Midlife Crisis (Second Chances Book 1)

by Jason Ayres

  “I suppose that all makes sense,” conceded Kent. The angel was right, it didn’t really matter.

  “Well, thank you for all you’ve done,” he added. “I really do appreciate it – you genuinely have changed my life.”

  “You’re welcome,” replied the angel.

  “Keep up the good work,” added Kent. “There are plenty of others in this town who would benefit from your help if you’re planning to stick around.” As he said it, he thought about Kay and the others in the pub. What difference might the angel make to their lives?

  “One final thing,” said the angel. “Make sure you book yourselves a holiday in Cyprus for the last two weeks of October 2029. You don’t want to be around then.”

  “Why not?” asked Kent.

  “I’m not going into details, but trust me; your life depends on it. Now it’s time to go, and remember what I said. Off you pop.” With that, the angel clicked his fingers for the last time.

  As Kent vanished before his eyes, the angel took a last look around. This had been a lot of fun, not just for Kent but for him, too. He may have had a whole universe to play with, but got bored very easily. This had been the most interesting case he had had for ages.

  Where to next? he wondered. Kent was right; there were plenty of interesting cases in the town. He would have to investigate further. But for now, he needed to rest so it was time to leave Universe 1.0 to its own devices for a while. Aware that Kent would return in just a few seconds, he himself vanished. The space in the corner of the rooftop they had shared for the past six days was left empty, with just a plastic lemonade bottle and some leaves blowing about in the breeze.

  In 2028, Kent was waking up in a body that was now fifty-two years old. Surprisingly, he didn’t feel that bad, certainly no worse than he had at forty-two. Looking down at his body he could see it was a similar shape to before. Clearly he hadn’t made much progress in his vow to live healthily. Still, on the plus side, at least he hadn’t put on any more weight. The only noticeable sign of aging was the hair on his chest – it had turned almost completely white. Had the same happened to the hair on his head? That was assuming there was even any left. He had been noticeably thinning on top by his early forties.

  He sat up and looked around. The room was not one he recognised but it was filled with familiar things, notably the old bed frame, black metal with gold knobs on. Clearly they had moved house, but to where?

  Debs wasn’t in the room but there was enough evidence of her around to reassure him they were still together. He could see her usual brand of deodorant, the one she had used for years on the dressing table. He also recognised the little china cats on the window sill, family heirlooms passed on to her by her grandmother.

  Thankfully there was no mirror in the room, so he would be spared the sight of his declining hairline for the time being.

  He could hear a lot of hustle and bustle coming from outside, so he got up and walked over to the window. The curtains were closed, so he pulled them apart, allowing the bright sunlight to flood in. It shed light not only on his immediate surroundings, but also on the location of the room. When he cast his eyes down at the street outside, he found himself looking at a familiar scene.

  It was no wonder it was noisy. He was looking down from a first-floor window right at the High Street of the town he knew so well. He knew immediately by the stalls stretching up the street that it must be a Friday – market day.

  “Get your bananas here, six for a pound,” shouted out a man almost directly below him.

  It pleased Kent to see that in the world of ten years’ time, the market was still going strong. It had been difficult enough coping in the modern world of 2018, let alone the future. He had worried that it might be so technologically advanced by now that he would be completely baffled by it.

  Seeing the familiar and unchanged shape of the market was quite comforting. The future was not the alien world he had feared it might be.

  From Kent’s view of the street, he could pretty much pinpoint his whereabouts within a house or two. In fact, if the fruit and veg stall was directly below him, realisation swiftly dawned that there was only one place he could possibly be. It was scarcely too good to believe.

  There was only one way to find out. He rushed out of the room, clad only in his usual bedclothes of T-shirt and Y-fronts and down the rickety spiral stairs towards the ground floor. He was almost certain he knew where he was now, as he remembered going upstairs in the building for a drink once, but he had to see for certain.

  He opened the heavy, wooden door at the bottom of the staircase, which was all he needed to confirm his location.

