Harriet came out with a tray of coffee and cake and some peanut butter sandwiches. “Sorry about the peanut butter, but that’s all I had to make sandwiches until we shop.”
Martin’s eyes lit up. He was learning to love the food of this century. The pills and powdered variety of his time would never compare to fresh ingredients—his taste buds had changed forever.
Harriet had heard the last part of their conversation as she was leaving the kitchen. “Who in their right mind would agree to his scheme? That maniac is asking people to give up all of their children. Who, with any kind of parenting instincts, could do that? There is no amount of wealth that would convince me to give up even one!” She could feel her anger rising. “I sometimes wish we could have stopped him… permanently! He needs to be erased… he’s one of God’s mistakes.” The passion in her voice surprised Joe.
That got Martin’s attention… he looked at her, wondering if she was serious, or was this her frustration showing?
Joe didn’t want her upset, not today, the first day of what should have been their honeymoon. He changed the subject.
“Do you want us to call Red and the ski hill and let him know what’s going on? How did you get him to cooperate?”
Martin laughed, “He was easy, once I explained what was going on, he was eager to help. I figured he must have pulled it off okay. I’m pleased it went so well. And I already called him and let him know that you two are fine and that we took care of the would-be kidnappers. Oh, and you will have your luggage back tomorrow. They’re sending it by courier.
Joe and Harriet laughed. They could just imagine that this live drama would have been quite a diversion for Red. It appeared the man was a born actor. He was always so bright and cheerful whenever they saw him and he’d played his part well.
“So, have you decided what you will do for the rest of your honeymoon… umm, besides the obvious?”
Harriet squirmed, and Joe laughed. “We haven’t talked about it yet. You were first on our list to call. Get business out of the way. But since you’re here now, I suspect that we can do something tomorrow.” He looked at Harriet.
“Sounds good to me, once we go shopping we can get the stuff for dinner, if you’d care to join us. Come early, and I’ll call Maggie and see what she’s up to.”
“I’m way ahead of you, Maggie’s students have a study day tomorrow before exams start on Tuesday and she’s prepared, so she has the day off. We’d already intended to spend it together, but with no real plans. This is perfect. What time do you want us?”
“How does four o’clock sound? We can eat around six? Harriet didn’t need to check with Joe, as she would do most of the planning. He didn’t know it yet, but he’d be doing the barbequing.
So, that settled it, they would spend day two of their honeymoon with Martin and Maggie, their two best friends.
They spent the balance of the evening chatting until Martin caught Harriet yawning. He said goodnight not wanting to overstay his welcome.
After cleaning the kitchen, Joe asked, “You want to watch TV for a while?” He hoped she’d say no. He was tired and had other things on his mind.
“You’re kidding, right?” Harriet looked at him with a knowing twinkle in her eye. “It’s almost midnight, and we have some honeymooning to do. And besides that, the news at night is too mood killing. All the fighting in the US and the rise in crime everywhere, just makes me depressed, and gives me nightmares.”
Joe swept her into his arms, “You are my favorite person in the world, and the most beautiful, and tall, and smart, and sexy. Did I leave anything out?” He hugged her hard and kissed her in all her favorite spots.
“You forgot, intuitive—I know what you’ve been thinking for the last hour.”
“Last hour, hah, ravishing you is all I’ve had on my pea brain since I was fourteen!” Pulling her even closer, he lifted her shirt and kissed her between her breasts as he tugged the garment over her head.
She reached down to undo her jeans. “Uh-uh, let me do that.” Moving her hands away, Joe flipped open her button then worked the denim down her legs, with her panties following. Caressing her naked belly he held her at arm’s length. “God, you are beautiful.” Running his hands over her hips and round bottom, he stepped back and stripped, tossing everything in a heap on the floor.
Harriet was breathless, “Oh my dear sweet Jesus, I love you.” She grasped him around his middle and laid her head on his chest, feeling his hardness against her belly.
He picked her up, “Shall we retire to your boudoir, Madame Flemming? I have a few things I would like to discuss with you under the covers.”
“Très bien, monsieur, si vous insistez,” she replied in her best high school French.
“When did you learn French?”
“Who knows, that stuff is just there. You know that. Some things you remember.” She bit his ear.
“Ow, don’t do that!” He flipped her onto the bed where she bounced, laughing.
He fell on top of her and that was the end of the silliness. The rest of the evening was serious business as he fulfilled his promise to her.
Afterwards, he pulled her close and they were soon fast asleep, the day’s drama forgotten.
Chapter 24
A Budding Romance
It didn’t take them long to grocery shop, as they were in the habit of keeping a list of items they had run out of or would need for meals. It was a thrifty way to restock supplies and kept them from buying more than they could use.
Joe parked the car, with Harriet this time, and the pair of them grabbed the two grocery bags to carry into the house.
They stowed it in the well-organized, tiny but efficient kitchen.
“Don’t forget the ice cream, it’s in the green insulated bag,” Joe reminded her. They always carried more cloth grocery bags in the car than they needed. Remembering to take them into the store was the problem. Plastic bags were a thing of the past everywhere, as the country continued its campaign to lead the world in recycling.
