30th Century: Escape (30th Century Trilogy Book 1)

by Mark Kingston Levin

  “Yes, of course I want to learn everything I can.”

  Renee took out a large photo album. She sat on a comfortable couch, pointing different pictures out to Jennifer.

  “Now, this is you as a baby, with your cousin Evette holding you. This is you at two, with me holding you on the horse.”

  “You were so young and beautiful,” Jennifer said.

  “Does that mean I’m old now?” Renee asked with a smile.

  “No, I am sorry. I just meant to say how you looked like a movie star in these pictures.” She considered how she and Renee were closer to the same age than she was to Evette. While she enjoyed her college-age friends, Jennifer was finding she preferred the maturity available in older companions; perhaps that was one reason she was drawn to Marty.

  * * *

  Evette’s brother Louis, a tall handsome man with light brown hair, arrived before dinner with his wife Lucy.

  “Hello, Mother and Evette. How is everyone doing tonight? It is a pleasure to meet you, Jennifer.”

  “Where are your children tonight?” Jennifer asked.

  “Robert and Kingston are attending a friend’s party,” Lucy said. “We wanted a calm night and they’re so young it’s like eating in a whirlwind. I want to hear about your survival and rescue on the South Pacific atoll. Can you tell me about that part of your life?”

  “We’ll have Jennifer tell all of us after we feed her,” Renee said. “She has been on a long journey and must be hungry.”

  They all went into the dining room and sat down.

  “Evette, can you tell Jennifer about some of your childhood memories?” Renee asked.

  “Yes, I remember when she was a baby and I was feeding her she threw the bottle on the floor, then she cried and I started to cry too,” Evette said. “Sympathetic tears!”

  Everyone laughed as they started to eat.

  “I remember when we visited them in the islands once we went sailing with Jennifer and she was swimming with dolphins next to their sailboat,” Evette said. “I have some film of that we could show after dinner.”

  “That would be wonderful,” Renee replied.

  Jennifer felt Louis’s eyes on her as she avoided eating the meat course.

  “You don’t eat red meat, do you?” he asked. “Maybe some fish but no meats.”

  “Why yes, how did you know?”

  “You were like that as a kid,” Kingston said.

  “Even though you lost your memory of your identity, your personality seems unchanged,” Evette noted.

  “I’m sorry, but Louis wasn’t sure you were really his cousin,” Renee said. “Louis does not like Jules very much and therefore he does not trust him.”

  “Evette told all of us about your birthmark. It could be faked. So we did another test and you passed.”

  “There’s a great deal of money at stake and we wanted to be sure it was you,” Evette said apologetically.

  Jennifer could hardly blame them for being cautious, but she was relieved their “test” did not uncover her duplicity. “I understand. Thank you for being honest with me.”

  Renee dabbed her lips with her linen napkin. “Do please tell us of your experience now, dear.”

  Jennifer told the story of her first recall on the atoll and rescue four months later, the same story she’d told over and over. These people knew the “real” Jennifer, so they would know if she had done something the other Jennifer wouldn’t have done. She was nervous but she soon became caught up in telling the story.

  She told them about her treatment for radiation sickness and how J.B. Bernard thought she might be from the Marquesas. “J.B. introduced me to Jules, who recognized me. He and J.B. helped me get a visa and passport so I could go to Honolulu and study archeology and physics.”

  Renee nodded, pleased. “Those were your father’s academic interests.”

  When they finished eating, everyone retired from the table to a sitting room.

  “Now let’s show the video,” Evette said. “I’ve transferred everything to DVD but we still have the original films. Which would you like to see?”

  “I am fine with digital images,” Jennifer said.

  She looked for herself in the videos but saw only a child with blonde hair who swam with dolphins. Perhaps she had looked like that as a child but she couldn’t remember. It had all been so long ago. The images made her tired.

  “I have one more,” Evette said. “It’s the video Jules emailed me of the dolphin rescue and the trip to the Marquesas.”

