by Jason Ford
THIRTEEN
July 1995
Keith peeked out the door of the church hallway where he and Samantha would be married in less than twenty minutes. Sal Jr. came up behind him and clapped a hand on his shoulder.
“Sam is beautiful, Mama is already crying, little Jojo is excited to be the ring bearer, your mom looks like she is going to pass out, and Carlo and Chris just finished seating the last of the guests. Oh, and Dad said there’s a no return policy.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. You got the ring, right?”
“No, I flushed it down the commode. Che cazzo, I’m not ruining my sister’s wedding day.”
“Sono onorato di chiamarti fratello.”
Sal Jr. looked at him. “Really?”
Keith nodded. “Being an only child, I never had the experience of having a brother.”
Hearing the music change, he said, “It’s time to go.”
The officiator was dressed in Jedi robes—one of the few concessions Sam had made to Keith. He himself was in a black tux with a silver vest and tie underneath. The pianist started playing “Canon in D” and the bridesmaids, Samantha’s two best friends, came down the aisle. Little Jojo came next, smiling and carrying his satin pillow. Then the flower girl, one of Keith’s cousins, dumped all the flower petals in a pile and started throwing a fit. Her mother got her under control, and soon the music changed to the classic wedding march.
The doors at the front of the church opened. Samantha was absolutely stunning in her white dress with her tuxedoed father standing proudly next to her. Keith only had eyes for her as she slowly made her way down. He started to grin, and she grinned back.
When Salvatore gave her away, he whispered, “Take good care of her, son,” and then he went back to sit next to his wife.
“Keith and Samantha have written their own vows.”
“Samantha, from the moment I met you, I knew you were one in a million. If I lived a thousand lifetimes, I could not find someone more perfect than you. It has taken me two lifetimes to find you, and I will never do anything to lose you. I love you.”
Samantha started to tear up as she spoke.
“Keith, you have been in my dreams since the day we met. Out of all the men in the world, you are the one for me. There is no one that could love me like you do. I love you.”
The matching gold bands with Keith and Samantha 07-01-1995 engraved on the inside fit their fingers perfectly.
“By the power vested in me by the State of North Carolina, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Keith, you may kiss your bride.”
He started to kiss her, and he couldn’t stop.
The officiator had to whisper to, “Save some for the honeymoon.” To the room, he announced,
“It is my honor to introduce to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Beckett.”
They raced to the limo, decorated with “Just Married” and a bunch of tin cans tied to the bumper. As the car made its slow journey along Reynolda Road to the Graylyn estate for the reception, Sam said, “I can’t wait to get out of this dress.”
“I can’t wait to get you out of it either!”
“Control yourself, horny man! We’ve still got several hours to be on our best behavior. You can ravish me tonight.”
“Oh, I plan on it. Multiple times.”
All the guests were seated by the time the photographer was finished with the formal pictures of the happy couple and their families. The DJ was playing some light jazz, and the bartender was busy mixing drinks at the open bar. As the DJ announced the families and wedding party, Sam leaned over and whispered, “Looks like my Uncle Fredo is making eyes at your mom.”
Uncle Fredo offered his arm to escort Martha to her table. The DJ then switched the music, and the first chords of Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar on Me” came through the speakers as he announced, “Let us welcome for the very first time as husband and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Keith Beckett!”
The dance floor had been cleared, and the spotlight was on them. Keith took his bride in his arms as the first guitar chords of “Love of a Lifetime” started. Those dance lessons they had taken were paying off. They glided effortlessly together, captivated by each other’s eyes. They didn’t hear the music stop until the crowd started cheering. They came back down to earth and smiled at each other.
As they were being seated at the head table, Salvatore stood and welcomed everyone for coming to his daughter and son-in-law’s special day. His voice became choked with emotion.
“Keith, welcome to the family. I could never have asked for a better man for my little girl than you.”
As everyone ate and enjoyed themselves, Sam leaned over and whispered something in Keith’s ear. His eyes got round as saucers, and he swallowed the lump in his throat. She is going to be the death of me!
The father and daughter dance came next, with Salvatore leading his daughter on the dance floor to Bette Midler’s “Wind beneath my Wings.” At the end of it, he kissed the top of her head as Carlo made a request of the DJ. The strains of “Luna Mezzo Mare” came through the speakers, and he started to sing. Then his brothers joined in, Sal Jr. already half-drunk. Constanza made him sit down after he fell over the big flower arrangement, and she told the servers to only give him water or coffee from then on.
After cutting the cake and bidding farewell to the guests, Keith and Sam got in the limo and were soon at their hotel. The bellhop opened the door, set their bags inside the room, and then departed, pocketing the tip that Keith had surreptitiously given him. Keith picked his new bride up, carried her over the threshold, and kicked the door shut.
He woke up the morning after getting married and watched Sam sleep. Her hair was splayed out all over the pillows, and she was snoring softly. Four times in one night. The first time for both of them was a magical time of discovery. The fourth was a few hours ago.
•••
The flight to Sicily was turbulent, and Sam was feeling very queasy.
