Secrets of Time

by Zoe Matthews

  Abby listened with a concerned look on her face and patted her back in comfort from time to time. When Megan had finally calmed down, Abby spoke.

  “So…you actually traveled through time.” It was a statement, not a question. “That is incredible. How many people have spent years of their life dreaming of, or trying to create time travel, and you just stumble across it?”

  “Lucky me…” Megan sniffled, trying and failing to joke.

  “Megan… yeah, lucky you. You actually met the man of your dreams. Literally.”

  “Yeah, I did. And Abby…he is amazing. He’s kind, gentle, smart. We have so much in common- I mean, he went to school to become a doctor in homeotherapy. Even after all this…traveling through time, feeling how strong our connection is, learning how he lives his life in his time, and showing him my time…I can’t even have him. I would never leave my mom, and I’m sure he will want to return to his time with his own family.”

  “Have you asked him if he would be willing to stay?” Abby prompted.

  “Why would I ask him that? I already know the answer.” Megan retorted. “He has already talked about going back to his time, and he has a doctor's office in Denver he is going to take over soon. He is going to have everything he wants; he wouldn’t want to stay here.”

  “Hm.… How have your dreams been since you met him?” Abby asked.

  “I have one at least every night now. I had two dreams about him last night. In one, he was helping in my mom’s shop with me, and after he finished selling some tea to a customer, he came over, put his arms around me and kissed me. Like it was something he did every day.”

  Tears started forming again at the memory of the dream. It had felt so real, and it only made her feel lonelier because she knew it wasn’t ever going to happen.

  Abby put an arm around Megan. “Hey, it’ll be alright. I say, don’t hold back. If you don’t want to ask him to stay, that’s fine. But don’t avoid having feelings for him because you’re scared of being sad after he leaves. You’ll enjoy these memories one day.”

  Megan was quiet as she thought of what Abby was saying. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll try what you’ve suggested tomorrow.”

  “Good. I don’t think you’ll regret it. Now, how about some hot cocoa and a nice chick flick?” Abby suggested.

  “Sounds perfect.” Megan stood up. “I’ll go make the cocoa; you pick out the movie.”

  They wrapped up in blankets and drank cocoa until it was nearly midnight. Megan knew she was going to be tired the next day, but it would be worth it. Abby always knew how to make her feel better.

  ****

  Megan woke up with a jolt. She glanced around, finding comfort knowing she was still in her apartment where everything was familiar. She saw that her clock read 5:30, and she sighed. It was still an hour before she had to get up, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep at this point.

  She’d had another dream about Keegan. This one, somehow, felt more real than any of the other dreams. She and Keegan were actually married and living in his home, but in her time. She was pregnant with a boy, and they were both cuddled in bed. She was pressing his hands to her belly so he could feel their son move. Every time Keegan felt a nudge, he would laugh out loud. There was so much joy in the dream, Megan could hardly stand it. She had never wanted a baby so badly before. Now, with the memory of how much happiness it would bring her and Keegan, it was all she wanted.

  She got out of bed and started to tidy up her studio apartment. She had to think of something else; anything else.

  Her mind wandered as she worked. She thought of everything she had to do today. Her mother had agreed to let her take the morning off to help Keegan out, as long as she came to the shop around lunchtime so her mother could take a break.

  Her mother was one of the most generous, giving people she knew. Her whole life, her mother had sacrificed nearly everything for her. Megan had been born when her mother was only seventeen. Megan didn’t have any memories of her father or grandparents. She had heard her mother tell stories from that time in her life, and she knew it had been a dark couple of years for her. Her mother had never said that in so many words, but she knew her mother well enough to know that she didn’t like looking back at that time of her life.

  Barbara never dated and hardly ever took the time to herself. A few times, Megan asked her mother about her father; wondering why she had never met him, and why her mother had never received any child support checks. Her mother had always refused to answer her questions; she would say the past was better left in the past. Megan eventually stopped asking because she knew she would never get any answers, but she was still curious.

  Her stomach growled, so she stopped her vigorous scrubbing of her bathroom to walk into the kitchen. She stopped short when she realized Keegan didn’t have any food in his house. That meant he hadn’t eaten dinner and was now likely starving.

  As quickly as she could, she brushed her hair and got dressed. She drove to the nearest fast food place to pick up some breakfast items. She wasn’t sure what Keegan would want, so she ordered a sausage breakfast sandwich, egg burritos, and a side of pancakes. She hoped she had ordered something that he would enjoy. She made a mental note to take him to the store and buy him food to keep in his house for the next few days.

  Chapter 19

  Keegan woke up to a growling stomach. He grimaced, remembering he didn’t have any food in his house. He hoped Megan would be by soon with some food. He would have to talk to her about how he could earn some of his own money. He didn’t want her buying all his food for him.

  He washed his face and arms, then headed out to the back yard to grab another apple. It didn’t sound all that appealing, and he knew his stomach needed something heartier than a piece of fruit.