  Jennifer yawned. “I can sleep in tomorrow morning, so please show it.”

  Renee gasped as Jennifer rescued the dolphin and clapped afterward.

  “Good job,” Louis said.

  Evette gave Jennifer a scrapbook and flash drive with the family videos on it.

  “I’m so glad you came to see us so you can develop an identity of family and relatives that care about you,” Evette said.

  Renee looked apologetic, as though disclosing a distasteful family secret. “Your father put Jules as your guardian because Colette did not like Jacque enough. The trust was Colette’s family money so she made the final decision about Jules.”

  “Can I visit Jacque tomorrow?” Jennifer asked.

  “Yes, you can, but he will not likely know who you are.”

  “That is okay because I do not know him either.”

  Louis and Evette laughed; Renee looked sad. Jennifer’s heart went out to the woman. Her husband still lived yet his mind was locked away from her by dementia. Perhaps Jennifer was better off that Zexton died all at once.

  After saying thank you and goodbye, Jennifer and Evette left in the limo.

  * * *

  That night, Jennifer began to think. How was it possible that she had memories from the future and yet everyone else remembered her from the past as a young girl? She remembered growing up in the Laurentian Mountains as a child and moving to Tasmania.

  Was she going crazy? She felt so confused. Each day brought more questions.

  Jennifer fell asleep as her thoughts whirled. She slept for hours and hours, waking and sleeping again until Marty called late in the morning.

  “Hello, my love,” he greeted her. “I’m excited about bringing you home to meet my parents.”

  “Yes, I want to meet them!”

  She talked with Marty for forty minutes.

  “I miss you,” he said.

  “I miss you and love you.”

  “Goodbye, my love.”

  Jennifer stretched, setting the phone aside, actually feeling rested. Evette would be there to meet her for brunch with Louis at noon so she showered and dressed quickly.

  She headed for the Rainbow Room on top of the Queen Elizabeth.

  “Good morning!” Louis said as he saw Jennifer come out of the elevator. “Evette is running a little late.”

  Jennifer followed Louis into the restaurant. They sat down in the corner spot with spectacular views. While they waited, Louis explained his business plan for the next five years.

  Jennifer thought the plan was too conservative. Louis was passionate but not brave.

  Evette joined them a few minutes later. Her skin was dewy from the bike in.

  “I feel great after exercise,” Evette said. “Did Louis talk to you about business? I told him to leave you be for now.”

  “He was just telling me a little about his plans. Nothing serious,” Jennifer told her. “I wonder what my father would do with the situation the family is in now? There seems to be no middle ground.”

  “I think André would try to find a compromise that both Louis and Mom could live with,” Evette said.

  “Thanks for your confidence, sis.” Louis looked sour.

  Jennifer did not want to cause strife between the siblings. “Thank you for that view of André. What was the main purpose of the business: to rebuild cities or to make money? If you could send copies of all the documents to me, I can review why the business was formed and how the business has b
een operating. Perhaps I will see something you are overlooking.”

  “Yes, of course!” Louis exclaimed.

  “After I digest the data I will be back to ask the opinion of everyone in the family about my findings,” Jennifer said. “The decisions are not mine to make.”

  The three ate and Louis told Jennifer he’d drive her and Evette to meet with Jacque, who was now so confused he had to live in a nursing home.

  * * *

  Jacque was outside of the center, walking in the garden, when they pulled up. Evette spotted him and approached him cautiously, until he smiled and waved at her. She had explained to Jennifer on the way here that they never knew if he would recognize them or not, day to day.

  “Daddy!” she yelled. She embraced her father.

  “Who did you bring with you? Is it Colette?” Jacque asked.

  “No, Dad, this is Jennifer, Colette’s daughter,” Louis said.

  Jacque’s eyes were unfocused but he looked sharp. Jennifer hoped he was having one of his better days. He might be able to give her some answers about her parents.

