BACK TO THE PAST
Chapter Ten
Gary raced across town to the Brown Mansion
early the next morning. He didn’t know why, but he took every picture of his
grandparents he could find. They were now in his backpack. His parents always
said he carried the classic Dawson intuition and he knew something was up.
He thought of every other possibility that
could be. They could be other relatives of his that bore a strong resemblance
to them. But they were a couple. They couldn’t be related to each other…at
least he hoped not.
Minutes later he was in the front yard. He
was about to dash for the front door, but he instead turned and ran for the
garage. He heard voices, but instead of knocking leaned against the walls,
listening in.
"I’ll send you two home and destroy the
book myself."
"I don’t care anymore. Let’s go home
then," Rose sighed, "these clothes are starting to make me
sick." Gary peered in. What was she wearing? Something pale lavender or
blue. He couldn’t quite see. It was elegant, but damaged. Antique looking. Jack
looked pretty antique himself; only he was dressed in more modest clothes.
Wait, they were wearing those clothes yesterday when he came. Strange.
There was fumbling around and he couldn’t
hear everything they were saying. Then he could hear better.
"And the flux capacitor." Doc continued.
"Which is what makes time travel
possible." Jack and Rose finished for him.
Time travel? Gary raised an eyebrow. He didn’t believe he was
hearing this. He was always a bit of a sci-fi geek, but he was eighteen now.
But he wanted to believe it; it was an absurd yet perfect answer to his
questions.
"Well, at least this time we actually
have enough fuel to get you back. Tonight we’ll take this sucker down to old
Peabody’s Lot and send you back to the past!"
"Well, Doc, it’s been a hell of a
trip." Jack smiled.
"Destination 1912." Rose put on a
pair of sunglasses and cracked a big grin. Jack started laughing.
"Unfortunately for you, Rose, the only
people who wear those back good old 1912 are the blind."
"If I’m spending the rest of my life
with you I must be."
He gave her a little pinch and they giggled.
"I’ll take you back inside for lunch and
celebrate! Come on Edison!" Doc called to the sleeping beagle.
The dog trotted behind the three people
excited at the word ‘lunch.’ Doc pushed open the garage door ceremoniously and
slammed into Gary’s curious head.
"Argh!" Gary fell over and looked
up at the people he was now sure were his grandparents.
"Gary!" Doc shouted. "How long
have you been here?"
"Long enough." He clutched his
head. Rose helped up. "Thanks, Nana." Rose slowly stepped back.
"Listen, Gary," Doc started,
"I know this seems strange—"
Gary took a hard look at his grandparents
again and fainted. It was the sixth time he had fainted in his life. He hated
to admit his embarrassing quirk. But he couldn’t help it. Gary was a fainter.
And so would his soon-to-be-born niece.
*****
"Did I faint?" Gary cringed opening
his eyes to a familiar scene. The last time he fainted was at his grandparents’
house two years ago when he found out he didn’t make the basketball team—but
his sister did.
"Yes you did, but you’ll be okay."
His grandmother smiled; hair red now instead of white. Same smile, same
everything with less age. "How are you feeling?" She dabbed his head
with a wet washcloth.
"I still don’t believe it."
"Neither do I."
"Rose, how old are you?"
"Seventeen. Eighteen in October
1912."
Gary shook his head. She was even younger
than he was. Only by about six months, but still it was too weird.
"So that makes Pop…" Gary started
counting trying to remember exactly how old his grandfather was, a little older
than his grandmother, but not by much. "I can never remember exactly, how
old is he?"
His parents died when he was fifteen, but
that was a few years ago. But how much is a few? Oh my God, I DON’T know how
old he is!
"I’ll be right back." Rose dashed
out of the room.
She doesn’t know how old he is? Gary thought.
"Jack! Jack!"
Jack was downstairs with Doc fiddling with a
1980’s camcorder that had been left there some years ago and a tape he had
found hidden within the DeLorean. The camera was now hooked up to the
television.
"Rose," he said gesturing to the
television, "it’s a miniature picture show."
"Really?"
"A television. I’ll tell you all about
it later, but for now we're gonna watch this and see what it is." He
handed her a flat black box.
