My Future Past

My Future Past

All my life I've heard the stories about my grandmother and grandfather. Not just from my mother but my aunts, uncles from the people who knew them even those that read their stories.
I've read articles about their charities, all the money they raised for the homeless, the abused and those that lost everything to natural disasters. People from all walks of life seemed to love them even if they didn't know them.
My grandfather loved to write and they were something to behold, true works of literary art raging from drama to science fiction to horror. But the one thing I never heard was how great a mother or father they were. No one spoke of it not even my family, I always thought that was strange.
From the story my mother would tell me when I was young, they meet one night at a bar just by chance. My grandmother was leaving then literally ran into my grandfather who was there with a friend. When their eyes meet it was love at first sight, at least that's the way my mother tells it.
She told me how they talked until the bar closed then meet again the next day for lunch then that afternoon they got married. They were already in their thirties when they meet and married then soon welcomed a baby girl into the world. By the time they were forty they had five kids, the last being my mother.
And in that short period of time they had set up multiple charities wrote over a dozen books, numerous short stories, magazine articles and had effectively become a household name.
A year after they had their first child my grandfather had been diagnosed with a form of leukemia no one had seen before. The treatments varied wildly from what I understand but eventually they had no way to slow it down or stop it. He died when my mother was four.
For years my grandmother kept going, raising five children and continuing their charities and fundraisers. She saw her five children grow up then marry and have children of their own. When I was four she too passed away. I hate to say it but I don't even remember her.
My father was killed in an auto accident two years later leaving my mother to raise me alone, but not totally alone. I don't remember much about him either but I know they loved each other he loved me. My aunts and uncles had been there for us while I was growing up even when I went off to college. To them family was everything.
It was one of the reasons why I wish I could have meet my grandparents. In public they belonged to everyone, but at home... well, I don't really know. My aunts and uncles were very close never moving away from the city they were raised in. They stayed in touch almost every day and always made time for whom ever in the family needed it.
Was this due to the was they were raised or because of the way they were raised? In other words, were my grandparents good parents always taking time for their children even with their hectic life? Or bad parents ignoring their children forcing the children to rely on each other growing even closer and more protective because of my grandparents hectic life?
That is why I needed to learn more about them, about my grandparents. It is the main reason why I needed to build a time machine. I needed to know more about them and in order to do so I would have to go back and see them for myself from the beginning.
Because of this obsession I turned to the filed of theoretical and practical physics. Not that I didn't have anything against my grandparents writing mind you. They had in fact been the inspiration in my filed of work. Their mysterious background, my mother, aunts and uncles lives growing up.
Every story they had written that involved time travel had an affect on me, and believe me they had a lot of them. Most were about changing the future either by accident or by choice with an outcome that was often, well, different than what you could imagine.
All of that is what led me to my life long pursuit of creating a time machine of my own. Not like H.G. Wells or any of the ones you see on TV, you know the ones where you need a large building and nuclear power plant to power it. But one you can hold in your hand and put in your pocket.
This obsession led me to spend many sleepless nights working over my desk and computer. It also led me to my wife Louis, who was also a theoretical physicist and is now pregnant with our first child. And if the tests were correct it was a girl.
I had doubts about being a good father, not having one myself. I read many books on the subject but my mother told me to follow my heart when raising her, not some book. With all my doubts and apprehensions, I knew I couldn't dream of any other life. Still, my life would not be complete until this obsession was realized.
One day when I woke up after falling asleep at my desk at home, again, I saw it. Sitting right there in front of me, from out of nowhere it seemed. A small rectangular case two inches wide, four inches long and as thin a credit card. I stared at for a moment then picked it up. Underneath the case was a small piece of paper folder up and stuck to the back side.
I took it off sat the case down and unfolded the letter. It took me a moment to realize that it was in my hand writing. I read it then read it again. I found it hard to believe but the proof was right in front of me.
"Don't worry George, you're not dreaming this. You sent this to me and now I am sending it to you." I looked at the case then back at the note.