  He sat down on the front porch and watched all of the people hurrying past in their vehicles. He found it interesting that no one took any time to stop and say hello to anyone else, although he did see a few people wave to each other. They were in such a hurry, it seemed no one was even enjoying their day.

  He had a desire to create a place that was a haven for everyone; somewhere they could go to slow down and appreciate life like he did back in 1902. That gave him an idea. The more he thought about it, the more he liked it. He smiled. He wanted to work out a few things before he told his idea to Megan, but he had a feeling she would like it too.

  After a few more minutes, Megan pulled up and hurried out of her car. “I am so sorry!” she said before he could greet her.

  “Sorry for what?” Keegan asked, confused at the rush of emotions he was feeling. It was surprisingly good to see her and he wanted to instantly take her into his arms.

  “For leaving you here for nearly an entire day without any food! I completely forgot your house wouldn’t have food in it; you must be so hungry. I know I did leave you with a couple of those tacos from yesterday, but I’m sure those didn’t do you any good at all.” She was rambling again.

  Keegan smiled a little to himself before answering. “It’s alright. There is an apple tree in the back that has been keeping me satisfied enough.”

  “Apple tree? Oh, I didn’t even see that. I’m glad you had something to eat, but I’m sure you’re still hungry. I didn’t have time to make a nice breakfast like Nicky or Kimberly would have, but I did go to a drive through to pick up food. I wasn’t sure what you would like, so I bought a burrito, and sausage sandwich, and some pancakes. You just pick whatever sounds best, and I’ll eat what you don’t want. Or, you can even eat it all if you want.”

  She kept rambling and seemed so stressed that Keegan wanted to do something to help her calm down. Immediately deciding that he had fought his feelings long enough, he cupped her chin and leaned in for a gentle kiss. She stopped talking and gasped quietly. He pulled back to look at her, then reached his hand to push some of her short dark hair away from her face. “Thank you for bringing breakfast.”

  He smiled at her, and she star
ed at him with big eyes for a moment before closing the gap to kiss him again. His arms slid down to her waist as her arms wrapped around his neck. Electricity zipped through his body.

  When he pulled away after a moment, they were both a little breathless, but not because the kiss was heated or passionate. It was sweet and short, yet he had never felt anything so powerful before. He liked how she fit so perfectly against his chest.

  “Well, shall we eat breakfast?” he suggested, breaking the mood between them.

  Megan smiled. “Yes, please. I think we are both hungry.”

  She laughed as her stomach growled. He led them both to his kitchen where they sat and ate breakfast together.

  ****

  Megan smiled as she drove to her mother’s shop. She’d had a wonderful morning with Keegan. They ate breakfast with casual conversation. It felt like something she could do every day. After they were done eating, she drove him to a grocery store to pick up some food. He had asked her if there was a way to earn some wages from her mother’s shop, and she had said she would ask. Her heart had soared, and she knew he was planning on staying in her time at least for a few more days if he was worried about money.

  She couldn’t stop thinking about their kiss. It was absolutely perfect. It was everything girls thought of when they were dreaming about their first kiss with someone special. It was so powerful, yet tender and sweet.

  Before she had left his home, after she had driven Keegan and his groceries back to his house, he asked if she knew where he could get some doctor equipment. That had startled her; she couldn’t figure out why he would need doctor equipment if he was going back to his time soon, but she had told him she would ask around. She figured Abby would know where to look. He had asked a lot of questions about Megan’s job, and she could tell he was trying to find similarities between their work. She also loved that about him; the fact that they had so many common interests made it so easy to keep good, interesting conversation between them.

  The thought of him leaving to go back home so soon made her sad. Taking Abby’s advice had been the right thing to do; he was everything she wanted in a man, and it made her feel complete to get to know him better. Even if he wasn’t going to stay, at least she would always be able to tell herself she got to know, and kiss, the man of her dreams, literally.

  She found it interesting now that he was dressed in clothes from her time, he looked exactly like he had in her dreams. She felt a thrill at the thought of dreaming about this man for so long. She just wished she knew what it meant for them. She couldn’t understand why she would dream about a man, travel through time to meet him, just to have to say goodbye.

  She was glad she was letting herself get to know him; however, she recognized that if he wasn’t going to stay in her time, he should leave sooner rather than later. Getting too close to him would only cause them both pain. The thought left her sad as she pulled into her usual parking spot at her mother's shop. She sighed as she got out of the car, locked the door, and trudged into the shop. She only wished there was a way to stay with him. Unfortunately, she knew that couldn’t happen.

  ****

  George Manning was hunched over a computer, typing furiously. Barbara had bluntly told him she would not marry him, and to look for a new tenant since she was leaving the end of the month. He scoffed. There was no way she would be able to find another shop that gave her the benefits this one did at the price she had been paying for the last five years. He knew that because he had done extensive research before he started to put his plans into place to marry her.

  He had tried to be kind to her. He had always looked out for her; he told her the best way to run her shop, how to get more customers, and suggesting upping her prices so she would have more profit. That stubborn woman had never listened to him. When he had asked her to marry him, he had tried to show her that maybe she could grow to love him. Even still, she refused. Who else was going to marry her?

