“I have asked, but my hate gets bigger every day. I don’t know what to do.”
Sam put his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “In Matthew 5:44, Jesus said to combat hate by doing the opposite of what it wants you to do. When you’re mad at someone, pray for them. That kind of behavior helps you get rid of your anger.”
“Do you really think that’ll work?”
“It always works for me.” Sam peered up at the clouds. “You know, Danny, you remind me of David.”
“The guy who killed the giant?”
Sam nodded. “David tried to live a God-honoring life, but even though he was doing his best, King Saul tried to murder him.”
“You mean like Rick tried to kill me and Mom?”
“I sure do. When David escaped, Saul hunted him. It would’ve been easy for David to hate Saul, but he didn’t let himself. He even refused to kill Saul when he had the opportunity.”
“Why didn’t he slaughter the jerk?”
“I’m sure David thought about it, but he knew murder would destroy his future. David showed Saul mercy—even though by man’s judgment, Saul deserved to die.”
“So the big jerk got away with it?”
“Not for long. Saul died in battle. He got what he deserved, but not through David’s hands. And because David did what was right, he became king in Saul’s place. I know Rick hurt you, but hating him won’t make you feel better. It’ll only make you feel worse.”
“I’m not mad at Rick—at least not at the moment.”
Sam blinked. “Then who…?”
“Dr. Ableman. I can’t stand him. Whenever I visit Gil, he’s always there holding her hand. This is the first time he hasn’t been in her room, and that’s only because he got kicked out while she’s having a bath.” Danny glared over at William who was pacing in the orchard. “He never leaves her. He’s a big, fat, selfish hog!”
“That’s because he loves her,” Sam said gently.
“But I love her too! Before he came, she and me did everything together. Now I can’t even sit by her without having him there too. It’s not fair!”
Sam glanced across the lawn at William. His head was down, and his hands were clenching and unclenching. It was obvious that he was praying as he was pacing. “You know, Danny,” Sam said, “sometimes loving people means sharing them.”
“I don’t wanna share Gil! I wanna have her all to myself.”
“I know, but think about what Gil would want. She likes the doc.” Sam gave Danny a smile. “If you give him a chance, I’m sure you’ll like him too.”
“Maybe,” Danny grumbled, “but I wish he’d give me some time alone with her. Even though she’s not awake, I wanna talk to her. I wanna tell her I’m sorry she got h-hurt…”
As the boy’s voice cracked and faded away, Sam said softly, “After Gil has her bath, I’ll make sure you get some time alone with her, okay?”
“You’d do that?”
“Of course.” Clearing his throat, Sam said, “Speaking of sharing, there’s something we should discuss man-to-man. How would you feel if your mother and I started dating?”
“It doesn’t matter how I feel,” Danny mumbled, glaring at the grass.
“It matters to me. I’m not doing anything without your permission.”
“You mean it?” Danny blinked, looking up at him.
Sam nodded. “I want you to feel comfortable having me in your lives.”
“What happens if I say no?” Danny asked, blowing a ladybug off his hand.
“I’ll be disappointed…after all, I really like your mother, but I’ll understand. I’ll still be friends with you both, but I won’t ask her out on a date.”
“And if I say yes?”
Sam smiled. “Then you can help me decide where to take her. I was thinking about that new Italian place across from Stubby’s, but I’d like your advice first.”
Looking up from beneath his bangs, Danny grinned. “Forget Italian. Her favorite’s Chinese. And if you really wanna please her, take her out for frozen yogurt afterwards, and don’t forget to spring for extra sprinkles.”
“Does that mean you approve?”
“She needs a good man in her life, and I happen to like you.”
“I like you too,” Sam said with a relieved smile. “In fact, I like you a lot.”
* * *
“I never imagined the mess blood and flour could make stuck in someone’s hair,” Twinkles groaned as she and Sue finished bathing Gil. “I sure needed your help.”
“It’s the least I could do,” Sue replied, tucking the covers around Gil. “Everyone’s done so much for us. I still can’t believe I’m surrounded by people from the future.”
