{"id":10994,"date":"2018-08-08T06:00:35","date_gmt":"2018-08-08T11:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/?p=10994"},"modified":"2018-08-08T06:00:35","modified_gmt":"2018-08-08T11:00:35","slug":"all-the-time-we-need","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/?p=10994","title":{"rendered":"All The Time We Need"},"content":{"rendered":"

Much needed August rain spotted her dusty wind shield as Caroline pressed her pass to the identifier, and then, her ring finger print. Nodding to the guard, she drove the FEMA van through the gate to the restricted area. Around her neck, were nine badges, and her eye was the final key to the interior lock of the old missile silo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline\u2019s parents, Sophie and Frank, molecular physics professors, had spent their lives developing their dream. Unknown to the University and the Board of Regents, their true work was hidden in the confines of a superfund site. And now, passing through the final locked door, she was going to fulfill their dying wish. <\/span><\/p>\n

Lead Engineer, Jordan, her handsome fianc\u00e9, greeted her in a warm embrace, nuzzling her neck. She air kissed his cheek and took off her hard hat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her father\u2019s handpicked team of grad students was assembled. The systems were set. Alone, in the private office her parents had once occupied, she took deep breaths to shake off her pre-travel nerves. With a touch of a button, hidden under the chair rail on the wall, the panels silently moved to display the panorama of the lab just beyond the office door. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sophie had designed this office to spend as much private time with her beloved husband as possible, as Frank kept his micromanaging eye on everything. <\/span><\/p>\n

They had both cautioned Caroline to keep this view a secret, but she had decided to reveal it to Jordan when she returned from her travel. After all, he was her father\u2019s most favored prot\u00e9g\u00e9, and they would be married next month.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the windows, she watched the team activate the systems for the maiden near journey. Sophie had always planned that Caroline would be the first. Frank, a life-long feminist, thought it was a funny idea \u2013 taking the trip before she got her MRS. Degree, a sign that he approved of her engagement with Jordan.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was Sophie\u2019s idea to use a new minivan \u2013 in a style that hadn\u2019t changed much for the past five years so it wouldn\u2019t stand out in the near past and could be considered a desired antique in the decades to come. <\/span><\/p>\n

When Sophie had winked out last year, from an aggressive form of cancer, Caroline was on the other side of the world. Busy with her task to research the needs of the over twelve million people of Chad. Energy rich, Chad was the seventh poorest country in the world, with over half of its population illiterate.<\/span><\/p>\n

What her parents had planned as a joyous occasion \u2013 the first travel, had turned melancholy for Caroline with the death of her father, suddenly last month. Officially, it was determined, that his car accident had been caused by a heart attack. <\/span><\/p>\n

To ease her mourning, Jordon had convinced Caroline to stick to the schedule for the maiden voyage. She would go to the cancer hospital, to tell her parents about her Chad research and to say goodbye to her mother. Although, now, her visit would be with both her parents. <\/span><\/p>\n

She closed the wall panels and went into the launch area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Privately funded by like-minded anonymous donors, not affiliated with any government or political persuasion. Her parents envisioned \u201cThe Travel Project,\u201d as a humanitarian endeavor. Like the angels in the bible, who Sophie always suspected were time travelers, they wanted to reach out to good people who could make a difference. Like warning Noah about the flood.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once in the minivan, a sequence of chimes alerted Caroline to adjust her helmet and fasten her seat belt. She smiled and thought, \u201cbeam me up Scottie.\u201d There was a pang in her heart as she realized that this was the first time she had smiled about anything since her dad died. <\/span><\/p>\n

She checked the navigator computer, which, at first glance, looked like a standard audio\/ media\/ GPS system. Staring at the settings, she remembered \u201cStull seven twelve noon.\u201d – the last words her father whispered to her as he died. It hadn\u2019t meant anything until now.<\/span><\/p>\n

Behind the bullet proof glass of the control lab, Jordon and Charlotte, a serious, humorless, drab assistant were working closely together at the tracking board. They didn\u2019t notice, that just before the countdown ended, Caroline had reprogramed her travel to the long abandoned grave of her great-great grandparents. She set the time for noon, July 12th<\/sup>, just hours before her father\u2019s fatal accident on his way to meet with Jordon. <\/span><\/p>\n

