and Keegan rinsed the dishes before walking up to his own room. Barbara trudged up the stairs and stopped by Laura’s room to check on them. Laura was sleeping, and Daniel was making up a bed on the couch at the other end of the room.

  “You don’t have to sleep on the couch. There are enough rooms for you to have your own bed.” Barbara spoke, and she could see she startled him.

  He cleared his throat. “I would rather Laura not be alone. I want to be here in case she needs something.”

  “I can understand that. I will be in the room next door. You can get me if she needs anything at all,” she offered, but could see that her offer made him uncomfortable. She needed to remember that in his time, men weren’t supposed to even enter a woman’s sleeping quarters, let alone wake her up while she was in them. She quickly added, “Or, if you prefer, you can ask Keegan. He is in the room next to mine.”

  Daniel seemed to like that idea better. “Thank you.”

  Barbara smiled, and was about to leave, but stopped when she heard him sa
y her name. Oh, how she loved it when he called her by her first name.

  “Barbara. I mean it. Thank you for saving my sister.” Emotion poured from his eyes; gratitude, fear, hope, relief.

  Tears threatened to fall again when she realized how difficult this had been on him. “You are very welcome.” She smiled kindly at him. “Get some sleep.”

  She left him there and shut the door quietly. She went to the bathroom, and took a shower, grateful for the warm running water Keegan had installed. She climbed into bed and was asleep immediately.

  Chapter 14

  Megan sat with her head in her hands. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but she couldn’t sleep.

  Her wedding was this weekend--only five more days to prepare. She had stopped planning when her mother went missing, so she felt behind.

  Now her mother was back, but so much had happened.

  Her mother had been raped as a teenager. Megan still couldn’t wrap her mind around that; about what it meant when she was born. She had always admired her mother, and that admiration had only grown after hearing her story last night.

  She’d had a baby because a man had forced himself on her, and she loved that baby. She lost her family because of that baby. She had struggled for years because she chose to love Megan more than hate the act that had brought her there. Only an incredibly strong woman could make it through a life like that at such a young age.

  Just then, she heard a knock on the doorframe, and glanced back to see Keegan watching her. “Can I join you?”

  She smiled. “Of course.” She glanced down at her now cold, full cup of tea. “I can make a fresh batch of tea if you would like.”

  “I’ll do it.” And just like that, Keegan was working in the kitchen, boiling water, and frying a couple of eggs.

  Megan didn’t realize she was hungry until she smelled them. Gratitude overwhelmed her. “Thank you, Keegan. For being a wonderful man, for knowing what I need before I know myself, for standing by me when things get hard.”

  He stopped what he was doing, and came over to her, wrapping her tightly in a hug. “I would do anything for you. I’m the lucky one to have you in my life.” He pulled back and kissed her gently.

  “I’m thinking it might be a good idea to postpone the wedding,” she said, hating that she had to bring up the subject.

  His eyes turned from happy to serious. “Because of your mom?”

  “Yes. She has been through a lot this last week. Not to mention we haven’t even dealt with the George Manning problem. It’s too much for her all at once.”

  Keegan nodded, looking sad. “I see. If you want to postpone the wedding, I will understand. Maybe we should talk to your mom about it, and ask her what she thinks.”

  Megan nodded. “You’re probably right.”

  Keegan kissed her on the forehead, poured the steeped tea into two mugs, and brought it all over to the table.

  “Ooh, I might make myself some of that,” Barbara said from behind her, kissing her cheek before she went over to counter to start her own eggs and tea. Keegan gestured to Megan with his eyes to tell her now would be a good time to talk.

  Megan took a deep breath. “Hey, Mom. How did you sleep?”

  “Wonderfully. I don’t think I moved once last night.”

  “Oh, that’s good.” Megan paused, not sure how to start this conversation. “Um…I have a question for you.”

  Her mother stopped moving around the kitchen.

  “I know a lot has happened in these last couple weeks, between George Manning getting more aggressive, and going back in time…I’m just thinking maybe it would be better to postpone the wedding a month or so to give you time to sort some stuff out.”

  Barbara looked shocked and almost offended. “Absolutely not. There is nothing that would make me happier than seeing you married to such a wonderful man. To see you postpone it would only add to the bad that has been happening. Although I don’t feel time traveling to 1816 was a bad thing.”

