Never Say Never (Resetter Series Book 2)

by Brenda Barrett

  Miguel's staff found it odd that their president had his ten year old son with mounds and mounds of paperwork before him and that he took advice from him even when they sounded a bit off.

  "Do you have to go to school in September?" Miguel asked him in late August.

  "I guess so," Travis grinned, "that's what ten year olds do."

  "And when will you lose the memories of before?" Miguel asked concerned.

  "They are already fading, Dad." He looked at Miguel sympathetically; Miguel had come to depend more and more on him as the weeks went by. Especially as it related to how he treated his children.

  "You have more information to be the leader in the market for several years to come, and the girls are warming up to you. You are turning into a father to be proud of. You are getting there."

  Miguel nodded. Tears pooling in the corner of his eyes. "Thank you." He blinked them away. "Oh, I forgot to show you something."

  He held up a framed poem. "Your mother gave me this for my birthday the night after you surprised us with your speech. She said that when you quoted a line from it and mentioned that it hung in the kitchen she was sure that you were telling the truth about the future because she hadn't given it to me yet. It was sitting in the room just waiting to be delivered. I guess it was her way to rebuke me for my unfatherly like qualities.

  She got this one made for the office. The one you mentioned was put in the kitchen today, so that you can memorize again when you revert to your ten year old mind."

  Travis grinned. "Imagine that, I just remembered that it was there. Didn't remember when it was put there."

  ****

  Home life was vastly different from before. Arlene was treating him with a quiet reverence. She had taken to making only the things that he liked for dinner.

  Miguel had to warn her to stop telling her friends and anyone who would listen that Travis was spirited away from church one Sunday and that the Lord showed him the future and he was back to make it right for everyone. That was her testimony in church for eight straight Sundays.

  She had random strangers showing up at the house to see Travis to tell them their futures and what God had planned for them. It got so bad that Travis had taken to hiding out when he saw one of Arlene's church members.

  For Arlene, the spiriting-away was easier to swallow than the whole resetting business.

  And then one day in the kitchen, Arlene looked at him and asked, "Travis, what am I doing in '96. Am I still a helper to your parents? Did I find a good Christian man to marry and have more children?"

  Travis stiffened and then turned to her. "No, you are not around in '96."

  "I am dead." Arlene whispered. "How?"

  "Cancer," Travis said it softly. "Breast cancer. You were diagnosed with it in '82. You ignored it and it spread. You will be dead by '85."

  "For goodness sake." Arlene covered her mouth. "I am going to die, twelve years from now?"

  "You don't have to die." Travis patted her arm. "Start taking measures to prevent it. Do regular checks. If it is caught early, there are things you can do."

  Arlene looked at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you for telling me. I mean it. Thank you for everything.

  "You are welcome, Arlene." Travis sighed. "Your death made Duke even more of a bitter person."

  Arlene nodded. "But now, he'll have you all, even your mother. I see her talking to him in her garden, showing him things, treating him right. It makes me feel so guilty.

  "I was about to tell her you know, when you told me two months ago not to. I was going to confess. I was bitter and jealous and I thought that I had a chance with Miguel so I..."

  Travis nodded solemnly. "I know."

  "I know you told me not to confess to her but I feel as if I need to tell her even if she sends me away. Some things just need to be out there." Arlene sniffed. "Travis, I am not the same woman who ground up papaya seeds and put in her food and her drinks so that she could miscarry. At first, I didn't even know it would work. I changed, Travis. I stopped lusting after Miguel a long, long time ago.

  "We only slept together that one night, he was drunk after a party, your mother was pregnant with you and bedridden and I thought that I deserved my chance with him. I know it was wrong. Maybe I deserve cancer. Maybe that is my punishment."

  "Nobody deserves cancer." Pasha came fully into the room stunning both Travis and Arlene.