The pair of them spent the morning getting everything prepared for the evenings’ meal. They were looking forward to entertaining for the first time as Mr. and Mrs.
Harriet, who planned most of their social life, decided that since they’d had hamburgers last time, they would splurge and go for ribs this time, with Joe doing the barbequing.
They were all set for company and enjoying a break in their small living room when they got the warning tingle that Martin was about two minutes away.
This time they waited for him to knock before Joe opened the door to welcome them.
“You’re our first official guests since our wedding.” Joe was enjoying the novelty of married life.
“Jeez, Joe, you two have been shacked-up for… how long now?” Maggie, never missed a chance to rag on her friends when she had the chance
“Not even a full year yet.” Joe wondered where Maggie was going with this.
“You’d think you’d be used to it by now. I’ve been over here at least once a week for the past year. I’m hardly company.”
“Gimme a break,” Joe snapped back, trying not to laugh. Flaunting their bride and groom status hadn’t impressed Maggie one bit.
“C’mon, you love to rub it in, Mr. Flemming. Where’s Mrs. Flemming?”
“In the kitchen, why don’t you make yourself useful instead of bugging me?” Joe, laughing, took their jackets and hung them up.
Maggie headed for the kitchen, while the guys headed up to the back porch to check on the barbecue.
Joe opened the cooler, “What would you prefer, beer or soda?”
“Beer is fine, I like your beer—the taste in my time is not the same,” Martin observed.
“American beer has less alcohol and seems much lighter than Canadian beer.”
“Is that what it is, the alcohol content?” That fact surprised Martin.
“That and a different formula… I suspect the breweries each have their own way of doing i
t. Even now, everyone seems to have their own favorite brand.”
“Changing the subject, while I have you alone, man, what’s going on between you and Maggie? You’re seeing a lot of each other. Harriet’s worried her friend could get hurt.” Joe wasn’t comfortable sticking his nose into their business, but Maggie was his friend too. They felt responsible for her.
Martin said nothing. He sat silent, thinking, as he flipped the edge of the torn label on his beer bottle. “I don’t know what to say, I have feelings for Maggie I’ve never felt before. She’s so different. I’ve never been this attracted to any woman. My job is my life, and you’ve seen the women at the SPA—not too inspiring.”
“This has to be a first for Maggie too. She’s never been interested in any one guy before. And she hasn’t been dating for personal reasons. We can see a difference in her when she’s with you. But how can this end well with you planning to leave for the future?”
“I know about the rape. Maggie told me. And yes, she is still very troubled. But we can get through that together. It’s me going back that’s the real problem. I don’t have an answer yet, but I’m working on a solution… You think she cares for me that much?”
“Jeez, man, anyone can see she does, but is that the important question right now?”
“It’s important to me. I care for her, and I want to make it work. I’ll stay in your century to be near her, if that’s what it takes. But you have my word, I will not hurt her.”
“I trust you, man, I’m telling you how we feel. But it’s your decision. We’re here for both of you.” Joe lifted his bottle and touched it to Martin’s. He believed his new friend.”
Harriet stuck her head around the corner. “Is the barbecue hot?”
“It’s hot. Are you ready?” He’d lost track of time.
“Everything’s ready to go in the oven. The potatoes and veggies, the salad only needs dressing so you’re the star now,” she said as she dropped the platter of ribs on the table beside the barbecue. Give me a ten-minute warning.” She disappeared back down the stairs.
“This is fantastic,” Martin said with a grin. “Food has always been a necessity and not a pleasure. You’ve converted my taste buds. The old ways are the right ways.”
“If you stay, you’ll have a lifetime of home cooking.” Joe wasn’t making it any easier for Martin.
Carrying the platter of cooked ribs, the men joined the women at the table where they all enjoyed the wonderful meal.
The guys helped clear the table and Joe offered to do the dishes. “You can dry, man.” He handed Martin the towel. His guest stood there, confused, not sure where to begin.
Harriet saw his distress. “Don’t be silly, we can handle it, we won’t be long. You can make a pot of coffee, Joe, if you guys would like one.” They both preferred brewed coffee to the coffee pods that were so popular.
“Sounds fair.” Joe grabbed the coffee pot and had it plugged in and brewing while the girls got busy cleaning up the kitchen.
“I don’t think Martin has much of a clue about domestic things,” Maggie said, frowning. His lack of knowledge about food and its preparation was glaring.
Venturing into dangerous territory, Harriet had to ask, “Doesn’t he talk about himself?”
“No, I wanted to ask you about that, but now is not the best time.” Maggie didn’t want Martin to hear and kept her voice low.
“Okay, call me when you have some time,” Harriet suggested.
“I’d rather talk about this in person. Why don’t you come over to the house after I get home from work on Wednesday? I’m off early and should be home by four. Mom’s at her bridge club, so we can order a pizza and have a girls’ night.” Maggie had been thinking about this and needed answers.
“I’ll check with Joe, but it should be okay. I don’t have to start work until noon at the pub on Thursday, so a late night before won’t be a problem.” Harriet liked the idea, as it gave her a chance to talk it over with Joe beforehand.
