“Not everyone would agree, General. Not even now.”
“No, I suppose some changes take longer than others. Mr. Russell, before we go in, I'd like to tell you I am deeply indebted to you for today. Knowing the country has survived, seeing the wonders of your time, it makes me quite happy that you stayed that day at Appomattox. I am now an old man. I have seen much suffering and death. It is good to know the future is so hopeful. Thank you for that opportunity. Now, shall we meet the president?”
Chapter 38
ASHLEY KNOCKED on the door to alert everyone that they had arrived. Crossing the fading lawn with Lee, Fritz saw the porch beginning to fill. The president walked down the steps, a broad smile on his face, his hand extended.
“Mr. President, it is my great honor to introduce General Robert E. Lee.”
Before the president could speak, Lee said to Fritz, “Mr. Russell, it would be more appropriate if you had done your presentation in reverse. Mr. President, it is indeed my honor, sir, to make your acquaintance. Mr. Russell has told me a bit about you, sir. I hope we will have a chance to speak. I have just been escorted to visit the town and its many innovations. Ah, but I am running on.”
“General, as I told Fritz, you are the guest of honor tonight. I hope we might hear your observations.” While they stood on the front lawn, a gold Cadillac parked, and George and Lois headed toward the crowd. General Lee waved to them, and George pulled Lois to meet him.
“Mr. McAllister, good to see you again, sir. May I presume that this lovely lady is Mrs. McAllister?”
“Yes, General. I am. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
“General, I'd like to introduce my wife, Lois,” George said as he shook the General's hand, this time very naturally.
“Shall we all go inside?” Fritz asked. Another car pulled to the curb and, in his uniform, out stepped Jim Shaw.
“A police officer?” asked the general, glancing at Fritz.
“Yes, General, and formerly one of my students.” He waved Jim over as they walked to the steps. Jim ran.
“Jim Shaw, I would like to introduce you to General Robert E. Lee.”
Jim smiled, looked the general in the eyes, and said, “Mr. Russell, talk about making history real. General, it's nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Shaw. Perhaps you'll allow me to examine your pistol later.”
“Sure, General. If I had known you would ask, I would have brought some of my collection.”
SLOWLY, EVERYONE found a seat at the table. Fritz put the general at the head. Fritz sat on his left and the president on his right. Linda sat opposite the general. A single seat next to Fritz remained unfilled.
Everyone listened as General Lee related his impressions of the afternoon, especially his ride in the car. Before Ashley and Linda placed the main course on the table, General Lee asked the president what life had been like when he was growing up. He listened to the president's story, locked by a beam from eye to eye.
“You must be a good president. Mr. Russell told me you have been elected twice. Your mother was a white woman, yet they still consider you, uh, African American. Some things have not changed, it seems. Do you not get credit for the other half of your heritage?”
The president didn't answer immediately. He glanced around the table, knowing the importance of his answer, and not just to the general. “General Lee, you lived through a time of great upheaval and division. It has taken all the time since the Civil War to make the social progress, morally and psychologically, that we have achieved as a country. It has not been easy. I believe that the office requires me to behave in such a manner that I represent all the people. Not everyone thinks I have done so, but General, when I see my face each morning in the mirror, it reflects my most basic feelings—no one can ever accuse me of not trying.”
“In that case, Mr. President, I say bravo. Even Mr. Lincoln wasn't loved by all those opposed to slavery.” He smiled. “I hope that our country will continue to benefit from your service.”
Fritz's father and George had helped Linda slice and serve the standing rib roasts. As they began to eat, the doorbell rang. Al Kennedy's frame filled the entryway. He followed Fritz, but stopped short when he saw the faces turned to greet him. “Al Kennedy, I'd like to introduce you to General Robert E. Lee.” The general rose, walked three or four steps, extended his hand, and said, “It is a pleasure, Mr. Kennedy.” Lee smiled as Al shook his hand. “We have a seat for you, right here, beside Mr. Russell.” Al remained silent as he tried to process what he saw.
