Jump Through Time

by Tanya Gilford

  “I did.” I said proudly setting the card on the counter. “These were happy memories; I only hope the rest are the same.” I sigh. “That’s three items now.”

  The old man nods. “Only seven more to go as long as you don’t time jump for a third time.”

  “I think I have it figured out now, but I need to test a theory first.”

  “Your mind is always working, never resting.” He sighs as I walk out the other door to the North. I step out into a bright light as I time jump again.

  Chapter 6

  I blink my eyes as [JP1]they adjusted to the bright lights. Music is blaring through the speakers as I take in the scene around me. Tables of people are all around, with a dance floor in the middle, and a table at the front of a tent with a ‘Mr. & Mrs.’ sign hanging on the wall. I look to see myself sitting in a beautiful white gown next to the handsome-looking man from the last scene in a tux at the head table. I look so in love here, could this be my wedding?

  As the DJ called the bride and groom to the dance floor for their first dance, I got a good look at the gown this version of me was wearing. It’s an A-line wedding dress, with a V-neckline and beaded spaghetti straps. It has beautifully sequenced lace flowing down into a tulle skirt with a lovely train. As the couple turned on the dance floor, I see the back of the dress that has a crisscross detail on the lower back. I can see why my hair is done up into a fishtail braid with faux crystal gems sprinkled throughout the braid. I really do look happy.

  The man I married is wearing a regular black suit with a white shirt and bowtie. He looks well built with chestnut brown hair. As we twirl around the dance floor, I see so many people there that I know. My entire family, along with Jody and Anita, and dozens of others I don’t know or recognize. Surprisingly, the song playing in the background is the Ed Sheeran song “Thinking Out loud.” I like the song, but not enough to pick it as my first dance unless he really likes this song.

  I watched as couples began to gather on the dance floor and stayed until they cut the cake. I need to figure out what is common here that will be in the next time jump as well. Somehow, I don’t see this being my future anytime soon unless he’s a doctor or co-worker. I’m not sure what will repeat since I walked around touching various objects and feeling nothing. This is a bit odd. I decide I’ve watched enough and walked through the door ready for a time jump. Is this the one where I end up having to start all over again?

  As I blink against the bright light. I look around, I waited for my ears to adjust to what I’m seeing. I’m back in the hospital again, watching a slew of gurneys being ushered past. I see an older version of myself go from room to room, but as I am listening in, I see how this scene is different than the last. “Hello, I’m Naomi Burke the nurse practitioner.” I’ve been thinking about studying to become a nurse practitioner but haven’t pulled the trigger just yet. I watch as I do the vitals and check the notes the other nurses have made, then put orders in to help the patients.

  When I see one of the EMT workers. He’s the same man from the wedding scene[JP2]. Could this man be the key to this time jump? As I notice myself in the scene going to talk to the man, I try to listen in but the song on the radio in the hallway catches my attention, it’s “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran. Wait, could this be the thing? I walk over and reach out to touch various objects, only for my fingers to pass through every object I tried to touch. “How about a date?” The man chuckled as I reach out to touch him.

  “I’m working every day except Wednesday.” I reply with a smile.

  “I don’t work until six Wednesday night.”

  “Could we try for a lunch date?” I asked.

  “It’s a date.” He winked and headed out the door.

  I watch my vision of myself disappear into a room with the patient, while I remain looking around trying to find an actual object. But just like the wedding scene, I can’t seem to physically touch anything. Which means, more than likely I’m going to be back at one to try and get out of this time jump loop.

  A bit discouraged, I slip out the front doors of the hospital behind another person leaving, and head towards the center of town. As I reach the street, I try to gain my barring’s and notice that I’m on the outskirts of town near the river. This is strange to me, but at least I know how to get to the shop.

  I hated leaving empty-handed, but I couldn’t find anything. I walk up the small hill towards Main street. I pass the High School and climb the larger hill. At the intersection at the top of the hill, I turn right towards the library and walk to the shop. I waited until someone opened the shop door to enter and I slipped in behind them.

  At the counter stood a female with silver hair and horn-rimmed glasses. “Do you have something for me?” She asked me expectantly.

  “I don’t have an item.” I admitted.

  “Then why are you here?” She pressed.

  “Because there wasn’t an item to have this time.” I state.

  “No? Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure. It’s a title of a song.”

  “Is it? Well, if you feel that’s the answer.” She shrugged.

  “The song is ‘Thinking Out Loud’ by Ed Sheeran.” I retorted. “It’s the only thing that repeated this time except for the very handsome man.”

  “Very good.” She smiled. “You are correct, the name of the song is the correct answer.”

  “Why are you so transparent when I bring you items?”

  “Am I?” She asked with a questioning look.

  “Ugh, can you answer any of my questions?” I groaned.

  “Unfortunately, I can only say so much to you.” She responded. “You now have four things, only six more to locate. Keep looking in the next time jump for another item. Good luck.”