  He said, “Jennifer, I am sorry I got sick, but not one of these doctors can tell me why or how.”

  “It is not your fault, Jacque,” Jennifer said.

  Before leaving, as Jennifer hugged Jacque, he whispered into her ear, “You have a twin sister.”

  Jennifer stared at him but his eyes grew foggy, as though his lucidity was now gone for the day. Perhaps he had mistaken her for someone else. She did not understand why someone had not given Jacque medicine to cure his neurological ailment. She rubbed her temples, feeling dizzy; something did not add up. Maybe it was her delusion.

  Evette was videotaping the visit for Renee. The meeting was going so well that Evette asked Jacque’s doctor about any changes in his medication.

  “We have given him a soluble form of curcumin,” the doctor said. “A drug developed at UCLA for Alzheimer’s. It shows promise on some patients.”

  Jennifer enjoyed visiting with Jacque but she was glad Jules was made her guardian in the absence of André and Colette. She had a home now in one place and family in another.

  Jennifer had dinner that night with the entire family. She was told the French restaurant had been one of her mother’s favorites and she could see why. She loved talking to Louis’s children. She felt welcomed by all the family and had a great time, but she missed her friends and lovers in the Hawaiian Islands.

  CHAPTER 27

  Poe

  Jennifer flew back from Montreal, happy to have met Jenny’s relatives. She rested the next day, making notes for Professor White about her dark energy project.

  She presented her work to the professor after class.

  “What do you think?” Jennifer asked.

  “This work is totally new and brilliant!” Professor White said. “Let me go over your math. If this checks out I think this is worth a PhD.”

  “Jennifer Heros, PhD; I like the sound!”

  Jennifer had a spring in her step as she moved from one building to the other. She had done her work in less than a year, but still needed to complete many courses before she could get her degree. I should write a paper with Kala and then we will worry about getting this coursework done in the summer and in the next school year, Jennifer thought.

  * * *

  She hailed a cab to Tripler Medical Center where Poe’s mom, Tika Ata, was being treated for tuberculosis. Without the proper diagnostics and treatment, the US Navy doctor said, she would have died within six months.

  Jennifer gave Tika a laptop computer and lesson on how to use it. She could email her daughter every day. Poe would be in Hawaii in June, arriving within days of Jennifer going away on the Albatross.

  Marty called in the middle of Jennifer’s visit. “Hi, love, I’m waiting in the car. Can I do anything to help you?”

  “Yes, Marty, I want you to meet Tika Ata.”

  “Okay, I’ll park and come up.”

  Marty arrived at the room and Jennifer made the introductions.

  “Jules arranged for her to get medical care at Tripler, as her husband died very young when his plane crashed,” Jennifer said. “He was in the U.S. Navy.”

  “I’m sorry you lost your husband, Tika,” Marty said.

  “Marty is a pilot and flies the amphibious aircraft that landed on the water and rescued me. We are now dating.”

  Tika expressed interest in his exploration of her home islands but soon tired. Jennifer and Marty left as a nurse came into the room to check Tika’s vitals.

  After they left the hospital, they drove to a nearby sushi restaurant for dinner. There Jennifer told Marty a little more about Tika.

  “I spoke to her doctor; she will get out of the hospital in about a week but will stay at a nursing home for one more month. I need to find a place for her and Poe by early May. Poe will come in June.”

  “I can help,” Marty said. “I talked with Anne about my salary and business interests.”

  “Go on!”

  “She’s a great real estate investor but she doesn’t particularly care about the impact of housing on the ecosystem here. I would rather build sustainable housing or work with architects who build around the environment rather than through it.”

  “I like your values! Where did that come from?”

  He frowned. “I was thinking about Anne bragging that she made over two hundred thousand dollars on her real estate investments. It bothered me that she was trying to put you down for being a student. I know you’re trying to get along with her but she’s very competitive and wants to win at any cost.”