“Al, it's okay,” said Fritz. “Everyone has been a little surprised. You can close your mouth.”
“Wow. Sorry Fritz. Practice took longer than usual. Playoffs, second round on Saturday. Sorry to interrupt.” He sat and looked at the president and General Lee. “I can't believe how lucky I am to have been invited. Fritz, thank you so much. Mr. President, it's good to see you again. Glad you are still with us. The assassination attempt was terrifying for all of us.”
General Lee looked shocked. Turning to the president, he raised his eyebrows and in a soft voice, said, “That, sir, is a story I would like to hear. You see, I attempted, once upon a time, to prevent an assassination myself—but to no avail. I believe you are familiar with the outcome.”
The president said, “There have been two attempts to kill me. Most recently, with the help of some of those here, we were able to put a stop to the conspiracy, and as with Mr. Booth's death, end the troubles. In both cases, General, Mr. Russell saved my life.”
“Bravo, I say again, Mr. Russell. You are far more, it seems, than an enjoyable guest for tea.” The room began to bubble with chatter and the clatter of knives and forks. Ashley and Lois refilled the wine glasses as necessary.
The general stood and raised his wine glass. “I would like to offer a toast. Mr. President, may you find your efforts successful, now and into the future. To the Russells, thank you for your kind invitation and to all of you for welcoming me to your town. And to your time. And if you'll forgive me, sir,” he turned to the president, then back to Fritz, “to you again, Mr. Russell, for allowing an old man who has seen so much sorrow to see the wonders that would later emerge.” He took a sip as his fellow diners clapped loudly enough to wake the baby.
The four grandparents all started to get up. Linda looked at her father in shock. George beat them to it, as Fritz and Ashley raised their eyebrows and mouthed the portal? While Linda nursed TJ, Lois gave the general a quick lecture on changing mores. “Women are no longer confined at home when they are pregnant,” she said. “And more and more, it is becoming acceptable to nurse babies in public.”
When Linda handed the baby and a cloth to Fritz for burping, Lee asked, “May I, Mr. Russell? I had seven children, you know. And although my career kept me from home more than I liked, I did learn something about holding infants.”
Holding TJ on his shoulder, he patted the baby's back. Feeling the quiet, the general looked up while TJ stared at his beard. Everyone held their breath, but as TJ grabbed, the general chortled. “A beard is a fine toy for a baby,” he said. But TJ had more to explore. He grabbed the general's black puff tie and pulled. The general laughed again, as much at his anxious audience of adults as at the baby's very normal behavior. “He's fine,” said the general. “A fine, strong boy.” TJ's grasp held, and he pulled. Finally, Lee loosened the tie, and the baby pulled it out of his collar.
“General, hand him over the instant you have tired of playing great-grandfather.”
“He seems to want to stay, but I do not want to insult this wonderful meal by letting it grow cold. He can keep the tie, though. He does not want to let it go.”
WEARING A VEST and suit jacket over a white club collar shirt, Lee looked no less formal without the tie. Everyone tried to give him a chance to eat, but questions and answers flew back and forth. No topic seemed taboo, and they even delved into politics and religion.
As they finished dessert, Fritz asked the genera
l if he would like to see another modern invention. “That would please me greatly, Mr. Russell. Where are we going?” Fritz gestured toward the family room. Picking up the remote, Fritz pushed the power button. The general asked, “Battery?” Fritz nodded and smiled, and the television screen came alive. A commercial break advertised the next episode of the latest vampire series.
“Vampires, you have them too!” cried Lee. “I have enjoyed those stories. Most entertaining.” Fritz laughed, as did those now gathered around them. “When I was a young man, I read a story called The Vampyre, and later A Feast of Blood. As you might imagine, a soldier's life left much time for reading. After the war, I was less interested in reading about bloodletting, however.”
“Mr. R,” said Jim Shaw. “I'm going to have to leave soon. General, you said you'd like to look at my pistol. Mr. R, would that be okay?”