"Yes, it is what you think it is, a time machine. It's an amazing device and simple to operate. Just press the month, day, year and time into it, it displays it on the screen as you go then press enter. It somehow knows where you want to go and puts where you don't land in any danger, still haven't figured that part out. When you want to come back just press return and it brings you right back to the same place you left only a few seconds later, probably so you don't run into yourself coming and going."
"You can even plug it into your USB charger to charge it when you get back just make sure you charge it before you leave, one charge per round trip so don't screw it up." I picked it up and opened the case. Inside was a small screen and keypad on the screen like a tablet or cell phone. I turned it over and saw the small port on the side to plug in the USB cord. I went back to the note.
"Now go and find out what you've always wanted to know. But beware you can only use it twenty times, after that you'll become sick and eventually die. The effects of time travel on the human body is quit hard. Now go and enjoy. Oh, and take Dave with you. He'll get a kick out this too and might actually inspire him to write something truly magnificent."
I sat back reading the note over and over thinking. Did I send this to myself even if I hadn't invented it yet? When did I invent it? Why would I send it to me now? My head started to hurt then it hit me.
Yes, I had to tell Dave he would want to know. He would have to see it to believe it, but how to prove it to him and to me? Yes! I knew how to prove it to both of us and with Louis visiting her mother in Phoenix, this was the perfect time. I picked up the phone and called him.
Dave and I have known each other since high school. We started out hating each other, had a few fights but eventually became friends. He hasn't had the same luck with women that I found with Louis. Louis told him that when he meet the right woman he would know it and so would she.
He showed up an hour later, almost to the minute he said he would not sure what all the excitement was about. All I told him was I had something he needed to see with me, something world shattering. We went to my study and I closed the door then poured us both a small glass of whiskey.
"A bit early in the day for a drink isn't it?" He asked. I handed it to him smiled and looked at the clock.
"Just wait for it." I said then stood there with my drink in hand as well. A knock at my study door made him turn around.
"Would you answer it please." He looked at me puzzled then went and opened the door. Right in front of him stood... me. He looked startled looked back at me in the study then back at me at the door.
"Hi Dave." I said to him then waved to myself here in the room. Dave turned around and looked at me confused like never before. The past me closed the door.
"What the hell was that?" He asked.
"That was me ten minutes ago coming here to say hi to you and me now."
"What?" I held up the small case and smiled.
"I did it. I created a time machine." He chugged the whiskey in one gulp, poured himself another while I chugged mine then he poured me another as well. We both chugged them down again then he plopped himself into the recliner.
"That was trick wasn't it?" He asked. "You're just playing a trick on me." I handed the case to him and he opened it looking at it closely.
"Want to see what time travel is like?" He jumped up grinning from ear to ear.
"Where to first?" He asked handing me the case.
"The one place I've always wanted to go." He looked at me for a moment.
"Wont that be creating one of those paradoxes you're always talking about?"
"Only if we change something, so lets not." I opened the case put in the day, month, year and time I wanted. It was the day my grandparents had meet at the bar. I looked at Dave and smiled. He grabbed my hand stopping me before I pressed enter.
"You know when it'll take us but how do you know where it'll take us?"
"It just does, not sure how yet. But it just does." I pressed enter.
We almost fell against the wall coughing, breathing hard and trying not to throw up. When Dave had gotten a hold of himself he stood up and looked at me.
"Is it always that bad?"
"Yeah." I said trying to catch my breath. At least it was the first time I thought.
"Where are we?" We walked out of the alley into the night air looking up and down the street until I saw it. A bar not fifty feet away called the Pelican. That was where my grandparents meet this night ninety nine years ago.
We headed for the bar went in and sat down at a table in the far back. The room was loud smoky and stank. A woman came over and asked us what we wanted, I told her two beers and she left.
"We don't have any money." Dave whispered to me. I told him to relax, I raided my money collection after I called him. Yes I collected old money, have been since I was a kid. Something my grandmother and mom helped me start. I sat back at the sudden realization of that. Why would they want me to do that?
