The young girl wore a bright yellow-and-white sundress with white, strapped sandals. She giggled as she recognized pictures of animals and sites in the park. April noticed that the bottom of the dress was wet. “She just got a little too close to the edge of the lake.”
April was startled. “I’m sorry, were you talking to me?”
The older woman replied, “Yes, I couldn’t help but notice you staring at my granddaughter’s dress; she accidently dipped it in the water a little earlier. She can be a handful sometimes.”
April smiled as she asked, “So, this is your granddaughter and you made a day of it at the park?”
The older woman moved close to April and said, “Yes, this is my granddaughter, Cassie, and my husband, Glen.”
“My name is Nancy.” She leaned into April and said, “Cassie’s parents, my daughter and son-in-law, were killed in a car wreck a few months ago, so Cassie lives with us now.”
April replied, “That’s awful. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
Nancy’s face frowned and her wrinkled skin drooped to the corners of her mouth. “Yes, it has been difficult on all of us, so we try to take some weekend trips, just to try to enjoy the day with Cassie.”
Connor listened in on April’s conversation and interrupted. “So, they just let you have Cassie, even though you’re so old?”
April snapped at Connor. “Don’t be rude to this nice woman!”
Connor stepped back and said, “I didn’t mean any disrespect, ma’am. I just figured she would be better off with younger guardians, that’s all.”
Nancy, perplexed by the young boy’s comment, replied, “Well, young man, I think Cassie belongs with her family, not some strangers who don’t even know her. We’ll be OK; we raised our daughter and we can raise our granddaughter.”
Matthew eased over to Cassie and her grandfather and asked the little girl, “Did you have a good time at the park today?”
The little girl looked up from the pamphlet and shyly nodded yes. Glen asked Matthew what he thought of the park. Matthew smirked and said, “I wish we could’ve stayed longer and done some fishing, but we need to be getting home.”
“I’m sorry to have been so rude. My name is April and these are my sons, Matthew and Connor.” April continued to get a sense of satisfaction from calling them her sons.
Glen extended his hand to Matthew and said, “Well, it’s nice to meet you folks. So, where are you from? You sure don’t sound like you’re from around these parts. If I had to guess, I would say you’re from up North.”
April looked confused, and she almost blurted out Sector 37. Her mind raced as she struggled to remember the name of the town that they were supposed to be from. All of a sudden, a bus pulled into the parking lot across from the benches. April said, “Oh, look, I see the number 2212 on the side of the, um, the um…”
Matthew intervened, “Bus?”
Glen said, “It sure is, but that isn’t ours. We’re taking the 2213.”
The bus pulled to the curb and opened its doors. April noticed the paper money that two other passengers used to pay for the trip and she started to dig into her bag. Nancy tapped her on the arm and said, “I hope you and your boys get home safely; it was very nice to meet you.” April returned the comment and motioned the boys to get on the bus.
As they loaded on, the driver said, “That’ll be six dollars for Atlanta, station 2.”
April pulled out a stash of money and counted out six singles to give to the large, sweaty driver. The bills included several tens, twenties, and hundreds.
The driver looked at April, astonished by what he saw. “Good grief, lady! You shouldn’t be pulling out that kind of cash when you get into the city; you’ll get your throat slit.”
April, startled by the comment, thanked the driver and moved to the rear of the bus, where Connor and Matthew had already found seats.
Matthew waited for April to sit down before stating the obvious. “Can you believe what we just saw?”
April responded, “Yeah, it’s amazing that those two older adults are going to raise their own granddaughter. No government to say they are too old to care for her and no one telling them they can or can’t go to the park for the day; it’s just wonderful.”
Both of the boys looked at each other and grinned. Connor explained, “Yeah, that’s great and all, but we were talking about those two girls who got on the bus before us.”
April turned to the front of the bus and saw two younger ladies wearing cutoff blue jean shorts, flip-flops, and bikini tops. Both had deep suntans and laughed as they discussed something from a magazine they couldn’t put down.
“Oh, I see—yes, that is way too revealing for a young lady.”
Matthew whispered to Connor, “Do you think all girls that age dress like that here?”
“I hope so.”
April responded, “I heard that.”
The bus pulled away from the park office, and the Chance family began to discuss their next moves. April removed her binder and passed out pages to the boys. She told them, “Each of you read these and then we’ll swap. We should be able to get everything read before we get to Atlanta. We’ll know exactly what we need to do from there.”
Matthew asked if they could do some sightseeing during the ride, but April was insistent on getting all of Walter Wainright’s instructions read before they arrived in Atlanta.
Walter was thorough in his preparations. He had sent hundreds of pages of documents, instructions, and suggestions for the Chance family. He wanted the family to get to Atlanta and take another bus to Memphis, Tennessee. The bus that they were currently on would get them within one mile of a main bus terminal in Atlanta, so it was easy walking distance.