In a tingle and a murmuring rattle, she was gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sun was in her eyes as her father opened the minivan door. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re here, so that\u2019s it,\u201d he said as he embraced her. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat \u2013\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n

Before she could continue, he said, \u201cWe\u2019ve been betrayed, or else you wouldn\u2019t be here now.\u201d He produced a standard thumb drive from a niche in the old sandstone marker. \u201cI was hiding this just in case \u2013 now I see it\u2019s necessary.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNecessary for what?\u201d she breathed the words.<\/span><\/p>\n

He put the thumb drive into her hand and looked at his pocket watch. Honestly, he could be such an antique at times, Caroline thought. He knew she wanted to linger but there was no time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA father and soon to be son-in-law libation. That\u2019s what he requested.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNot Jordon? What are you saying?\u201d Caroline\u2019s knees weakened at the thought.<\/span><\/p>\n

Her father hugged her as he spoke. \u201cLast week, I stopped by the lab, unexpected and I heard him speaking to someone I couldn\u2019t see, in Russian.\u201d While I reviewed the plans for your travel, I also made a very thorough search and found the traces of files in Cyrillic, encrypted documents with a GRU echo of KGB\u2019s attempt to hack our work a few years ago, when Sophie and I began to figure things out.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline buried her face in her father\u2019s shoulder, \u201cso your heart attack wasn\u2019t \u2026 the car accident was a cover up? Let\u2019s change this. Don\u2019t go to meet him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hands on Caroline\u2019s shoulders, Frank pushed her gently away to look into her eyes. \u201cYou know that wouldn\u2019t prevent Jordan or his conspirators from turning what we\u2019ve created for good to an evil tool. Your life is in danger, too.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t perfected the travel-then-drive feature your mom always wanted \u2013 so at present, the gas tank is useless. Sophie designed a fail-safe measure.\u201d He pointed to her clenched fist, \u201cjust behind the latch to open the fuel door is a hidden port. As soon as you get back insert the thumb drive \u2013 destroying the function files will take at least 90 seconds. Take your time with your seat belt, helmet. Tell Jordan, last-minute nerves \u2013 girlish panic about your lipstick.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

They both laughed at this suggestion. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBefore the countdown ends, pull the fuel latch and get out of the car. You\u2019ll have a couple of minutes during the confusion to clear the area.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline nodded then blurted, \u201cbut backups? Won\u2019t Jordan have access \u2013 he may already have made copies. Surely you have copies somewhere safe? Don\u2019t you?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Her father opened the car door and laughed as she got in.\u00a0 \u201cI omitted key data in all files and back-ups that Jordan has access to, and worms will carve out other vital information as soon as you insert the thumb drive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline leaned her head back. \u201cYour work and dreams? You want me to destroy it all?\u201d When her father\u2019s smile did not fade, she realized that the information was safe \u2013 somewhere.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNow, reset controls to the time when you shut the door for your original trip to St. Luke\u2019s hospital. Everyone will be preoccupied with launch prep and won\u2019t notice the wrinkle of your re-entry. Be careful. You\u2019ll be watched for years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tears welled in her eyes. \u201cWill I ever see you and mom again?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

All business, he leaned in, \u201cRemember the game we played when you were in elementary school?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline was puzzled for a moment, then smiled broadly. \u201cI do,\u201d she said as she made the adjustments for her return trip. \u201cAll set.\u201d She blew him a kiss, \u201cI love you, Dad\u201d and rolled up the window.<\/span><\/p>\n

He signed, \u201cI love you.\u201d And she was gone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jordan and Charlotte didn\u2019t notice Caroline slipping back moments earlier than she had left. She immediately plugged the thumb drive into the hidden port, feeling a renewed pride in her mother\u2019s creative genius.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was just as before, but instead of occupying herself with travel prep, she acted busy for at least 100 seconds, to be on the safe side. No longer anxious about the travel itself, she watched Jordan and Charlotte\u2019s revealing actions and body language. <\/span><\/p>\n

As Jordan started the countdown, she saw Charlotte slip the elastic band from her severe ponytail, her hair falling gracefully over her shoulders. When Charlotte removed her thick mannish glasses, Caroline released the gas fuel latch, removed the thumb drive and slipped it into her boot. <\/span><\/p>\n