“Why not? Time travel’s nothing special. For me it’s old hat—boring in some respects.”
“How far into the future do you come from?”
Twinkles put her head to one side and did mental math. “Let’s see, starting from this moment in time, it’d be over sixty-nine years.”
“I can’t even imagine that,” Sue said, smoothing a wrinkle from Gil’s bedspread.
“Oh, my math’s quite accurate. Gil traveled twenty-four years into the past to counsel your son, and I’m from forty-five years further into the future than she. That makes sixty-nine.”
“How many times have you time traveled?” Sue asked.
“Mercy, I have no idea. I lost track years ago. Poppa and I worked as time counselors, and we took on more cases than I can remember.”
“I thought Dr. Ableman said your husband invented GAP?”
“That didn’t stop him from participating in the program. Poppa and I were partners, and good ones at that. We had the top success rate of any team until my daughter and her husband broke our record. Poppa and I had grand times together. We fell in love on my first assignment.”
“That must’ve been romantic.”
“It was.” Twinkles chuckled. “At first I thought Poppa was kinda reserved, but when we started dating, I discovered he has more romance in his little finger than most men have in their entire bodies.” She looked at Sue in a conspiratorial way. “Can I tell you a secret?”
Sue nodded with a grin. “I wish you would.”
“Poppa writes me love poems. When we were courting, I asked him to write me one and he’s been writing them ever since. He hides them and I find them unexpectedly. It’s a delightful game that keeps our marriage happy. After all, what woman can get angry at a man for leaving the toilet seat up when there’s a love poem about her eyes taped to the bathroom mirror?”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Yes, but it has its downside. One time, when we were entertaining our pastor, I opened a tin of cookies and one of Poppa’s love notes fell onto the reverend’s plate. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but it was a rather warm little missive describing the beauty of my curvy derrière.”
“Oh, my goodness,” Sue said, gasping with laughter. “How embarrassing.”
“Poppa was mortified, but I kinda like people knowing that my husband thinks I’m desirable. Would you like to see one of his poems?”
When Sue nodded, Twinkles grinned and took a book from her sweater pocket. “I used to keep Poppa’s poems in a cedar box, but last Christmas my youngest boy had them typed and bound.” As she thumbed through the pages, she gave a happy sigh and read to Sue:
My heart beats softer when you draw near
So soft, I can hear the approaching footsteps
Of the invading love lights of your twinkling eyes
Coming to capture my heart, mind, soul, and body.
Sweet tender invasion of ecstasy.
I am content.
Sue whistled. “You’re one lucky woman.”
“Don’t I know it! I’ve always said the greatest aphrodisiac is a well-turned phrase when the man saying it means it with all his heart.”
* * *
In Washington D.C., Marc stood in front of the TEMCO lab and straightened his tie. The lockdown was ove
r, but things were far from normal in Hawking Hall. The tension on campus was thick, and those “in the know” weren’t saying anything. Speculation was running high, and the fact that Gil and Dr. Ableman had dropped off the face of the planet wasn’t helping matters. Some said the couple had eloped. Others said Gil had died during her exam, and Dr. Ableman had committed suicide. The most logical rumor was that Gil had flunked, and Dr. Ableman was campaigning for her to be reinstated. Whatever was going on, the director was visibly stressed and Dr. Nelson was walking around like a zombie.
With things so unsettled, Marc thought the summer closing of TEMCO would be postponed indefinitely, but he’d received a message telling him to report to the lab to get his assignment. He knew he was overdressed, but he wanted to look his best when the pictures were taken. Photos spanning every summer closing since the establishment of TEMCO adorned the walls of the main office, and this was his first chance to be in one.
Taking a nervous breath, Marc opened the lab door. Immediately, he was engulfed in well-organized chaos as techs moved around in a fluid dance and cadets ran to-and-fro. In the far corner, Director Matthews and Dr. Nelson were sitting at a table, studying a pile of printouts. When Marc approached, the director shoved the papers into a folder.
“Mr. Kerry,” the director said, “you’re right on time.”
“Am I going to be working in the lab?” Marc asked hopefully.