  " Miss Pasha," Arlene was shocked and trembling. "I didn't mean...I...oh God." Arlene covered her face. "I am so sorry Miss Pasha, I am so sorry."

  "I heard it all," Pasha said coldly. "And I am not going to send you away. We'll talk about this some other time."

  At first his mother and Arlene had a cold truce. By December, the coldness faded. Pasha was the one who gently nudged Arlene to start her own catering business because she had exceptional culinary skills. Jefferson Pharmaceuticals annual Christmas bash was her first outing.

  She did so well after that that she couldn't handle her bookings. She trained her family and some friends to help with the business. The first person to benefit from the training was Peaches. She moved to midtown, to a safer area, and sent her boys to live with their grandparents in the country.

  The three R's, Peaches boys, were never a major part of their lives. Ramone was Spelling Bee champion for the island in '81, Rocky saved a younger boy from drowning and it made it in the news.

  The prime minister gave him an award for bravery. He wore it around his neck even to bed and he liked it so much he decided to get more, he was the most helpful boy in his neighborhood. The most popular, well-loved, well- behaved child in Jamaica or that was how his mother told it.

  He entered politics in 1986, the youngest MP to ever have his own constituency.

  It was such a 180-degree turn from the Rocky who had stood at his father's party and killed Milly and Sky, that when Travis read back his accounts from the other timeline he even started doubting himself.

  And then there was Reese, the artist. He opted to go to Edna Manley School of the Visual Arts. One of his paintings got the attention of Air Jamaica. They featured him for their annual calendar and he became a sought after member of the art world.

  ****

  By 1980, Travis was in high school most of his memories of the life before had faded, most of them except those surrounding Skyler. He couldn't let her go. He didn't want to. He had painstakingly written down every moment about their time together.

  The older he got the more reading about her felt like he was reading about a dream, but he had a niggling sureness in the back of his mind that she was the one for him.

  He drew pictures of her, he wrote down her description and had a professional artist paint her. The guy did such a good job he had him paint her in several settings.

  He had him paint her when they just met at Mount Faith, in his class. Studying in his apartment with the textbook on her belly, laughing at one of his jokes.

  He wrote down every single detail about Sky that he could remember. She was not a memory that he was willing to lose, but other things he forgot.

  His friendship with Winston Bayer never happened. They were just acquaintances. Their parents were friends and he worked at Jefferson Pharmaceuticals and for a brief while he was the man in Melanie Pitter, the supermodel's life. He had a few best friends Duke was one of them. They spent most of their time together.

  Duke lived with them after Arlene got married to an American and migrated in 1980. She fell madly in love with one of her customers when she catered for a function he was involved in. The feeling was mutual. By the end of 1980, Arlene was packing to live with her new husband.

  Duke begged to stay behind.

  As for Milly, it was clear that she had an addictive personality but instead of drugs she was addicted to defending the planet. It was her passion. She became an environmentalist and an activist fighting for animal rights and any other green earth initiatives.

  She met Wayne Gonzales in 1984 a man who was just as p
assionate about the environment as she was. He was a former lawyer who had butted heads with the establishment far too many times and had had enough.

  They married and lived on a farm in the Blue Mountains only coming out of their green reserve to demonstrate about some harm to the environment or to have dinner with the family.

  Wednesday family night at the Jefferson's was still a thing. It had survived because Miguel was resolved that it would. He was determined to be a family man and he excelled at it.

  ****

  July 1995

  As for Melanie, he never met her in the '80s. He saw her in magazines. Duke pointed her out one day while they were sitting at the poolside waiting for Sunday brunch to be ready. They both took the opportunity to return home for a meal on Sundays every chance they got.

  "Look at this woman," Duke said shaking the page. "She is gorgeous."

  Travis grinned. "You were married to her in the other timeline."

  "Her?" Duke shook the magazine. "I was married to Melanie Pitter?"

  Travis chuckled. "You weren't happy with her. She gets around and she was sleeping with half the board at Jefferson Pharmaceutical."