"What is it?"
"A VHS tape," answered Doc.
"You can record your own movies on
it," Jack announced with pride as if he had invented it himself.
"Film?" Rose asked.
"No, not film…tape," Jack
said.
"Well, I know it’s a tape, but you film
something with it."
"No, you tape it."
Rose shook her head seeing if she was going
to understand it would take her a while. "Listen, Jack," she started.
"Yes, Rose?"
She spoke slowly and deliberately. "How
old are you exactly?"
That stopped him. Now he knew she was
seventeen. She mentioned it somewhere. But did he ever tell her how old he
was?
"Uh, I’m nineteen."
"All right," Rose nodded,
"you’re nineteen…that is good to know…nineteen…Gary’s up. I have to go
talk to him now." She ran back upstairs.
Doc gave him a sideways look. "I guess
we didn’t get to that yet." Jack shrugged sheepishly.
*****
Rose came back downstairs with Gary.
"It’s working!" Jack gestured to
the TV.
"What’s that?" Gary pointed to the
tape.
"You’ll see." answered Doc. We’ll
all see. He thought thinking about the last thing he saw on one of these.
"Okay, let’s pop her in!"
The four of them sat down and began to watch
the tape. It was obviously recorded from television in 1996.
It started out with some guy named Brock
Lovett who was exploring the Titanic wreck. Then it went to something about the
discovery of one of her passenger’s who was thought to be dead. It went on to
recount the story of Rose Dawson Calvert a.k.a. Rose DeWitt Bukater. Other
specifics following her Titanic experience were yet undisclosed for she died
not long after coming out with her story.
One hour later…
"This has been a History Channel Special
Presentation." Doc shut off the tape.
"Wow, Lizzy at forty, she doesn’t look
half-bad," said Gary thinking about the interview footage of his adult
cousin, "and you," he turned to Rose, "one hundred one, that’s
pretty good…but then again I don’t exist and Jack’s dead."
"That was supposed to be us in that
water…" Jack said distantly.
"And I know the Calverts! What happened to
Mrs. C?" Gary realized suddenly.
"I think I’m going to faint
now." Rose sighed.
"Just think," Jack breathed,
"we’re going home tonight, we’re going home tonight."
*****
Gary eventually left and promised to come
back soon. He wondered if he tell anyone. His parents would never believe him
even though his father was the son of these people. His grandparents—as he knew
them already knew and they were on vacation in New York. Lizzy knew—in some
alternate universe, but she was only twelve now. Ricky’s grandparents had been
a part of it, but he would never believe him. His older sister, Nancy? She
wouldn’t believe him either…and didn’t want to upset a pregnant woman. But he
had to tell Chris.
Another thought crossed his mind that Cal guy
looked a lot like some one he knew in town, one of Biff's old goons. He worked
at the car wash now.
Whatever.
Gary ran back toward the high school and into
the gym where the Hill Valley Girl’s Varsity Basketball Team was playing.
He saw Shirley in the background and tried to
get her attention, but then he saw his sister. Better do what he came here to
do. He sighed and gave up Shirley for the time being.
"Christine!"
Startled, Christine missed the basket.
"Jesus, what happened to you?" She
skipped over, black ponytail swinging behind her.
"A lot…I need to talk to you."
"We’re in the middle of practice."
"It’s important. It’s about Jack and
Rose. There’s something you should know about them."
"I knew it! Their satanic cult does
worship me!"
"That’s not funny." He hated it
when she was these kinds of moods. Not there was anything wrong with joking
around, but she always did it at the most frustrating times. "Are you free
after practice?"
"No."
"Well you are now."
"No, I’m not I’m busy. Don’t tell me
what to do!"
"Goddammit, Chris, this is
important!"
"Fine," she sighed sensing his
urgency, but still pretending not to care, "but I’ll have to cut it short.
I have to meet Shirl."
"Bring her along then. Meet me at
home."
"All right! And you calm down, I don’t
want you fainting all over the place."
Gary grumbled and walked away. Hopefully, she
would believe him. But now Shirley was coming too. She couldn’t know and what
if he tried to tell Christine with her there? She’d think he was insane.
Life just didn’t get any better.