The director shook his head. “The archives.”
Marc’s heart sank. TEMCO’s archive was built like a huge maze, and the last thing he wanted to do was spend any serious time in the dusty old place. Biting his lip, he objected cautiously, “But I don’t have Alpha-Blue clearance, how can—”
“I’ve programmed the vault to recognize your retinal scan. Another student is already up on the third floor, and she’ll fill you in on what needs done. The job will take several days, so you’d best get to it.”
Groaning inside, Marc nodded and left the lab.
* * *
“I’ll bet Poppa dreamed up an extremely romantic way to propose, didn’t he?” Sue asked.
“Of course he did,” Twinkles replied, “but he had lousy timing. The night he proposed, I hadn’t been expecting him. I had curlers in my hair and was painting my toenails.” Twinkles gave Sue a long-suffering look. “Why a man can’t understand that a woman likes a little notice is beyond me. Surprises are fun and all that, but I like to be prepared for them, especially when they show up at my front door.”
“I totally agree,” Sue replied, breaking down into helpless giggles.
“I still remember the chagrin I felt, toddling toward Poppa in a beat-up bathrobe with my toes separated by cotton balls. I don’t think any woman could’ve looked more unromantic than I did, but he just kissed me soundly and said he’d be back in thirty minutes.”
“You only had thirty minutes to dress?”
“Wasn’t that ghastly of him? But it’s amazing what a girl can do when she senses a proposal’s in the wind. I dried my toenails with a hairdryer while I brushed my teeth, and when Poppa came back I looked like a dream in a red silk dress. And Poppa…” Twinkles sighed and smiled. “Well, he seemed to approve. We took a carriage ride to a lakeside restaurant and had a candlelight dinner eaten to the sound of violins. As the evening progressed, Poppa gave me roses, quoted poems, and had singers serenade us.”
“Oh,” breathed Sue. “How romantic.”
“Yes it was, but…” Twinkles looked at Sue and laughed. “Poppa was looking so scrumptious in his suit that all I really wanted him to do was propose quick, so we could go somewhere private and have a little kissing time—after all, Poppa’s an exceptional kisser.”
“So did he propose after you finished eating?”
Twinkles shook her head. “He took me for a stroll by the lake. The moon was full—count on Poppa to wait for a full moon—and the stars were out. After we walked for a while, he took me to a canoe and paddled us to the center of the lake.”
“And then…” Sue asked, leaning forward.
“And then, under the shining stars, he gave me my ring.” Twinkles held out her diamond cluster for Sue to admire.
“That’s a lovely story.”
“Yes, it is, but it isn’t over. After he gave me my ring, Poppa leaned in to kiss me, and as our lips almost touched, his best friend sent up a fountain of fireworks. The fireworks startled me so much I jerked my head up and hit Poppa square in the nose. He fell backwards and overbalanced the canoe. We fell headfirst into the freezing water—me in my red silk dress and Poppa in his suit.
As Sue gasped, Twinkles chuckled. “Most men would’ve been mad at a girl for messing things up, but Poppa just laughed. He told me not to worry about it and then he kissed me as we clung to the overturned boat, and you know, I think that kiss was even better than if everything had gone as smoothly as planned.” Twinkles sighed and smiled. “It’s a wonderful thing to be loved by the right man.”
* * *
As Marc left the lab, Dr. Nelson raised her eyebrow and said, “That was cruel, Peter. Marc obviously wanted to be in the lab when the photographs are taken.”
“He needs to think less about his ego and more about his job,” the director replied dryly.
“True, but I don’t know why you assigned him the archives. You’ve already given that job to Crystal, and she and Marc don’t get along. He’s always making fun of her, and she’s all thumbs whenever he’s around. They drive each other crazy.”
“That’s exactly why I’m doing it.” The director steepled his fingers. “Marc and Crystal are top-notch cadets, and when they finish their training next year, I’d like to put them on staff, but that’ll be impossible unless they can find a way to work together.”
“So this is a test run?”