  Duke grimaced. "You sure about that?"

  "Yes, well, I don't know. Milly was the one who told me so but she was a junky at the time so you never know."

  "Milly? Our sister Milly?" Duke asked incredulously. "Green juice drinking, vegetarian Milly, who thinks you are an accessory to murder for eating chicken was a junkie?"

  "Yep." Travis nodded. "I wrote it down."

  "Well if you wrote it down," Duke said doubtfully. "My mother said you saved her from cancer in the '80s, she caught it very early and dealt with it promptly, that is the only reason why I keep on believing this resetting business."

  "Don't be so skeptical," Travis chuckled.

  "Hmmph." Duke snorted. "I don't know. This Melanie girl is hot."

  Travis sighed and then clipped his fingers to get Duke's attention. "By the way, I didn't see you sign up for the mentorship program at the office."

  "Do I have to?" Duke murmured.

  "Yes. Those inner-city children need role models. You are very much suited for this kind of volunteer work."

  Duke looked over at Travis and held up the magazine. "Look at this, 'Jefferson Pharmaceutical the leading company for employees with disabilities.' Now I know why Dad had this magazine just lying around."

  Travis chuckled.

  "Woah, hear this." Duke read. "Travis Jefferson, the chief operating officer at Jefferson Pharmaceuticals, is working hard to change the way that companies view disabled persons in Jamaica. He has no problems hiring and promoting people with disabilities and he goes one step further. He urges his fellow colleagues and business associates to create spaces in their companies for wheelchair access, this includes bathrooms and boardrooms and offices."

  "Yep." Travis smiled. "I was disabled once. I'll never forget it."

  Duke shook his head. "You were disabled and you have an imaginary girlfriend."

  "She is very much real." Travis rebutted. "I have a detective tracking her every move."

  "Stalker." Duke grunted. "When are we going to meet her?"

  "2000," Travis said, "That will give her enough time to finish her degrees."

  "Crazy talk." Duke went back to his magazine. "Can we use Melanie Pitter for something? I want to meet her."

  Chapter Twenty

  June 2, 1996- Again

  Miguel was sitting at the head of the large twenty-seater dining room table. He knocked his glass to get everyone's attention.

  "I would like to thank my wife, Pasha, for making this an intimate family occasion and not a big party with dozens of faces I wouldn't recognize. With the exception of Kenton Perkins, everyone here is family and it does my heart good to see that. Kenton is always around and I am beginning to think of him as family."

  Kenton raised his glass and grinned. "You need friendly family media coverage and yes I am family."

  Miguel chuckled and raised his glass.

  Travis was sitting across from Kenton. They grinned at each other. He had befriended Kenton years ago at university.

  To this day Kenton had no idea why Travis Jefferson had sought him out and had so entrenched himself into his life that they were the best of pals.

  "I have been blessed." Miguel continued and cleared his throat, "Immensely blessed. Twenty-one years ago my life could have gone differently, but God sent a message through my son, Travis. The message was buckle up and be a man. I heeded. I realized that what was important was my family and our relationship, the way we treat each other and love each other."

  "That wasn't quite what happened," Travis muttered, but he allowed his father to do his grandstanding.

  "I love my family. All five of my children they have been a blessing to me. And the grandkids too, I love you all. And now I am about to announce my retirement. This is no secret; you all know I want to be able to play golf all day.

  "I am stepping down as chairman of the board. As you know, I own 50% shares in the company each child owns 10%. I have discussed this with you individually and we came to a decision that Travis should be chairman of the company. We all know he has been running the place for a long while anyway. I was just there to sign the documents."

  There was laughter around the table.

  "Duke will be the chief operating officer for the Caribbean. Carly is already in charge of the research division and Elizabeth is our branding manager.

  "I wouldn't be Miguel Jefferson if I didn't have a toast for Milly."