As the count reached five – four, Charlotte lean against the control panel to face Jordan. At \u201claunch,\u201d he pushed down the throttle and kissed Charlotte. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHuh! Did they think she would just disappear and never return?\u201d Caroline wondered.<\/span><\/p>\n

She startled them with a blast of the car horn as she exited the minivan, stomping into the launch area and right up to the control room door. <\/span><\/p>\n

Jordan feigned an innocent curiosity. \u201cI never figured you\u2019d be a coward and chicken out,\u201d he admonished her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I never took you for a cheat.\u201d Caroline took off her engagement ring and made a quick gesture to give it to Jordan, then pocketed it. \u201cOn second thought I think I\u2019ll keep this. You jerk!\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Charlotte sputtered Russian curse words, before being distracted by sparks shooting from the interior of the minivan. Smoke set off the fire alarm. A live wire disengaged from the vehicle and waved dangerously in the air. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCaroline you\u2019re crazy – you know I have backups of everything,\u201d Jordan yelled at her. He wanted to kill her, but he grabbed a fire extinguisher and rushed to the launch area desperate to save the project. Charlotte followed him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Water sprayed the minivan and an electric shock reached Jordan first, and caught Charlotte as she backed away, slipped and fell.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline ran to the lab door. Coughing, she exited the secured area, and screamed for help to the guards at the silo entrance. One guard paused to check on her as others ran into the lab. <\/span><\/p>\n

Tiles from the interior walls of the silo were dislodging and crashing around. The guards entered and gaped at Jordan\u2019s lifeless body before rushing to Charlotte, who was stunned, but not seriously injured.<\/span><\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah, Caroline\u2019s BFF, who was to be her maid-of-honor, lingered by the car with an umbrella as rain gently fell. <\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline placed flowers by the granite stone marking her parent\u2019s grave, ignoring the new grave nearby, with a metal marker for Jordon. She looked up as an elderly couple approach her. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so sad for you,\u201d the lady said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline stared at them, with a vague memory from her childhood. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCome visit us. When you\u2019re ready. No hurry. Take all the time you need,\u201d said the elderly gentleman, smiling. Then, they walked away and disappeared behind a stone wall.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah came to Caroline\u2019s side, \u201cdo you know them?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline shrugged her shoulders, \u201ccolleagues of my parents, maybe? I\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah locked arms with Caroline, \u201cYou must be starving, where should we go?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJordan\u2019s apartment. When we got engaged, he made a big deal of leaving everything to me in his will.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Later, Caroline opened the door to Jordan\u2019s apartment. Sarah followed her, \u00a0\u201cwow, this place is gorgeous. Are you moving in?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Caroline answered.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do with all this?\u201d Sarah asked as she walked through the fully decorated and furnished rooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHabitat for Humanity. They are coming this afternoon to clear it all out,\u201d Caroline walked to the mantel and changed the angle of a vase. She opened a kitchen cabinet and repositioned the coffee mugs just so slightly, then adjusted the angle of the rug by the sink with her foot. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah watched as Caroline rearranged the pillows on the sofa, looked at the artwork on the walls and adjusted one that was tilted. \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d she asked.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline bit her lower lip and laughed quietly. \u201cJordan was very particular about the placement of everything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline paused wistfully at the bedroom door. Then she turned the corner into a smaller room that Jordan used as an office. Her fingers found empty spaces among books on his shelf. She picked up the mouse from the desk where Jordan\u2019s computer had been. Opening a drawer, she reviewed the carefully lined up and labeled thumb drives. She touched her finger to empty spaces, feeling the sticky remains of a recently removed labels. <\/span><\/p>\n

In the laundry area, she rearranged the Cheer for dark clothes and the fabric softener bottles. With a final look around, Caroline walked out of the front door.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sarah stood in the doorway, baffled at Caroline\u2019s actions. \u201cDon\u2019t you have anything here that\u2019s yours?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cNo. I planned to move in after the wedding. There is nothing here I want.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As she got into Sarah\u2019s car empty handed, Caroline observed the neighbors who\u2019d always seemed stand offish, but too curious, peering out their window. As Sarah pulled out of the driveway, Caroline glimpsed the same tail that had followed them to the cemetery earlier.<\/span><\/p>\n