  He was in The Red Lion.

  To his left, lay the bar. To the right was the restaurant. What was he doing here? There was one very obvious explanation, and he knew just how to confirm it. He turned left into the bar, past the bemused and vaguely familiar barmaid and straight to the front door, ignoring the chuckles of a group of pensioners who were sitting in the window seats enjoying a morning coffee.

  He opened the front door, went outside, turned around and looked up. There it was, written on a plate above the door, the glorious confirmation he had been seeking:

  Richard and Deborah Kent.

  Licenced to sell all intoxicating liquor for consumption on or off the premises.

  So it was true. This was his dream job – running a pub! The alien wasn’t going to have to worry about him changing this future. He was more than happy that this was where he was going to end up a decade from now.

  He was shaken out of his reverie by the fruit and veg man shouting over to him, “Have you gone bleedin’ mad, mate? You’ll catch your death.”

  Only then did he notice the cold. The sun was low in the early winter sky and it was decidedly chilly. He went back indoors to find Debs waiting for him.

  “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing? Go upstairs and put some clothes on straightaway. I don’t want you parading around like that in front of the customers, and certainly not in front of Lauren!”

  Lauren. That rang a bell. Of course, he thought he had recognised the barmaid. He looked up to see an older version of the girl he had not long ago seen drinking underage in here. He had advised Craig to take her on as a barmaid. It seemed Kent had followed his own advice.

  “Sorry, my love,” said Kent. “I must have been sleepwalking or something.”

  “Just go upstairs and get dressed,” she snapped. “We’ve got the first Christmas party of the season booked in tonight and I need you to go to the Cash and Carry for me.”

  He went back behind the bar and prepared to head upstairs. Before he did so, he took a quick look at the restaurant on the other side of the building. It looked fantastic, decked out with rustic-looking pine chairs and spotless white tablecloths. The places were all set out for the evening, with candles and menus on the table. A blackboard on the wall proudly announced, “Debs’s specials”.

  Pan-fried sea bass with lemon butter sauce.

  Aberdeen Angus fillet steak in red wine sauce.

  He smiled and headed upstairs. This was awesome. He owned a pub and Debs had her restaurant, serving far more than mere pub grub. It was everything both of them could have hoped for.

  How had he ended up here? What did it matter, he could work all that out when he got back. He knew Craig was planning to leave. All he had to do was wait until that happened and make sure that it was him and Debs who got to take over.

  Happy that their future was assured, he returned to the bedroom to get dressed. He was very much looking forward to playing landlord for the day.

  The end…but the story continues in the sequel, Rock Bottom, told from Kay’s perspective.

  You can also catch up with more of Kent’s adventures in The Time Bubble series.

  Now, may I ask a small favour?

  As an independent author, I don’t have the strength of a big marketing budget behind me. I rely on word of mouth to spread the word about my books,
plus genuine reviews from enthusiastic readers who have enjoyed the book. These help potential new readers decide whether or not to try a story from an author they haven’t read before.

  If you enjoyed the book, I would be hugely grateful if you would consider taking a few minutes to leave a short review on the Amazon website to let other readers know what you liked about the book. Every little helps, even if it is only a couple of short sentences.

  Many thanks, and before you go, please check out my Facebook author page where you can interact with myself and other readers, as well as finding out the latest news on my books: www.facebook.com/TheTimeBubble/

  Also by Jason Ayres:

  Rock Bottom

  Kay's life was in a mess - until the day her younger self appeared and offered her the chance to travel back in time.

  At 18, she had it all. Brains, beauty, and plans for a glittering career in front of her. At 43, she finds herself barely scraping a living and renting a grotty flat above a chip shop. Traded in by her husband for a younger model, Kay has lost all self-respect, seeking solace in vodka and one night stands. But now she's been given the chance to go back and relive six days of her life over again. Can she use them wisely to turn her life around?

  From reliving Christmas Day in the 1980's to turning private detective in her own divorce case, Kay makes good use of her trips to the past. But will an attempt to unmask a murderer in the local community be her undoing?