  Megan was flooded with relief. “Are you sure?”

  “It would be worth it to us if waiting to get married meant you would have better memories at our wedding,” Keegan pitched in, wording it in a different way.

  “I am sure. You are getting married in five days, and we will do everything we can to get it all set up in time,” Barbara said firmly. She sat down with her own eggs and tea. “Now, what all still needs to be done?”

  Megan let a big smile break out over her face. They all ate then while making plans for the week. She would have been willing to wait for her mother to be ready for her wedding, but she was very happy she wouldn’t have to postpone it. A thrill of excitement shot through her. She would be married to her best friend by the end of the week.

  ****

  The next few days passed quickly. Barbara and Megan worked to catch up on all the wedding plans. More than once, Barbara was grateful that Megan wasn’t too frilly and only wanted a simple backyard wedding.

  She spent whatever extra time she could up in Laura's room with Daniel. Laura was feeling better now that the antibiotics had had some time to work, but she was still tired a lot. Daniel had relaxed and started laughing and joking more. Whenever Barbara was with him, she always had a large smile on her face.

  She and Megan were currently finishing the centerpieces for the few tables they wanted to set up. They had found an assortment of old lanterns in an antique shop. They planned to sand them down a little and stain them the same color. They also had to fix a few of the lantern doors. They were almost done; she was staining her last one. It was fun work, but Barbara still wished she could be spending the time with Daniel. She knew he would be ready to leave once Laura’s antibiotics were finished.

  Megan’s stomach grumbled loudly, and she laughed. “I guess it’s time for dinner.”

  Barbara laughed, too. “I think I would agree with you. How does Chinese takeout sound?”

  “Like it would hit the spot! I think the restaurant down the street will even deliver it here. You want the usual?” Megan asked as she pulled out her phone.

  “Of course,” Barbara said, her stomach rumbling at the thought of their favorite take-out meal. “Be sure to order a little extra for Daniel and Laura.” They would normally order enough to have leftovers for a couple extra days anyway, but she didn’t want to run out of food.

  While Megan made the call and ordered their favorite chicken and beef dishes, Barbara took a break to go check on Daniel and Laura.

  She knocked on the open door, and only saw Daniel sitting on the couch, reading a book. He looked up as she entered. “Laura was feeling good enough to wash up. I showed her how to use the shower.”

  Barbara smiled. “I’ll bet she’ll feel nice to get clean. It’s always nice to feel a little normal again after being sick so long. Megan and I ordered dinner. They should be bringing it by in about a half hour.”

  Daniel seemed confused. “They are bringing the food here? To cook it?”

  Barbara chuckled. “No, they cook it in the restaurant, then drive it to different homes for an extra fee. It is nice when you have a very busy day and don’t have time to cook.”

  “Oh, I see,” Daniel said, then smiled as he always did right before he was going to joke. Barbara’s heart fluttered. “I sure hope it’s better than eating the meals cooked around here.” He smiled again, and she knew he was just teasing. He had scraped every plate of food they had given him completely clean.

  “It should be. It is one of my favorite meals to order. It’s Chinese food.”

  Daniel seemed genuinely intrigued now. “Is it authentic? And you eat this frequently?”

  “Well it’s probably Americanized Chinese food, but it is still very good.”

  “I can’t wait to try it.” He jumped up from his chair, as if the thought of trying a new cuisine was too exciting for him to sit still.

  Laura came in wearing a pair of borrowed sweatpants and t-shirt. She was the same size as Megan, so she had been using Megan’s
clothes to relax in. At the moment, she wore a green t-shirt and sweatpants. She pulled and shifted the fabric frequently, giving Barbara the impression that she wasn’t comfortable in them. After all, she had likely never worn pants before.

  “Barbara said someone is bringing Chinese food to the house,” Daniel told Laura he walked over to her.

  “If you’re feeling up to it, you can come downstairs with us to eat. We can show you a movie tonight,” Barbara suggested.

  Laura looked hesitant, but Daniel looked excited.

  “Yes, what a wonderful idea,” Daniel exclaimed, then turned to Laura. “That is, if you are not feeling too ill?”

  Her hesitation seemed to melt his enthusiasm a little, and she smiled at him. “I agree; it is time we leave this room.”