The woman came back bringing two bottles of cold beer told me the cost and I pulled out the money and handed it to her with a tip. She suddenly smiled leaned over the table showing us her ample breasts that were barely being held inside her small pink top.
"You just call me if you need anything, sugar." She stood up stuck the money between her breasts then left moving her hips more than she did before.
"Why did she say that?" Dave asked. I just shrugged and took a drink of my beer then looked around. I know she was here someplace we just had to find her then we would find my grandfather too. Dave started to looked uneasy then started to get up.
"I have to go.." He didn't finish. I reminded him that they didn't have unisex bathrooms here as he left. I continued to look around and wait. The music was louder than I liked the smoke in the air was from the cigarettes they smoked and people seemed to be either playing pool or trying to take someone home.
It was almost half an hour before I realized Dave had not come back. I got ready to look for him when he suddenly appeared. He sat down looking like he just had a lucky encounter with a woman. All I could do was hope he hadn't.
"What happened to you?" I asked.
"Sorry ran into a woman, had to make sure she was ok."
"Ran into a woman?"
"She was leaving when I was coming back and I ran into her knocking her down." Shock suddenly hit me. "We have to go." I told him standing up.
"Did you see them?" He asked.
"I think so."
"Aren't you going to at least say hi them?"
"No, lets go." I left without looking back. Dave how ever did look back at the woman he was leaving at the bar.
We got back to the alley I took out the time machine and pressed return. We hit the floor coughing and hacking this time. Not sure why it worse this time, maybe it was the beer. I went over pulled out my USB charger and plugged in the time machine. Dave was sitting in the chair looking like depressed.
"So, how long does that take to charge and where do we go next?" He asked. I wasn't feeling well, probably a combination of the smoke, beer and trip.
"Not long. I have to go take a break myself." I left. Before I got back to my study the door bell rang. I opened it up and saw my mother there.
"Mom! What are you doing here?" I asked. She came in with a small box and headed for my study.
"I came when I was told to." She said opening the door and heading in. I followed then realized Dave was no longer there. I looked around then froze, the time machine and charger were gone. Panic started to over take me, then my mother took me in her arms.
"Sit down there's something you need to know." I sat down in the recliner Dave had just been in while she opened the box. She pulled out some old pictures then handed them to me.
"These are pictures of your grandmother and grandfather from the night they meet." I looked at her then slowly looked at the pictures. There was Dave sitting with my grandmother Linda, holding her hand and both were smiling while they had their picture taken. I looked at a few more before looking back at my mother.
She handed me a letter that had my name on it. I took it staring at it not wanting to read it. I opened it anyway.
"Hi George," It was from Dave I recognized his writing anywhere.
"As you already know I took the time machine and charger. I'm sorry, but I had to go back. Those few short minutes I had with Linda were not enough. I had to get to know her better and we did. We got married the next day after we had lunch. It was her idea but I knew I loved her and wanted to be with her for the rest of my life."
"I'm sitting here at the foot of our bed watching her sleep while I write this. Right next to her is your mother, only five days old. They both look so beautiful... just like her brothers and sisters. It is a future I could only dream of, a future you gave me."
"I now know the love and joy you feel with Louis and the apprehensions you have about your child. It is that reason I did not return the time machine to you right away. You need to watch her grow up to play with her every chance you get."
"To see the joy in her face when you tell her you love her, because I will never have that chance with your mother. I have leukemia and I am dying. The time machine, though a wondrous device is also a dangerous one."
"I have so many things I wanted to tell you both but will never get the chance. My travels, my mistakes... but you can read all that in our stories. I finally made it big George and that's all because of you."
"I'll send the time machine to you in your future so you can see what I've seen, experience what I've experienced. And when you are ready you'll send it to yourself in the past so we can do this all over again." He drew a smiley face next that line.
"Take care George; you are my best friend the brother I've always wanted and the grandson I've always known." He signed it: Love George, your Grandfather. I started to cry, mom put her arms around me and cried too.
I now know why I was never told much about my grand parents. Because of my actions I had created my own paradox... My Future Past.