  I rolled my eyes and turned around. I paused and tried to remember the specific order in which I enter each door. I entered the door to the North last time and time jumped to a possible future for me. Last time I went through the door that I believe is towards the South and went to the past, I think. Only one way to be completely certain is to go through the South door and see if I time-jump to the past again. I push open the South door and enter into the brightly lit doorway.

  Chapter 7

  I blink my eyes in the bright light, but it’s the sound of beeping monitors and people bustling about that tells me I’m in another hospital. Great, so the pattern I thought I figured out isn’t the case? Wait, no I see it now. There I am nine years old sitting in the emergency room with my dad holding my left arm and trying not to cry. A doctor came over to us. “Well, it’s definitely broken. It’s a nice clean break on the radius and Ulnar, so a cast will fix it good as new.” He told my dad and I.

  I watched as a nurse came over to start wrapping my wrist in a cast. I remember this day well. I was doing a bicycle race with my cousins, and I took the corner too fast and too tight. I dumped the bike and fell sideways. When I put my hand out to stop myself, I broke my arm. The pain was ridiculous, but the only way to get back to my house was to get back on my bike and finish the ride three blocks back. It was not a fun ride going home. Not only did I lose the race, but I broke my arm. My dad took one look at it and knew it was broken. He rushed me to the hospital in Newburyport to get treated since it was the closest one since the Amesbury hospital closed down when I was a baby.

  Shaking my head, I watched as the nurse carefully wrapped my arm in a cast, layer by layer. I was excited as a kid to watch this process, but after doing it so many times as a nurse I find the process boring now. While I watched the scene continue to play, I looked around at my surroundings, noting the old Backstreet Boys song playing in the background, and the simple clothes that everyone was wearing.

  I’m wearing a pair of black shorts, and a pink tank top, with band-aids on my knees and elbow. I have a pair of white tennis shoes on, and my hair is pulled back into a pony tail. My dad is wearing a light blue button-down shirt and a pair of black slacks. The nurse has her scrubs, a name t
ag, and a stethoscope around her neck.

  I begin wandering around the room, reaching out and touching various objects, but my fingers pass right through them. Then I experiment, and I reach out to touch my dad’s arm. My hand just passing through the image, so I touch the younger me and the same thing happened. Interesting, I reach out and touch the nurse only to have my hand pass through her image as well. Are these like holograms or projections? I mean it is a memory, so anything is possible.

  Eager to keep moving forward, I head for the nearest exit. If I find one more item, I’ll be halfway done and that much closer to waking up from this hell. Though she said everything will be connected, but so far all I’ve got is a pair of boots, a watch, a card, and a name of a song. How is all that connected? I reach the exit and push the door open ready for another time jump.

  I blink my eyes and I see myself at the age of nine again, but this time I’m waiting for the school bus. Interestingly enough everyone is in costume. Is it Halloween? I move closer to the group of kids talking to figure out what is going on.

  “When I grow up, I’m going to be a teacher.” One girl announces.

  “Well, when I grow up, I’m going to be a policeman.” A boy proclaims.

  “I want to be a chef.” One of the girls adds.

  “And I want to be a scientist.” Another girl states. “What are you going to be Naomi?”

  “I’m going to be a doctor.” I announce. “Just like the one who fixed my arm this summer.”

  “Wow, that’s cool.” They all awe as I pull out my souvenir cast.

  This must be a career day at school. In elementary school, we got to dress up as what we wanted to be when we grow up once a year. Of course, we had to write a paper on why we chose this career, but it was still fun. We even got to bring in props to help identify ourselves.

  I look into the backpack that the younger me has open on the ground and note the cast and a stethoscope. I reach out and try to get the cast since that’s the obvious choice for what is repeated in these two scenes, but my hand passed right through it. I reach out to try to touch the doctor’s coat I am wearing, but I grasp at nothing. Okay, that leaves only one more item. I reach into the bag and grab the stethoscope. When my fingers touch the cool rubber, I snatch it out of the bag like it’s a damn snake. I have no idea why I did that, but I did it and there’s no one around to see it.

  I take the stethoscope and walk back down the street as the school bus pulls up in front of the kids. I could try to ride the bus to the center of town, but since there are doors, I have to pass through it’s probably best if I don’t board it in case of a third time jump.

  Instead, I walk myself up the hill, then down the hill. Past the laundry mat, then down past the Cumberland Farms, that’s been there forever. Down around the corner past the auto mechanic shop that’s still there, passed the gas station that’s only changed ownership, and up the hill to the circle of town. I find the shop that doesn’t belong in the spot that has always been an open tunnel between two store fronts. I wait for someone to come out, and step inside.

  I walk over to the counter and wait to see who appears next. “Did you find something?” A little voice called from behind the counter. I stand on my tippy toes to look over the counter and see a little boy looking up at me. Okay, this is getting weird.

  “Yes, I did.” I replied holding out the stethoscope. “Though I’m not completely sure what all these items have to do with one another.”

  “You will when you have all ten items. Only five more to go.” The little boy assured me. “Good luck Naomi.”