The evening wound down way too fast, but Joe and Harriet hadn’t recovered from their ordeal and welcomed another early night.
Joe shut the door behind their departing guests while Harriet returned to the kitchen to clean up their few evening snack dishes. She handed him a dishtowel. “Dry, while we talk.”
“Maggie wants me to go over to her place on Wednesday after she gets home from work. I could get there by four and she plans on ordering pizza. She wants to talk about Martin. I should be home by about ten. You don’t need the car for anything do you?”
“No, I don’t need it. But would it be a problem if I come with you then I could spend the evening at my folks’ place? I can leave work early; Dad won’t care, especially since I’ll be visiting them.”
“You are so transparent, Joe Flemming. Admit it— you can’t wait to find out what we talked about, right?”
“Umm, well that too, but this way I get another of Mom’s roasts. Once she knows I’m coming, she’ll buy a side of beef,” he said laughing, already dreaming of the dinner.
“Okay, but bring me a doggie bag, if that’s the case.” The idea appealed to Harriet; she loved her mother-in-law’s roasts.
They threw ideas around, about what she could tell Maggie about Martin. But there wasn’t that much to tell. Neither of them knew anything about him. It’s not something he’d shared with them either. “I think you’re on safe ground. You can’t tell her things you don’t know,” Joe concluded, ending the discussion. “Let’s call it a night.” He reached over and switched off the lamp. It had been a long, tiring day.
Chapter 25
All about Martin
The next two days raced by, with Joe back at the law office on Wednesday morning. He let his dad know that he was coming for a visit that evening, explaining that Harriet wanted a girls’ night with Maggie.
He got off work early and picked her up for the drive out to Fall River. They were early enough to miss rush hour and Joe stopped in front of Maggie’s house.
“I’ll leave the car here for you and walk over,” Joe offered.
“No, that’s okay, hon’, the driveway’s full. I’ll walk over later.” Harriet demurred.
Maggie’s car was there, so she hadn’t been delayed. She often had to work late at the high school a half mile away.
Her mom was still at home but on her way out. Maggie was a change-of-life only child and her father had died in a car accident when she was three, so she didn’t remember him. Her mom was closing in on seventy and had little in common with her daughter other than their auburn hair and hazel eyes.
“Sorry to run, but the girls are waiting, don’t stay up too late, Maggie, I should be home by ten.” This brought a smile to both the girls’ faces. Her mom still treated her like she was sixteen, but that was okay. Maggie loved her mom and knew she didn’t have that many years left with her.
“Hi, and bye, Mrs. McEwan,” Harriet chirped. She had many fond memories of homemade cookies and cocoa at the McEwan house while she was growing up.
“The food should be here soon, I’m starved, I missed lunch today running errands and I lost track of time.” Maggie had set out some paper plates and napkins. “Keeping it simple, Harri, you know me.”
“When did you ever try to put on a show?” Harriet laughed. This wasn’t her first pizza night here. She’d had an early lunch too, so eating at four thirty was fine with her.
“Joe dropped me off—he figured it was a good chance to get another roast beef dinner out of his mom. You know her—she loves to cook for him. And at the price of beef, we sure don’t buy roasts.”
“How’s married life?” she said, knowing it was far too soon to ask that question, but she envied her friend’s domestic chatter.
Harriet only smiled, aware that Maggie didn’t really want to know.
“I’m not here to talk about my marriage. But for your information, it’s no different than it was before, except now we’re no longer living in sin.” That got a laugh from Magg
ie.
Their food delivery arrived, and Maggie told Harriet to grab some soft drinks out of the fridge, while she dropped the pizza on the table and opened the box. “I got it all dressed, the way you like it, right?”
“Perfect!” They sat down and grabbed a slice, eating half before they spoke again.
“So, what do you know about Martin?” Maggie dove right in.
“I know a lot less than you about his personal life, he doesn’t talk about himself.”
“Ya, I was afraid of that. I wonder why he doesn’t say much, or even accidentally drop something? All he told me is that both his parents work at the SPA and he hasn’t known a life outside of the compound. I have a hard time visualizing it. It’s all so… so cultish!” Maggie couldn’t think of another way to describe it.
“You know more than I do. I didn’t know that he grew up there, although that would explain a lot. He always seems so… so old.”
“Yes, but in such a charming, innocent way. That’s what I love about him. He’s not out to impress me or anyone else.”
“Ya, he is genuine. He seems pretty truthful, and Joe and I trust him. But you know that he’ll go back and it won’t be easy for him to return.”
“I’ve a hard time understanding that. That’s what makes it seem more like a cult than a business.” Maggie had a faraway look.
“It’s a life choice these people make, Maggie. The company’s research for the government is top secret, and everyone must have clearance to come and go. We found a bypass to the security. And now that the commander and his crew know about it, they’ll make it difficult for anyone trying to get in and out. Martin didn’t say how he got through.” Harriet hadn’t thought all that much about it. But now with so many people aware of the portal, it would be difficult for anyone who wanted to leave or return.
Return From the Future Page 16