Once in Memphis, the family needed to buy a car and drive approximately two hours into the extreme northwestern part of the state to a town called Travis. Once in Travis, they were to go to a mobile home park called Horizons and rent a home to live in. As April dug through her bag, she found a fake driver’s license for her and fake birth certificates for the boys.
Walter had sent along well over $20,000 in cash to make their needed purchases. Walter had been putting this plan together for years, and he spared no details that he felt would help April and the boys.
April focused her attention on the tasks that needed to be done while in 1984 while the boys were more focused on the descriptions and explanations of the times. Walter described, in great detail, the attitudes of the people at the end of the twentieth century. He described that the thinking of this area of the country was considered conservative for the time and a person’s pride was his biggest weakness.
In 1984, the people of the South loved their country, their faith, their guns, and their football. Everything else was just there for decoration. For the boys, it was important that they understood the minds and attitudes of the young people of the time.
Walter gave details of the music of the time, the advent of cable television, and the pecking order of the normal American high school. It would be important to get in good with the kids that were in Amanda’s clique, as he called it.
The trip from the park to Atlanta was broken into two segments. The first segment was down small two-lane roads. There wasn’t much to see and the vicious bouncing of the bus was enough to make anyone sick. The second leg of the trip would be much more interesting.
Matthew said to Connor, as they read through Walter’s instructions, “So we need to learn as much as we can about things called football, pop music, and video games. That shouldn’t be too hard.”
Connor responded, “He says that we should get a teen magazine when we get to Memphis and make sure we learn everything in it.”
Matthew pointed to a picture of a football player and asked, “Do you think football is anything like beamball? It looks like this guy is throwing a ball similar to a beamball.
”
Connor’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, I bet it’s a lot like beamball. Where are the lasers?”
Matthew was captivated by the views of the city as the second part of the trip began. “Connor, look; those buildings are so tall.”
Connor knocked Matthew out of the way and said, “Yeah, they all look different, too. They’re made to different heights, and look, that one’s round.” April began to tell the boys to get back to the studying, but she was also drawn to the window.
She turned her head from side to side in excitement. There were so many sights, buildings, and people walking on the sidewalk. They were wearing different clothes and hats. April even spotted someone with art painted on his arm. April was taking it all in when she said, “This isn’t what I expected, boys; it’s even better. Everyone looks so different here.”
A loud grinding noise encompassed the bus and the boys and April almost jumped from their seats. Matthew looked up into the sky and saw an airplane coming down toward the bus. Connor yelled out, “What is that!”
The bus driver activated the intercom and said, “Sorry about the noise everyone; the airport is just over that ridge and it can get loud when they come in for a landing. There are hundreds of flights going out every day.”
Matthew said, “I thought flight was deemed too dangerous.”
Connor chimed in, “Yeah, only the leaders are allowed to fly in their special planes.”
Matthew yelled to the bus driver, “Excuse me, sir, but can anyone fly on these planes?”
The driver, confused by the question, responded, “If you have enough money; anyone can buy an airplane ticket, son.” He went on to let the passengers know that they were just a few minutes from the bus terminal, so they needed to be collecting their things.
“What a load of crap!”
Connor asked his brother, “What are you talking about?”
“We live over two hundred years in the future, but we aren’t allowed to fly in airplanes, but back in 1984, people could just buy a ticket and fly wherever they wanted? It’s a bunch of crap!” Matthew’s face turned a mild shade of red as Walter Wainright’s truth became clearer.
Connor pondered his brother’s comments for a moment. “Well, I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for it. We shouldn’t jump to any conclusions yet.” Matthew wanted to reply to his brother’s lazy comment but felt the bus come to an abrupt stop.
The bus driver’s loud voice reverberated over the intercom as he announced they had arrived at their destination. The Chance family collected their backpacks and made their way to the front exit of the bus. April quietly told the boys to stay close to each other; she didn’t want them to get separated. The boys told her that it wouldn’t be a problem.
They then proceeded to run to the front of the bus and offered their assistance to the two young ladies in the bikini tops. “We’ll help you with your bags!” They were politely denied their request, but the boys still felt a sense of accomplishment that they had garnered the nerve to ask.
April proceeded to the nearest terminal employee. She needed to determine the best way to go about purchasing tickets for the bus ride to Memphis. The boys explored the surrounding area. They wanted to investigate the busy terminal and find out what else was different about the past.
The boys were astounded at what they saw. In one corner, they saw men dressed in suits carrying briefcases. In another corner, a family of four wore T-shirts, tennis shoes, and baseball caps. In another corner, a couple of friends smoked cigarettes and pointed out some “prime meat,” as they called it. They yucked it up while they waited for the bus. In the last corner, an older man sat on the floor, clothes torn and stained, with a sign sitting in front of him that read “Veteran, please help—Will Work for Food.”
Matthew imagined what would happen if this same scene were to be played out in his sector, but it seemed impossible to fathom. Connor pointed to the older gentleman with the sign and said, “See, that would never happen back home. He wouldn’t have to beg for food.”