  There was laughter again as Miguel looked at Milly fondly.

  "To Milly, my untamed, defiant wild child, the only person who will go toe-to-toe with me in her passionate love for the earth. I know that though we do not see eye to eye that you love your old man."

  "Yes I do," Tears were rolling down Milly's cheek unchecked. "I love you papa."

  "And so, Pasha and I have discussed it. We will come to your farm this summer. We will live a strict natural life with you and Wayne and the grandchildren and see what the whole hoopla is abut with this nature thing."

  "That would be wonderful." Milly chuckled. "You won't regret your stay. Prepare to be amazed. Wayne and I would love to have you and Aunty Pasha."

  Miguel groaned audibly.

  Pasha nodded. "I am looking forward to it, dear."

  "And before I sit, my birthday wish for my sons," Miguel said, "is that they both find someone to marry. I look forward to having grandbabies with my surname."

  Travis covered his eyes.

  Duke was grinning from ear to ear.

  "Kenton do not write that in your article tomorrow." Duke warned looking across at Kenton.

  Kenton shook his head. "This is not new news. He has said it at several interviews over the years."

  "I second that sentiment, Miguel." Pasha declared holding up her glass.

  "Here, here," the rest of the family said.

  ****

  September 1996

  "Here are your Skyler Porter pictures boss." His detective Garfield handed him the brown envelope and sat across from him. It was Monday morning his usual face-to-face reporting time. Skyler had classes all day.

  "She is doing well in school. Her life is boring as heck and she broke up with the guy she was seeing last week."

  Travis smiled at that. "Why? I thought you said she was head over heels."

  "She was telling her ex roommate Emma in the cafeteria that she felt like there was someone else in the world for her, but it wasn't Darren. That was his name. He was complaining that he hardly saw her. Apparently, she is too into her books."

  "That's my girl." Travis whistled. "She still studying hard?"

  "Yes. I hardly see her." Garfield scratched the side of his head. "Seems like that's all she does. She is a boring subject to be honest. I can understand why that Darren guy left her."

  "You not satisfied with your pay?" Travis raised a brow, "or accommodations? If not, I c
an get someone else."

  "No, no, no," Garfield shook his head. "This is the best gig I have ever gotten. I mean when she went to Disney World with her family in May I had a lot of fun, though I was watching her. She is not really that boring."

  Travis nodded. "No she isn't. She hasn't figured out who pays her scholarship has she?"

  "No siree," Garfield shook his head. "She is doing both summer sessions."

  "As she should. She'll graduate faster." Travis smiled satisfied. "So all is going swimmingly?"

  Garfield nodded and stood up. "I have always wanted to ask, how did you know that her fridge wouldn't be working and how did you know that the repair guy would hit on her?"

  "You warned him off before he hit on her didn't you?" Travis asked.

  "Yeah I did, scared the bejeezus out of him." Garfield nodded. "One more thing, she has never met you has she?"

  "No." Travis smiled. "She is finishing this degree first and then her masters and then I get her back here where she belongs."

  "But how do you even know her." Garfield sputtered. "How is it...?" He shook his head and then walked out of Travis' office. He never got an answer when he probed.

  ****

  January 1997

  Kenton called him when he was leaving the office. He wanted to do a session in the company gym but Betty handed him the phone on the way out.

  "Hey man, my sister, Amelia has been bugging me to introduce you to her. I am in the vicinity and she is here with me. Do you want us to do dinner? Say seven o'clock?"

  "Sure." Travis had always heard Kenton talk about Amelia. He knew she worked at Mount Faith University. He wondered if they had crossed paths in the other time. He had no record of her in any of his records.

  "I am going to the gym. Want us to meet at the Pegasus?"

  "Yes." Kenton sounded pleased, "see you there."

  Travis picked up his gear and headed for the bank of elevators. He had not gone out on a date for close to a year. For years he felt like he was cheating on Sky if he had just looked at another woman.