  This novel is part of a new spin-off series featuring characters from the original Time Bubble books. Each can be enjoyed stand-alone, or alongside the other stories.

  UK Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01N76YM5M/

  US Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N76YM5M/

  My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday

  Meet Thomas Scott, a man living life in reverse, in this original new time travel novel.

  When Thomas wakes up in hospital on New Year's Day he has no memory of who he is or why he is there. Racked with pain from a terminal illness, death swiftly follows. Next time he wakes, alive again, he is confused to discover that it now December 31st. As the days pass it becomes clear that the calendar is running in reverse.

  From middle-aged father all the way back to childhood, the passing years present all manner of different challenges for Thomas as he continues his journey backwards through the early 21st and the late 20th centuries.

  Taking place in the same universe as the author’s Time Bubble series, this is a stand-alone story which can be enjoyed with or without having read the earlier books.

  UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00UDHAD0M

  US Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UDHAD0M

  The Time Bubble

  Charlie and Josh’s interests were the same as most other teenagers: drinking, parties and girls. That was until the day they discovered the Time Bubble.

  It starts as a bit of fun, jumping a few seconds into the future. Soon things take a more serious turn as the leaps in time increase in duration. When a teenage girl goes missing, and the police become involved, suspicion falls on Charlie. How can he explain where she is? Will anyone believe him?

  Set in a small market town in Southern England in the early 21st century, this light-hearted time travel novel has plenty to delight readers of all ages.

  This novel is the first part of a series which continues with Global Cooling and Man Out Of Time. A fourth volume will be released later in 2017.

  UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00L3K1B8G

  US Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L3K1B8G

  Global Cooling

  In 2029, Earth is facing a major climate catastrophe. An asteroid strike blankets the globe in dust and ash, blocking out the sunlight. Soon temperatures begin to fall.

  As weather conditions worsen, the residents of a small market town in Southern England must make a decision – flee south or wait for the worst to pass. With power supplies failing and food scarce, survival is at stake as those with darker motives seek to take advantage of the situation.

  For those heading south, can the discovery of a new Time Bubble provide a way out?

  Global Cooling is the second part of a series which began with The Time Bubble. Set a decade after the main events of the first book, this story picks up the lives of the main characters as they reach their late-twenties.

  The series continues with Man Out Of Time. A fourth volume will be released later in 2017.

  UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00OTTETV4

  US Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OTTETV4

  Man Out Of Time

  What would you do if you found yourself cast 22 years into the future? Into a world where your home is no longer your home and you’ve been declared legally dead?

  This is the situation that Daniel Fisher finds himself in at the beginning of this novel. Stranded in the future, in a place where his outdated currency is worthless, things go from bad to worse for Dan very quickly. Before long he finds himself incarcerated in a secure psychiatric unit, his hopes of ever returning to the past looking bleak.

  Elsewhere, Josh has unlocked the secrets of the time bubbles, and can now freely travel in time. He returns to the scene of past encounters, as well as travelling to the future to join Peter on his adventures through time. But has he been careful enough to prevent others from discovering his secrets?

  This book is the third in The Time Bubble series, following on from The Time Bubble and Global Cooling. A fourth volume is planned for later in 2017. The story also links in with the spin-off novel, My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday.

  UK Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B013A0ZN7Q

  US Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013A0ZN7Q

  About the author

  Jason Ayres lives in the market town of Bicester, near Oxford, with his wife and two young sons.

  Following a lengthy career in market research, he turned his hand to writing whilst bringing up his children. This included the popular Stay At Home Dad column in the Oxford Mail.

  Encouraged by this success, he moved on to writing time travel novels, releasing The Time Bubble in the summer of 2014. This original and well-received story has since spawned a host of spin-offs and sequels.

  Want to know more about Jason?

  Find him on Twitter:

  https://twitter.com/AusterityDad

  Or check out his Facebook page for the latest news:

  https://www.facebook.com/TheTimeBubble/