Matthew wanted to learn more about the man’s situation, so he started to make his way over to him. He had to dodge all of the people who moved about the terminal. It was nothing like waiting for the bus at the park bench. He was getting a taste of the big city. He was just a few feet from the veteran when April came up behind him and grabbed his shirt. “I told you two to stay close. Now come on, our bus is leaving in ten minutes; we need to get loaded up.”
As the family loaded back onto another bus for the trip to Memphis, Matthew asked, “Any trouble getting the tickets?”
She replied, “I’m getting good with the money thing; it’s really just basic math.”
The family sat down and noticed that this bus was packed to capacity. Connor asked if they should continue their studying. April knew that there wasn’t enough room on the bus to pull out a bunch of papers, so she told the boys to get some rest.
Connor wanted to look through the gadget bag, but April wouldn’t allow it. “Absolutely not! Who knows what’s in there. We’ll look at it when we get to Travis.”
The family decided to relax during this ride and took in all that they could see on the bus and outside the windows. This would be a twelve-hour ride for the family, and it was a good time to reflect on what they had seen thus far.
April thought about the family they had met at the lake and how good it felt to tell someone that Matthew and Connor were her sons. She had already seen so many differences in people in just the first few hours in the past that she was overwhelmed. Commonality was the norm in April’s time.
While everyone still had his or her own personality in the future, you were pressured to conform to a set way of thinking. Over time, that caused everyone to think the same about everything. April needed to know what people wanted out of their lives in this time and how they planned to reach those goals. She thought about her family’s mission and reminded herself that it was her responsibility to make sure that they didn’t fail. They couldn’t fail.
Connor slumped into his seat and observed the rest of the bus. It was strange for him to see people dressed so differently and acting so differently from each other. It wasn’t that he didn’t like other styles. He was big on the rolled-up jeans of the 1950s. He just didn’t feel comfortable here.
He looked to his left and saw a young military man with a crew-cut and then looked a few rows farther to see a man with purple, spiked hair. That hair would put someone’s eye out if they got close enough. Connor didn’t quite have the same attitude as his brother about the things they had seen. He also couldn’t seem to stop going back to those two girls in the bikini tops. He was a fourteen-year-old boy, after all.
Matthew watched the time count down on his watch. He and his family had been in 1984 for only over half a day and he was already feeling the pressure of the short amount of time that they had. His thoughts drifted to the old man in the bus terminal and how he begged for help. He just couldn’t understand how someone could get to a point of begging for food. Connor was right—that wouldn’t happen back home.
Matthew thought about his brother and mother and how family meant something here. He also got a little angry thinking about his own life. He wasn’t sure about the past, but he decided, on that bus, that meeting Walter Wainright was fate and that helping Connor get that Hathmec charm was meant to be. He knew that Walter Wainright would lead him to the truth, and he would do whatever he could to get to the truth. He relaxed for a few minutes and then spent a little time thinking about those two ladies in the bikinis. April couldn’t figure out why both of her boys had such big smiles on their faces. Boys will be boys.
Chapter 9
i’m a sophomore
Matthew stood on the steps of the Hathmec Memorial and looked across the throngs of people. They all chanted his name and cheered as they jumped up and waved their hands. Matthew saw his mother and brother
in the front row of the crowd clapping their hands. He felt the excitement in the air. He stepped up to a microphone and addressed the crowd. “Sector 1 and the rest of the world: you are free!” The crowd erupted. He saw young girls and old men weep into their hands. The chants of “Thank you” and “Matt Chance” filled the air as Matthew stood back and enjoyed the moment.
The cold air filled with the breath of the cheering crowds and an echo of jubilation that had never been heard before. Matthew motioned for his family to join him, but they were gone. They had to be close. They would want to celebrate such an awesome achievement. Matthew called out, “Connor! Mom!” There was no reply, only the continued chants of the crowd. Matthew panicked. Where were they? Why weren’t they here?
“Matthew, Matthew, wake up! We’re gonna be late!”
Matthew’s eyes slowly began to come into focus as the outline of Connor stood over him. Connor thumped Matthew on the forehead with his finger and said, “Come on, man! I’m not heading into the jungle of high school without you.” Matthew knocked Connor’s hand away and rolled out of bed.
Connor asked, “What were you dreamin’ about? You had a stupid grin on your face.”
Matthew told him that it was none of his business. He was embarrassed to tell Connor the truth.
April poked her head into the boys’ room and said, “We’re leaving in ten minutes; I have to get you to the school and enrolled by eight.”
April and the boys had arrived at their small mobile home just a day before. They had spent the majority of the last day studying their new home, Travis. So far, everything that Walter had wanted them to do had gone off without a hitch. April purchased a small car, jet black, with leather seats and something called a seat belt already equipped.
Their short time in Memphis proved that April’s fake ID was prepared to perfection. She had quite a time learning the rules of the road. She did quite well for someone who had never driven a car in their life. Following traffic signs and maps and keeping the car at a certain speed were all challenges. It took them six hours to make the two-hour trip from Memphis to Travis. She needed to work on her navigation and map-reading skills.
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