  Jennifer reached for his hand. “We are getting along okay. I know we all want what is best for the kids. I do find myself hoping that they learn more from you than from her. That is why I am working hard to get more time with the kids for you.”

  “Thank you. I’ve been immature when it comes to my relationship with Anne and Jill. You’ve shown me an alternative path. I’ll move in that direction with your guidance, my love.” Marty squeezed her hand with gentle pressure.

  They enjoyed dinner and returned to Jennifer’s condo.

  “Is there a good place within walking distance from campus where I could buy an apartment for Poe and Tika? I think it is a better investment to buy than rent, especially if Tika is too ill to work and Poe is too busy with school to do so.”

  Marty pulled out his smart phone and searched the neighborhood. “These three complexes are very close to campus.”

  Jennifer called Jules and asked him if he could arrange to buy an apartment for Poe and Tika near the university.

  Jules was positive. “Yes, your father and mother continued to invest in real estate and I think you should get your feet wet in this business. Please go ahead and spend up to ten million on a property. A property should have over twelve units to be able to pay for a manger tenant.”

  “Okay, I will do that!” Jennifer said.

  “That will be a good start,” Jules told her. “I suggest you get an agent, as you are not familiar with real estate in America and each country and each neighborhood is different.”

  “I was thinking about using Anne but she might think you’re trying to show off your wealth,” Marty said. “She just thinks you’re a student. Maybe another agent. Jane Walls could be a better option.”

  “I will call Jane if you think that would be best for our goal of equal time with your kids.”

  * * *

  The semester went by fast as Jennifer, with Jane’s help, purchased a twenty-unit apartment building for $7.4 million for the André and Colette Heros’ estate. The income would be sent to the Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. Tika would be the property manager so she could pay her own way; a job was important to her self-esteem.

  Tika was ready to leave the nursing home and Jennifer had just learned how to drive.

  “Marty, can I borrow your car to take Tika to her new home?”

  “Let’s go together,” Marty said.

&nb
sp; “Okay, but I want to spend time with her and help her move into her new apartment. I also want to train her in her new job.”

  They picked Tika up at the nursing home and Jennifer showed her around the apartment building. Tika looked so much better since she’d been treated at the hospital. She could walk without panting and her cheeks held a beautiful color.

  “Your job is to collect the rent and manage the facilities. If anything needs repair you call this list of people to fix the problem. Here is the checkbook to write payments. The program to enter each payment is called QuickBooks. Jane has offered to show you how to enter things in QuickBooks next week on Wednesday.”

  “Jennifer, you’re much too generous to be human—you must be an angel!” Tika said.

  “She’s made me think she was an angel more than once.” Marty pulled Jennifer against him playfully and winked.

  “I’m not an angel,” Jennifer disagreed. “I just try to help people when I can.”

  Tika laughed. “That makes you an angel to me. Poe will be here in three weeks. I cannot wait to see her again.”

  Jennifer and Marty took Tika shopping at the local supermarket and showed her around the neighborhood.

  That night, Jennifer couldn’t sleep. She was scheduled to leave with Marty for Tahiti but she wanted to be there for Tika and Poe. She shook him awake early the next morning.

  “Marty, I feel a force deep inside me that I must be here to meet Poe when she arrives. Can I join you later in the trip?”

  “It’ll be difficult. If you don’t come, the spot will be filled. I have three people on the waiting list this year.”

  Disappointment filled her but did not shake her resolve. “I am so sorry, but I must do what I feel is right. I must be here to guide my little sister so she can get accepted to the university. I am so sorry and I will miss you very much. Can you ever forgive me?”

  “I understand. You have so few connections here and want to cherish the ones left. I’ll miss you but we won’t be apart for long.”

  Marty kissed her until her toes curled. She stroked the hair on his chest, pressing her lips against his. He was the angel, she thought. He certainly kissed like one.