  I nod and walk away from the counter. Okay, so the North facing door sends me to the future and the South facing door sends me to my past memories. I think I’ve had enough memories for the moment, though these ones weren’t too bad, but that doesn’t mean the next ones won’t be bad. I opt for the North facing door and push through it.

  Chapter 8

  I blink at the lights, then look around. I’m in a coffee shop that’s full of people coming and going. I see myself, looking a bit older than I am now come in wearing a lab coat. I watch as I place my usual coffee order, an extra-large hot coffee with extra cream, four sugars with a double expresso shot, and caramel mocha flavoring. Then I went and took a seat at a table with a much older woman. Wait, do I know her?

  I inch closer to the scene trying to place where I’ve seen her before. As the older version of me sits down she lets out a bit of a sigh. “Look at you.” The woman cooed. “Thank you so much for meeting with me. How have you been?”

  “I’m only here because my dad told me it’ll be good for me to let go of my resentment for you but looking at you now. Now, I’m fighting the very urge to punch you in the face and call you out in front of everyone in this coffee shop.” I stated through grit teeth. “You have some nerve contacting me and then asking me how I’ve been after all these years.”

  “I kind of expected that reaction. But I need to tell you that I’m sick Naomi.” The woman sighed. “It’s not treatable.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t have been so free-spirited.” I shrugged. “What is it?”

  “HIV.” She muttered. “I needed to come to see you and tell you how sorry I am.”

  “Save it, Louise.” I snapped. Now I know why she looks so familiar, it’s my mom as an elderly lady. Just seeing this has me in overdrive. I hate this woman so much, to the point that the only good thing she did was give birth to me.

  “Naomi, please. You promised you’d sit and listen.” She begged.

  “You have twenty minutes.” I gruffed. “Then I’ll need to go back to work.”

  “That’s all I ask.” She sighed. “I know I was wrong leaving like I did, but I just had enough. You were too little to understand, but now that you are older, I hope you will. I didn’t leave because your father was sick and I was scared, that was just a coincidence. Honestly, I was planning on leaving for over a year. I just didn’t love your dad anymore.

  “Yeah, or me.” I muttered.

  “That’s not true, but I knew you would choose to be with your father.”

  “I didn’t get a choice.”

  “Have you ever just been so in love with someone, then wake up and wonder why you're still there?”

  “That’s called a fling, not an eight-year marriage.” I commented.

  “I know, but the truth is I stopped loving your father when you were three. I stayed because he was a good father to you. Maybe I thought I could fall back in love with him, but it just didn’t happen. Then he got sick, and I knew there was no since in me standing by his side and pretend to be a loving wife. When someone is sick there is no right time to tell them you’re not in love with them.” She explained.

  “I see.” I said standing up. “My time is up now, and I guess your right there is no right time to tell someone who is sick that you don’t love or care about them. I wish I could tell you I’m sorry to hear that you’re sick, Louise but the truth is I don’t really care. You haven’t been part of my life since I was seven.” I stood up and threw my cup away.

  I have seen enough of this scene to know I really hope this future doesn’t come true. I feel like I’ll have more things to say to her than that, and I doubt she’ll be sick. I have lived my life without her, and I have become who I am without her help. I push through the door without a second thought, but as I stepped through it, I noticed it was pointing to the South, not the North.

  I looked around trying to figure out what was going on. I see a younger version of myself climbing into my dad’s truck wearing a doctor’s coat. “I can’t believe Santa got me this. Daddy, did he know I like playing doctor with my stuffed animals?” I ask as he buckles me in.

  “Santa knows a lot about all the boys and girls in the world.” My dad explained.

  “But he got me a doctors coat and a medical bag.” I stressed.

  “Because he knows that you really like playing doctor baby.” He sighed.

  I walked over to the tr
uck realizing that the doctors coat is the only thing that repeated in the time jumps. I need to get that coat before he closes the door. I reach my hand in and grab the coat. Surprisingly, the coat came right out of the truck just as the door closed. I watched in amazement looking at the coat then the truck as my dad climbed into the driver’s seat.

  As he pulled away, I thought back to when this memory took place, then it hit me. This is the first Christmas since mom left. Dad was still going through chemo, but he made sure to give me a good Christmas. He let me bring my doctor’s set to Aunt Rochelle’s house for Christmas dinner. I was so happy since I really didn’t understand what cancer or Chemo was at the time. All I understood at this point in time of my life was that my mom left and wasn’t coming back anytime soon. It took me three months to figure that out, but those were three difficult months for me and my dad.

  As I walk up the hill with the doctor’s coat in my hand, I try to remember what it was that inspired me to become a doctor at this age. I mean, I know I’m a nurse now, but at seven nurses and doctors did the same things. I walk past the laundry mat and go down the hill. As I pass the pizza shop, I remember, it was when I went with my dad to his first checkup. One of the people told me that the doctors and nurses were superheroes and saved her life. I thought that was the coolest thing in the world. I wanted to be a superhero and save people’s lives too.