“Carefully, Jim.”
“You seem reluctant, Mr. Russell. Why is that?”
As Jim removed the gun from his holster, Fritz said, “General, we have almost as many guns in the country as people. And there are a great many deaths involving guns.”
“Do you not hunt for food any longer?”
“Some, like Jim here, do hunt. But as you saw in the market, we raise almost all our meat on giant farms.”
“Like pigs and sheep,” said the general as the concept registered.
The television interrupted the conversation. The report told of the current problems in the Middle East, and the president's image stood before them on the screen. Lee looked and listened, then looked behind him at the smiling face of the president.
“Most extraordinary,” said Lee. “You obviously cannot be in more than one place, so how does this work? Most incredible.”
“We record images and send them through the air. Instruments like this box receive them. And the same image can be received in any home, on any television, that's what we call these, at the same time.”
“Mr. Russell, I have come to know you are not hoodwinking me. But these … televisions are the most incredible items I have witnessed. You are blessed.”
“Not everyone would agree, sir. Fortunately, we have many choices of what to watch, and we have this.” Fritz held out the remote. He flicked to the menu. “This will give you an idea of how many options we have.” He scrolled through the menu.
“Do you see all of these?”
“No, we choose the ones we want. Would you like to sit and watch a bit?”
“In a moment. I would like to inspect Mr. Shaw's pistol first.” He took the pistol, hefting it from one hand to the other. Then, he looked in the barrel and rubbed the casing. “You maintain it well, Mr. Shaw. A Colt. I have used Colts before. Do you find it a good weapon, sir?”
“It's pretty good, General. But fortunately I don't need to use it much. I go to a practice range to keep up my eye and feel for it.”
“Excellent idea. I have always believed in training. Unfortunately, we found too late that wasted shots became dear to us in the late war. We ran low on ammunition while the Union had the foundries, the manufactories, and the materials. And the railroads to supply them. General Grant and General Sherman saw to it that we were lacking in many things at the end. Thank you, Mr. Shaw. I appreciate the opportunity to see this.”
Fritz's father-in-law asked Lee if he had any misgivings about coming to the twenty-first century.
“Mr. Miller, sir, although this has been most educational and enjoyable, there is no question I do not belong here. My time is past and in the past. If I have a misgiving, I regret being born too soon. I would have enjoyed owning an automobile.”
“Fritz, I need to go,” said the president. “But I am glad to have had a chance to meet you, General. I would like much more time to talk, but duty calls.”
“I understand, sir. Our meeting has been informative, and perhaps divinely inspired. As I said earlier, I wish you good fortune.”
After the bustle of the president's departure, Lee whispered, “Mr. Russell, may we speak alone for a moment?”
“Certainly, General. Why don't we go out in the back?” They walked through the kitchen.
“Thank you for today, Mr. Russell.” The quiet of the outdoors gave them a chance to slow down, and they breathed deeply in the fresh air. “Over the past years, we have spoken of many things, and I have enjoyed your visits and your company. Young man, I wanted you to know that our time together has given me much to consider—about my world and about the future. Now that I have witnessed it, I will one day pass on contented. Yet I will be sad that we all could not find a better way than war to have settled the differences between the states.”
“General, we have never discussed the years between your time and mine. Don't be sad. We haven't done so well. Wars have continued throughout the world in every decade to the present. We merely fight them differently.”
“Then I'm sad to know that. As a soldier, no one can know the destruction of war better and want peace more. Perhaps someday we will find a better way. Mr. Russell, thank you again.”
“I'LL BE RIGHT back,” Fritz told Linda later. “Tony and I are returning the general.” Everyone gathered to bid farewell. The general stopped by the crib in the family room to say goodbye to the baby. They smiled at each other.
Chapter 39
WITH EVERYTHING in place, Fritz shook hands again with Robert E. Lee as he passed through the portal to his office and his time. “Godspeed, Mr. Russell,” he said in farewell.
