Second Chances

Jenn opened the door to her motel room. She didn’t need to ask who it was first. She had known that he would come to her. Brian entered the room and collapsed into the chair.

“How did you know?” he asked. There was suspicion in his eyes.

“I told you how I knew,” she said quietly. “Can I fix you a drink? You look as if you could use something.”

He did a double take then, as if really looking at her for the first time. Gone was the baggy shorts and t-shirt. His eyes widened as he took in her tight jeans, green silk shirt, and the expensive leather of the new shoes she’d picked up just this morning. She knew she looked a lot different from the wild-eyed woman who’d pounded on his door just over twenty-four hours ago.

“Where did you get those clothes?”

She could tell from the look in his eyes that he still didn’t believe what she’d told him. Okay. They’d start small. They’d start with her clothes.

“That was easy. I went home. To Jennifer’s home. I know where I used to hide the key, and her clothes are all my size----because I’m her. This shirt is one I never liked----I won’t miss it. The jeans I’ve already missed. I remember that I wondered what happened to them. See, there’s this strange memory thing that happens when you change the past. You get something called residual memories and…..”

“Just stop!” he said angrily. “Stop with the time travel crap. I want to know who you really are. I want to know the truth.

“Brian, I swear, I’ve told you nothing but the truth.”

Brian stood up and walked toward the phone that was on the desk. “That’s it. I’m calling the police.”

She touched his arm. “Don’t. Please. I was just trying to show you that I am from the future by telling you what was going to happen.”

Brian didn’t know what to think, what to do. She looked so normal. Her hair fell in beautiful curls down her back. She didn’t look like any kind of a madwoman today. She looked like the kind of woman who would stand out in a crowd----the kind of woman he’d make an effort to meet face-to-face.

“Two more days,” Jenn said. “Please, Bri. Give me just two more days to change your mind.”

He shook his head. “Two days isn’t going to make a difference in the way I feel.”

“Yes, it will. I remembered something else that happened. The news came two days after the reports about AJ and the concert. There’s going to be an earthquake--- a pretty bad one, but no one will be hurt. The reports should be coming in right about this time on Sunday. Even you have got to admit that there’s no way I could predict an earthquake.”

*********************

Brian stood in his living room, staring at the television.

An earthquake. The TV news anchors were reporting an earthquake, just the way the madwoman had said. Exactly, the way she had said. Jenn had accurately predicted the future not once but twice.

The madwoman very likely wasn’t mad at all.

The telephone rang. Brian wasn’t a time traveler from the future, but he knew exactly who was on the other end.

“We need to talk.” He said without even a hello.

“How about we go somewhere for dinner?” Jenn’s soft voice asked him.

“I’ll meet you at Margarita’s. The Mexican restaurant across the street from your motel.” Brian stated, watching the pictures of the earthquake’s destruction on the TV. “Order me a tequila. I think I’m going to need it.”

next chapter