She decided not to think about the furious Russian curses that spewed from Charlotte\u2019s mouth. The same mouth that, in a perfect southern accent, befriended her with, \u201cI\u2019m Charlotte, from Charlotte.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, right,\u201d Caroline thought. She was sure it was Charlotte, maybe with the help of the nosy neighbors, who had gone so carefully through every one of Jordan\u2019s possessions. That\u2019s why Caroline had waited until she heard Charlotte had left town before going to the apartment, to give them plenty of time to find everything they wanted to steal.\u00a0 She believed her father had bugged or destroyed everything of value. After all, Frank always paid attention to details.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gradually, over weeks and months, the gossip died down about the crazy professor and his rumored ideas of time travel. Whisperings, of how he wasted his life on experiments that went up in smoke, faded. Accusations, that he was a lunatic whose dangerous experiments killed people, were dismissed in court. It was ruled an accident involving an experiment with a minivan, after all, he\u2019d died before the calamity. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the first anniversary of Jordan\u2019s proposal, she left FEMA and started a new job as a reference librarian at the University. Flirts and passes bounced off her as if she were Teflon. Potential beaus gradually lost interest.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the second anniversary of her father\u2019s death she adopted an older dog, \u201cJolly,\u201d from the Humane Society. She convinced herself she wasn\u2019t lonely, but she knew it would be awhile before she could ever trust herself to love again. A dog would be good company.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the third anniversary of her mother\u2019s death she planted daffodils in the cemetery. With Jolly respectively by her side, Caroline observed there were no drones overhead, no cars parked near. <\/span><\/p>\n

It was evening when Caroline drove slowly out of the cemetery, Jolly riding shotgun. She parked in a field and ran around with Jolly in the moon shadows, feeling freer than she had in a long time. Everything was still. No sign anywhere that anyone noticed her at all. <\/span><\/p>\n

On the fourth anniversary of the destruction of the lab, Caroline resigned from the library. She announced that she was taking a research position at a distant university. As to why she was selling all her stuff, \u201cI feel like traveling light,\u201d she said, \u201cstarting over.\u201d Her colleagues nodded with sympathy. <\/span><\/p>\n

The day her new identity cards arrived, Caroline dropped her cell phone over a bridge and disconnected her GPS. She took a bus to the next city, where she rented a car in her new name. <\/span><\/p>\n

While she drove toward the wonderful gazebo in the neighbor\u2019s yard, she thought about the games her parents taught her. How to keep a poker face. How to notice every little detail of everything. <\/span><\/p>\n

Her favorite of all was the spy game. The neighbors played too. Little notes, candies, and limericks with clues, were tucked away in hidden crevices of the gazebo. When she noticed or found anything, she left notes in the drop box. She was praised when she noticed \u2013 teased when she missed. Soon she could retrieve things and slip notes to the adults without them noticing. <\/span><\/p>\n

When she and Jolly reached their destination, the neighbors, looking again as young as they had when she lived next door, invited her to the back yard. Lemonade and cookies were ready for her, just as before. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve been traveling? To Chad?\u201d she asked. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYour research was very helpful,\u201d the man said. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re glad you\u2019ve come. Your parents are preparing for your arrival,\u201d the woman said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Caroline took a big bite out of a frosted sugar cookie, \u201cthey taste just like I remember.\u201d She finished it off in a couple more bites and reach down to pet her dog. \u201cI\u2019m taking Jolly with me,\u201d she informed them.<\/span><\/p>\n

They chatted into the evening, enjoying the sunset. Caroline looked forward to working with her parents in Chad, but tonight there was no hurry. \u201cWe have all the time we need,\u201d the neighbors reminded her.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Much needed August rain spotted her dusty wind shield as Caroline pressed her pass to the identifier, and then, her ring finger print. Nodding to the guard, she drove the FEMA van through the gate to the restricted area. Around her neck, were nine badges, and her eye was the final key to the interior […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1168],"class_list":["post-10994","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction","tag-time-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10994","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10994"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10994\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10994"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10994"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.confabulatorcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10994"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}