Landing in Palermo a little after 8:00 p.m., they were met at the airport by her uncle. A small crowd was gathered there too, protesting the new American president’s foreign policy. Somebody recognized Keith and Sam and started throwing garbage at them. A week in Sicily, another week each in mainland Italy, Germany, France, and England. Keith was hugged so many times he was sure his ribs were bruised. They took the train everywhere, taking their time enjoying their honeymoon and each other. The first tour was made easier by Sam’s fluent Italian, far better than Keith’s attempts at it, and they even got to take a few couples cooking classes in Tuscany.
Traveling through Austria on the way to Germany, Keith brushed up on his German. They spent a few days in Munich saw Sam loading up with souvenirs. In Berlin, they took lots of pictures, and had dinner at Berlin Tegel Airport. Boarding the flight to Nice, they finally had a chance to relax before takeoff. After clearing customs and getting a taxi, they got to their hotel around midnight. The driver pretended not to understand English when he tried to overcharge for the fare. Once Keith switched to French and threatened to call the cops, he relented. Once they got to their room, they collapsed, not even bothering to change clothes. They just kicked off their shoes and fell asleep. The next morning, they were walking to the beach when Keith spotted a sign.
“Uh, honey? We might want to go to a different beach.” Pointing at the sign he translated, “Clothing optional beach. Nude sunbathing beyond this point.”
Sam looked at him, then started stripping off her bathing suit.
“Well, I always wanted an all-over tan. Are you joining me?”
Keith shrugged and took off his trunks.
“Don’t forget the sunblock,” she said, handing him the bottle.
Once both were coated in several layers of sunblock and Keith’s limbic system had calmed down, they strolled hand in hand along the beach, looking for a place to set down the towels and other stuff.
Finding the perfect place was not easy, as many people had already claimed the prim
e spots on the crowded beach. Finally finding one, they laid out the towels, positioned the rented umbrella, and sat down.
“I didn’t come all this way to not get in the water. Race you!” With that, Sam jumped up and ran toward the sea, Keith close on her heels. The water was warm, and they spent almost all day in and out of the water. As they got back to their hotel room, Keith dropped off everything and got in the shower.
“Can I join you? I’ve got sand in every crevice.”
Keith moved over and let her step in next to him.
“We forgot to reapply sunscreen after being in the water. We’re going to be burnt tomorrow!”
“Which is why we’re staying in and relaxing. Is that a washcloth holder, or are you just happy to see me?”
“You think it would have happened on the beach today, but it only happens around you.”
“Well, I’m flattered, but we have plenty of time for that later.”
After getting cleaned up and dinner at a Mediterranean restaurant, they spent the rest of the evening in their hotel room.
The TGV to Paris was late. By the time they got to their hotel, the sun was already setting. They had their picture taken in front of the Eiffel tower with it all lit up at night. The next morning, they visited all the major tourist spots. Strolling along the Champs Elysee, Sam drooled over some of the necklaces they had in the windows. Keith still hadn’t given her the present from New Mexico but figured now was as good time as any.
“I actually have something to show you back at the hotel.”
“Yes, it’s impressive, but I’ve seen it 200 times over the last month!”
“Not that, but thank you for thinking it’s impressive. Something else.”
“Really? Tell me what it is, I promise I’ll act surprised!”
“No, you’ll just have to wait.”
Three seconds after getting back to their hotel, she started tearing through their bags. She never found the secret compartment in Keith’s suitcase. He took the jewelry box out and set it in front of her. When she saw the Navajo turquoise necklace, her eyes got big.
“How long have you had this?”
“Since about three days after we met.”
She wore it on the train to London, and after a week of the English countryside, they were both ready to go home. They sat in the British Airways lounge, scrolling through the photos on the digital camera. One set was of Keith and Sam at Buckingham Palace, posing with a guard. Sam had tried to get a reaction out of him. Even flashing him had gotten no response. That particular picture was never going to see the light of day. Others showed them posing at Stonehenge, leaning against the sarsen stones, or that night at a Scottish restaurant, both looking a little green at the haggis in front of them.
“Ladies and gentlemen this is your captain, Jim Harrison, along with first officer Carl Gibbs and flight engineer Bob Stiles. Our flight time to New York will be three hours and thirty minutes. We’ll be taking off from runway two-seven right shortly, and unlike other aircraft, we use reheats or afterburners for takeoff, and we cut them off after a minute or so. This gives us an extra twenty percent more thrust to get us off the runway. Concorde is the only civilian aircraft to use them, all others being military. The next time we use them is right before we go through the sound barrier. Unless we’re held up by traffic, we should be supersonic about eleven minutes after takeoff. Whenever the afterburners are switched on, you will feel some bumps in the back of your seat, and you may notice a kind of kerosene smell in the cabin. It’s quite normal, don’t be alarmed.”
Keith and Sam looked out the left window and noticed they were about to turn onto the runway. As they lined up on the runway, Keith grabbed Sam’s hand and whispered, “This is so exciting!”
“We just got our clearance to take off and we’re about to cut in the afterburners. Three, two, one, now.”
The couple heard the roar of the four Olympus engines and felt the acceleration push them back into their seats.