  She never had any men in the shop show interest to her; that was one thing he always kept tabs on. She hadn’t had a relationship for as long as she had opened her shop. She should be glad anyone was showing interest in her.

  Well, if she wasn’t going to be grateful for the generosity of his proposal, he would find another way to marry her. He had heard her mention to Megan once a few months ago that she had grown up in Austin, Texas.

  He knew there had to be something in Barbara’s past that she was hiding from; she never took a vacation to visit her parents or anyone for that matter. He figured there was something in her past that she wanted to avoid, so he researched newspapers from when she would have been in high school. He decided that was a good enough place to start. He was hoping he could find something about her history that he could threaten to expose her with if she didn’t marry him.

  He kept scrolling through the articles, getting frustrated at his lack of luck. Then he suddenly stopped short. There was a picture of a girl staring at him. It looked almost exactly like Megan, only with longer hair. He read the article, and a grin grew wickedly across his face. The article talked about a seventeen-year-old girl who had been raped. George quickly did the math. That was exactly how old Barbara would have been when the article was written. He thought a little more and figured it was about the right time for Megan to have been born as well. The interesting part is the girl in the article wasn’t named Barbara. This girl’s name was Lucy Thompson. Could he really have gotten so lucky? Could Barbara have changed her name after she had been raped? Was she hiding from the father?

  He researched the Thompson family. They were a fairly wealthy family, and it seemed their lives were cookie cutter “perfect.” The father was a CEO in an advertising company that influenced a large part of Austin, Texas. The mother was beautiful and ran several charity events, and just happened to look a lot like Barbara, only older and more refined.

  That all changed once their seventeen-year-old daughter had become pregnant. The charity events moved to a different location, with a different sponsor. It would seem Lucy’s parents were affected by their daughter’s teen pregnancy. George kept clicking on articles and practically cooed when he saw a story that talked about how their teen-mom daughter ran away from home directly after her high school graduation before she had her baby.

  He laughed out loud. It was Barbara! Barbara had been born as Lucy Thompson, then changed her name and ran away from home. It was too easy. A plan formed in his mind, vicious and thorough. He would have Barbara for his wife; there was no doubting that. He now had the information he needed to force her to do what he wanted.

  ****

  Megan drove back to Keegan’s house after she helped her mother close up the shop. She figured he would still be cleaning and might need help. Maybe she could even show him some decent food from the future, instead of the fast food they had been forced to eat over the last few days.

  She had been in a bad mood when she started her shift; sad and angry that Keegan wasn’t able to stay in her time. She had time to think about it, however, and reminded herself that she needed to stop worrying about things she couldn’t change, and take advantage of all the time she had with him now.

  So here she was pulling up in front of his home. She smiled as she walked up the drive and remembered the kiss from this morning. It really had been the best kiss she had ever had. She knocked on the door and waited a moment before trying the handle. She didn’t want him to stop what he was doing if it was something important.

  “Keegan?” she called.

  “I’m upstairs!” a voice yelled out.

  She quickly climbed the beautifully carved staircase. She ran her fingers along the mahogany railing, appreciating its beauty. She wouldn’t have noticed its beauty a few years ago, but ever since she had decorated her mother’s shop for her, she had a fascination with antiques, refurbished furniture; really anything older than fifty years captivated her.

  She padded down the hall, peeking in the doorways until she found the room Keegan was
in. She gasped as she walked in. There were hundreds of objects from all different time periods. There was a dress that looked like it could have come from the 1700’s. There were spectacles, books, a typewriter, and little trinkets. There were different jars filled with coins that were labeled for the time period they belonged to. Megan walked around looking at everything closely, but too scared to touch anything.

  “What is this place?” she asked with wonder.

  “This was Victoria’s room. She traveled a lot with the keys throughout her life. She eventually had all the clothes and money she needed from each time period so she would blend in with everyone there when she visited. I never changed this room; it felt too historical.”

  “I can see why. This is amazing!”

  “I have been trying to figure out how this house is still in such good shape.” Keegan set down a beautiful glass horse next to a sign that read 1950’s. “There is some work that needs to be done, but really it’s minimal. There should have been a lot more to do; holes in the walls, infestations, mold. I was thinking the reason it is still such a great home could be because of everything in this room. This house is now a part of time travel, and through some miracle, it isn’t aging as fast as it normally would.”

  “I suppose that could be true. It’s hard to understand this time travel thing. It almost seems to have a mind of its own- like there is no scientific explanation for how and why it works. It just does,” Megan said.

  Keegan walked over to her and kissed her forehead. She blushed.

  “I have a proposition for you.”

  “Oh, really?” Megan asked, curious.

  “Yes. This house should still be in my name- since no one has bought it, as far as we know. Why don’t you and your mother use it for your shop? You could turn the kitchen into a cafe, and sell teas, coffee, and pastries. You could use all the different rooms on the first floor to specialize in all the products you offer. In one room you could sell aromatherapy, in another sell dried herbs for tea, for example.”