BACK TO THE PAST
Chapter Six
April 5, 1968
12:00 PM
"We met our grandchildren. They’re our
age," Rose stated with an odd lack of emotion.
"Uh-huh."
"Christine looks almost exactly like
your cousin."
"Yes, she does. We’re in a lot of
trouble, aren’t we?"
"One might assume so. Doc isn’t going to
be happy."
"We haven’t screwed any up yet, I
guess."
"Yet."
"Well, if we weren’t going to get home,
Christine and Gary wouldn’t exist."
Just then the telephone rang. After several
rings, Jack finally picked it up. "Hello?"
"Jack?"
"Yeah." Rose moved in closer so she
could hear.
"It’s Doc. Sorry, I was out trying to
get hold of more plutonium. We have just barely enough to get you home, and a
certain event occurred yesterday, which might have adverse effects if either of
you obtain knowledge of it."
"What? Do they sell plutonium in
drugstores now?"
"No, I had to go to more drastic
measures, but no worry, no worry. I have it now. Wait there. Don’t leave the
house, and we’ll get you home by tomorrow. I just have to make a few repairs
and figure out a few new functions, but you’ll be all right." He hung up.
"We’re going home." Rose smiled.
*****
Meanwhile, back in 1912…
"If they were able to get back, they
would’ve been here by now," said Jules.
"But if they weren’t able to get back,
Jen wouldn’t be here," argued his little brother. "Maybe they got
back, but they’re lost."
"They’ve been gone for ten minutes.
Where could they be?" The boys’ mother was pleading with their father in
the next cabin. "They should have been back immediately."
"We should wait just a little longer.
Give them another ten minutes, and then we’ll do something, but just another
ten minutes."
*****
"Should we tell him we left?"
"No," Rose answered him.
"That was quick."
"Well, if we’re going home very soon,
we’ll be fine, and he won’t find out. Nothing bad happened yet. Like you
said."
"Except for being chased by gang of
thugs that make life hell for our grandchildren and nearly being caught by some
schoolmaster, knowing that something awful and apparently newsworthy happened
yesterday and we can’t know about it, and either we find out and do something
stupid, or we spend our whole lives wondering what happened on April 4, 1968…I
could go on."
"I never thought you’d be one to worry
like that."
"I’ve been in over my head most of my
life, but this is the only time I haven’t enjoyed it."
"Sorry to ruin your fun."
"I never said I was bothered because I
wasn’t having fun. We just have a big problem on our hands."
"The problem is being solved."
"At this very moment we are not home.
The problem has not been solved yet. We were supposed get off together when the
ship docked, but that didn’t happen, and I won’t be at ease until we’re back in
1912."
"It was your idea to leave the
house."
"I’m sorry, okay? This just isn’t
registering with me."
The doorbell rang. Rose stormed off towards
the door to go answer it. It was Christine. She had two little children with
her. The girl was about two, and the boy a few years older.
"We got you a couple of books with some
general information in them. It’s not much, but it was the best we could
do."
"Oh, thank you," Rose said,
pretending to forget her fight with Jack. "The fact that you did anything
is remarkable." She took the books from her granddaughter’s filled hands.
"No problem. Just helping out the new
kids. Couldn’t kill us, and I like you guys. Ow!" The little toddler in
her arms had latched onto her hair. "Linda, sweetie, please let go of
Chrissie’s hair. That hurts very much." Linda giggled and squealed, but
complied with Christine’s order. "Baby-sitting."
"Would you like to come in?"
"Sure. Thanks. Is Doc home?"
"No, not at the moment."
"Hey, Jack!" She came in, put the
toddler down on the couch, and freed her hand from the little boy. Little Linda
looked up at Jack with curiosity. Jack smiled at her, and she smiled back.
"Chris, I have to use the toilet."
The little boy tugged at Christine’s pants.
"Hold on a minute. I gotta take Dave to
the bathroom." Christine and Dave disappeared into the bathroom.
Jack watched Rose with anticipation as she
paced and forth with the books, not opening them. She eventually set them down
and sat next to Linda.
"Ouch!" Linda yanked down Rose’s
hair and was examining it. Rose giggled with the little girl as she tried to
free her locks, forgetting everything else for a minute.
"Careful. She’s got thing about
hair." Christine had emerged from the bathroom.
"I’ve noticed."
Christine picked Linda up again and signaled
to Dave. "Sorry, we’ve got to go. I’ve gotta have these two back home by
twelve thirty, and I can’t be late. Mrs. McFly’s got the third kid coming, and
she’s having the craziest mood swings. My sister Nancy’s having a baby, too.
She’s even worse."
"Mommy’s gone nuts," Dave
commented.
Christine just shook her head. "I’ll see
you guys around." The goofy threesome skipped out moments later.
"McFly?" Jack turned to Rose.
"Marty. Sister?"
"Jennifer."
"Shit." Rose sighed.
"You said shit."
"I know."
"I’ve never heard you say that
before."
"Do you want to check the books
now?"
"No."
"Let’s do it."
"Right." Jack picked up the first
book, one on sunken ships. He sifted through the pages until he found the one
on Titanic.
They read the first few paragraphs silently
and stopped.
"The most famous shipwreck of all,"
Rose whispered after a moment.
"Fifteen hundred people. One thousand
five hundred."
"Not enough lifeboats."
"The Californian saw the flares and got
the distress signal, but didn’t respond."
"Mothers, fathers, children."
"And we knew them."
"It was yesterday, and now it’s just some
text entry. Some little historical note." She barely got the last words
out, and her voice cracked awkwardly.
Jack closed the book and pushed it off the
table, taking the other book and an empty glass with it. He drew Rose closer to
him, and held her tighter and tighter until they were crushing each other,
faces pressed into each other's shoulders, with loud, painful wails.
The absurdity of their unique situation had
distanced them from reality. It only took few simple facts on paper to bring it
all rushing back. The result was agonizing and unbearable.