Kent and Hannah walked across a Manhattan street toward the building housing the offices of NYC SysCo. It was Monday, and there was a reception for new employees and their “spouse/guest.” Kent was the guest.
“Look!” Hannah pointed.
Kent looked up and saw Merritt and Emma, who were already waving.
When they reached them, Merritt said, “You recognize us, so you must be…”
Kent nodded. “Went to bed in Memphis 1880. Woke up in my house in Bronx. It’s July…”
“Me too.” Hannah replied. “This is the year I’m supposed to be in.”
“Same for us,” Emma replied. “So, I was with you in 1880. What happened when I shifted to here?”
“How long have you two been here?” Kent asked.
“July 4th. Emma’s shift day. What happened to Emma when she shifted?” Merritt asked.
“Nothing.” Kent shook his head. “You two sat around doing nothing for like a day and half. Then back to normal. Normal for time-travelers…”
Hannah nodded. “Well, something’s different with this shift. I was at college when I shifted to Memphis. Now, I have a loft in Brooklyn. Actually near that place the 2024 people live.”
“I am a 2024 person. I was.” Merritt shrugged. “I’m the 1960 Merritt. We’re all in our normal year.”
Hannah pointed at the building. “We should get going. The invitation said ‘guest.’ I looked up Kent in the White Pages… I see you brought a guest, too.”
Emma smiled. “Spouse actually…”
A lot of explaining—and speculation about being the same people—happened as they made their way to the reception. After the welcome, everyone was supposed to take a 20 minute break then meet in the lobby for a grand tour.
It was then that a man approached Merritt holding an envelope. “Merritt Gray… Long time…”
“Will Roberston… May graduation wasn’t that long ago.”
“Figure of speech. So, something strange occurred.”
Merritt and Kent swapped looks, and Will caught them.
Will held up the letter. “Let’s see… Kent Marlon, Hannah Madison, and Emma Gray?”
Kent nodded as Will held up the letter.
“I got this letter. I thought it was a joke.”
Merritt shook his head. “I have a feeling it’s not a joke.”
Will shrugged. “Well, the check in it was no joke! I checked it at the bank and they verified it was real. Deposited and… Yeah… real money. And enough to make me think twice about this being a joke.” Will handed checks to Merritt, Hannah and Kent. “You won’t be laughing either… You two are married… that explains why Merritt’s check is double…”
“What was the postmark?” Kent asked. “Check is dated for today.”
“May 15.”
Kent pointed at Emma. “Emma Gray. They got married on July 11.”
“They knew nearly a month before,” Hannah said.
Merritt looked at will. “Okay, 20 minutes won’t be enough time…”
Will laughed. “Not even for time-travelers?”
“It doesn’t work like that…” Hannah said. “We don’t have a say in it.”
“Yeah,” Will held up the letter. “I sort of got that impression.”
“Quick summary of the letter?” Merritt said.
“I get to be the contact for ‘the agency,’ if needed. You four are supposed to settle down and ‘pay it forward’ and do ‘random acts of kindness.’ It says you’ll figure things out…”
“They say that a lot. We haven’t figured out much, yet,” Merritt replied. “After this thing today, let’s find a place to sit down and have a long talk and we’ll tell you everything we know.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Will replied.
Then, Emma’s eyes lit up. “Hey…”
Everyone looked at her and she went on. “This is a different universe or something.”
Hannah looked at everyone then at Emma. “Because?”
“In 2024, Will Roberson said that there were no Hannah’s or Merritts working here 1984. If this were the same universe, then he would remember this day.”
Kent looked at Merritt and both of them were nodding.
Will was just shaking his head. “Yeah, I can see this is going to be long, long talk.”
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