“You could say that. If they can’t team up during a simple project, there’s no way I can trust them to team up during something as crucial as a professional time surf. If they botch this assignment, I’ll need to cut one of them from the program.”
“That seems harsh.”
“Would you rather have a staff you can’t rely on?” the director asked. “If we’ve learned anything the last few days, it’s that time surfing puts lives on the line. If employees can’t check their personal conflicts at the door, they aren’t any good to us.”
“If they make a mess of things, which of them will you keep?”
“There’s really no contest.” The director pushed a folder over to her. “The Junior Class IQ scores came back yesterday.”
Opening the folder, Dr. Nelson exclaimed, “Is this accurate?”
“I’ve had her tested twice, Laura, there’s no mistake. Crystal’s IQ breaks the chart. We can’t afford to lose her.”
“Raw intelligence is one thing, but having exceptional interpersonal skills is definitely another. Although he can’t seem to get along with Crystal, Marc gets along well with everyone else. He’s going to make a great counselor if he gets the chance.”
“True, but I don’t appreciate the way he treats Crystal. Besides, look at this…” Director Matthews opened another folder and took out a handful of papers covered with complicated equations. “Crystal came to me with ideas about how to make time portals larger. She also had some rudimentary ideas about portable Staging Platforms.”
Dr. Nelson thumbed through the papers and blinked. “How on earth did a third-year cadet come up with these formulas? Could she have broken into the safe?”
“She hasn’t seen the research, I assure you. Crystal Stuart is just that smart. If time travel hadn’t already been invented, she would’ve invented it.”
“I guess you’re right.” Dr. Nelson sighed. “TEMCO needs her. I just wish Marc’s neck wasn’t on the line. He’s the most promising counseling recruit since Gil and Zeke.”
“If he can find a way to work with Crystal, I’ll hire him. But if he can’t, it’s better to find out now rather than later.”
“When would you cut him?” sh
e asked.
“After he takes his practicum field exam. For Zeke’s sake, we need him in TEMCO for at least that long. I’ll let Marc earn his degree, but I won’t put him on staff.”
“That doesn’t seem fair.”
“Life often isn’t. However, it may not come to that. It’s possible Marc and Crystal can work out their differences.”
“I hope so.” Dr. Nelson nervously twirled a pen between her fingers. “What about Charlesberg, Colorado? Have you heard from William?”
“Not since the last time you asked.”
She dropped her pen and sighed. “Am I being a bother?”
The director reached across the table and gave her hand a squeeze. “Not at all.”
She bit her lip. “I can’t believe William hasn’t contacted us. I wish he’d let us know what’s going on.”
“You and me both.”
Dr. Nelson took a steadying sip of coffee. When she put her mug down, a small grin tugged at her lips. “So, how’s Iggy?”
The director groaned. “I don’t know how William talked me into babysitting his pudgy, pampered lizard. Last night, the stupid thing climbed up my bathroom shelves and dropped into my bathwater. I thought I was going to have a heart attack. If he pulls that prank again, Iggy’s going to become a flashy pair of boots.”
* * *
“So what type of counseling cases did you and Poppa handle?” Sue asked.
“Mercy, all kinds,” Twinkles replied. “We even stopped a big school shooting over in Barrville, Texas.”
“I don’t remember a shooting in Barrville.”
“That’s because for you it never happened, and a good thing too. Fifty-two eighth graders and six teachers were killed. After we counseled the shooters, one ended up becoming a CEO and the other a Navy SEAL. Poppa and I had all kinds of adventures in the old days. I even gave birth to our first child on an assignment.”
“You mean during the shooting case?”
“No, during a case in Smithtown, Wyoming. Little Jay came early, and Poppa had to deliver him. I can still see Poppa with his hair all messed up and his eyes all wild. I had to slap him, actually slap him, to calm him down. You’d never believe a man could get into such a tizzy over a little thing like childbirth. Poppa said it was my fault the baby came early, but I still say that riding a motorcycle over a bumpy field had nothing to do with it. A baby will come when a baby will come, and the girl I was counseling was running away. I couldn’t let her give us the slip, could I?”
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