Chapter 40
A LOW-LEVEL conversation welcomed Fritz home. George and Lois had waited to thank him before they left. Al Kennedy was chatting with Jane and Ashley in the family room. Fritz rejoined Linda and their parents at the dining room table.
“I wonder if I'll see him again?” Fritz said to no one in particular. Conversations stopped and the dining room refilled.
“Fritz,” asked Tim, “what did the president mean when he said you saved his life twice?”
“You all know about Geneva. Fortunately Tony had come here to speak to my classes, so we had the ability to trigger the portal immediately. Jane told us where to find the president. So we went after him and brought him back. On Thanksgiving, while you were in the Blue Room, we went to a nearby office. Mr. Koppler pulled a gun. I pushed the president out of the way.”
“Fritz, General Lee left his tie with TJ. Is that going to be okay?” Linda asked.
“I hope so. There is so much about time travel we don't understand. You know, we can't prove that it belonged to him, but we should keep it safe. We can tell TJ when he's grown.”
“Fritz, I took a picture on my phone of Lee and TJ,” Ashley said. “It faded and then vanished.”
“It was supposed to, I think.” Fritz's chest heaved. The day had been exciting yet sad. Past. Present. Future. An unfamiliar and unwelcome weight descended on his shoulders. Friends and family surrounded him, yet he felt numb and empty nonetheless. “In his time, today is September 23, 1870,” said Fritz. “General Lee had a stroke on September 28, and died two weeks later. We've seen him for the last time, I think.”
“But you can go farther back, Fritz,” Ashley said.
“Call it a feeling, Ash. I think the wave is about to reach the shore. I don't think the portal will open to Robert E. Lee again. Almost every time I've been to see him in his office, time had passed. A little later, a few days, a few weeks. But later.”
“Fritz, Robert E. Lee has been dead for a hundred and fifty years,” said his father. “Meeting him tonight was fascinating. But I came to see the living, my family.”
“Dad, I'm glad you came back because tonight you saw Robert E. Lee, alive again. He was real. As real as we are.”
Quieter than Fritz had ever heard him speak, Al said, “Fritz, Linda, thank you for allowing me to be part of tonight. I hope you're wrong, Fritz. I can see he means a lot to you. I wish I had your passion for teaching.”
“You do, Al,” said Ashley, stealing what he suspected would be Fritz's w
ords. Then Fritz smiled. At them all.
Chapter 41
“FRITZ, LOOK at this.” Linda handed him a gold coin. “Dated 1868. He must have dropped it when he said goodbye.”
“He didn't drop it. He gave TJ a gift.”
THE HOLIDAYS came on quickly, each day more difficult than the one before. Fritz wondered who complained more, the kids or the teachers. School ended two days before Christmas. Ashley rented a Santa costume and wore it all day. George didn't recognize him. Fritz handed out candy canes. On Christmas Eve, George and Lois flew west to see their grandchildren.
On Christmas morning, Linda and Fritz sat together in the family room, sipping coffee and relaxing. TJ slept in the crib in the corner. The tree glittered. They were watching “It's A Wonderful Life,” and an angel got its wings just as the phone rang. They expected calls from friends and family, but not the White House.
“Merry Christmas, Mr. President.”
Other Books by the Author
Book One of the Quantum Touch Series
Time travel is real, of that, Fritz Russell was certain. He'd just done it. Meeting Robert E. Lee was fascinating, but witnessing the Triangle Fire with his class was scary. His job was to teach, not participate in, events long past. His classroom door had become a portal to the past and a tunnel through the present. How did it happen? Can he control it? Is he changing history? When he walked into the Oval Office, he had no idea how his life would change.
With his wife and his friends, Fritz investigates the mysteries of time travel and the power of the portal, while the nation's security apparatus gears up.
Can they find the answers in time?
Book Two of the Quantum Touch Series
How do you say no to the President of the United States when he's asked you to stop a nuclear war?
Shadow Storm Page 21