“100 knots, 150, 180, 200, 250. Pitch the nose up. Positive climb. Gear up. Cut off the afterburners,” The next thing they knew, they were passing through 30,000 feet and drink service was starting.
“Whiskey sour, please. Make it a double.”
“Margarita, please. Make it a double, too.”
•••
Beckett Defense and Beckett Engineering both were awarded lucrative government contracts. Beckett Diagnostics launched the first online family tree database. Beckett Aerospace division bought a big plot of land in the remote Texas desert and started testing its new Helios engine for the Raptor reusable space plane currently under construction. The military was testing the newly mass-produced Mobile Energy Shield in combat in Iraq. After the president-for-life of Iraq was discovered using chemical weapons against his own citizens, as well as American journalists, and a joint UN resolution failed to do anything, Congress authorized the invasion. The Mobile Energy Shield was issued to every member of the invasion force. Once it was coded to the specific person using a thumb or fingerprint, no one else could use it. The battery life was extended to twelve hours, and improvements were made to strengthen the shield against improvised explosive devices and grenades.
Beckett Engineering designed the bombs that were used against the Iraqi combat forces. The biggest conventional bomb ever used flattened a command bunker complex. The Iraqi forces surrendered in droves. Three months after the first shot was fired, the deposed president was found cowering in a trench. His trial was broadcast worldwide, as was his execution by firing squad. The message was clear: use chemical weapons against your own citizens, and you will pay.
FOURTEEN
June 1997
Keith was on a video call with some of the engineers at Beckett Aerospace in Texas when Sam knocked on his home office door.
“Sorry to break up the fun, but I need to speak to Keith in private.”
“I’ll overnight the plans. Have a look at them and get back to me next week sometime.”
“Will do, Mr. Beckett. Have a good weekend.” He switched off the computer and turned to Sam, who had been somewhat unsuccessfully hiding a card behind her back.
“What’s that? It’s not my birthday for another week.”
“Just open it.”
As he slid the card out of the envelope, he looked at his wife.
“Did you give me the card you were gonna give your dad?”
“Nope. Keep reading.”
As he opened the card, his heart stopped. Inside was a movie ticket with COMING SOON! FEBRUARY 1998! BABY BECKETT!
“You’re serious?”
Sam pulled a sonogram picture out of her pocket and pointed out the little blob in the corner.
“The doctor thinks mid-February. Wouldn’t it be cool to have it on Valentine’s Day?”
Keith grabbed her in his arms as they both started to cry.
“Have you told any family yet?”
“No, I just got back from the doctor’s today. I’ve been feeling really weird the last two weeks, and of course, I missed my period.”
“We need to have a barbecue and tell everyone then. I’ll fly my mom out here, too.”
Keith picked up his mom at the airport the day before his birthday.
Sam was already at home, marinating the steaks and ribs and getting the fixings together for tomorrow. Sam suspected that her family would figure it out first, since she wouldn’t be drinking alcohol.
But the next day, as everyone was gathering around the table, no one noticed that Sam’s glass only had grape juice in it.
“Now that everyone’s here we can make the announcement.”
Keith and Sam said simultaneously,
“We’re pregnant!”
Martha looked shocked then screamed, “I’m gonna be a grandma!”
Everybody got up and hugged Sam and pounded Keith on the back. Immediately, they all wanted to work on a baby name list.
“Hold on! We don’t even know what the gender is until Octo
ber!”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t still work on it!”
By the time Sam’s family left and Keith’s mother went to bed, the couple was exhausted.
Keith was in the basement the next morning and accessed the computer file for 9/11. File not found. He accessed the file for Charles Foster. Charles Foster’s term as president ended in 1995 after he was convicted at his impeachment trial. He walked upstairs in a daze, and Sam and he talked for hours.
“This might take a little bit of explaining, but please hold all your questions till the end.”
“Okay.”
“When I first decided to go back in time, I was just going to go to 1992 and try to stop a future terrorist attack that killed 3,000 people in 2001. My great-nephew José Jimenez, Jr. got caught in one of the time streams generated by the time machine. Keep in mind, he wasn’t even born—or he won’t be born—until 2037. I didn’t think it was possible to go back before birth, but he discovered it accidentally. I sent him back to 2061 to be my eyes and ears in the future and send information on how the timeline changed.
“In my timeline, there were three people responsible for the deaths of forty million people. Their names were Hitler, Stalin, and Lenin. Hitler rose to power in Germany in the 1930s and caused six million Jews to die in concentration camps. Lenin and Stalin combined caused the deaths of more than thirty million more people. I went back to 1913 and killed all three of them. In the process, my great nephew was killed by a stray bullet. I have to live with that guilt the rest of my life.
“Fascism never gained power in Europe, and because of the failure of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia in 1917, communism never arose as viable form of government. In my timeline, China was communist, and that brutal government was responsible for eighty million deaths. Now, China is a democratic free market society. Because of the failure of communism, Russia never invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the terrorist group Al Qaeda was never formed as a response, and 9/11 never happened! In the timeline I’m from, there are five billion people in the 1990s, how many are there now?