Kent Marlon was startled by the sound of an iPhone ringing. He was still in 2024, not 1880—neither of those timelines was where he belonged, having on Sept. 22 shifted back to 1880 from 1984. He’d wound up in 2024 the day before and had found his way to Brooklyn where he hung out with Merritt. Merritt had given him a crash course in iPhone usage, so Kent was able to answer.
“Um… Kent… Dexter Heimer here… Have you heard from Shay?”
“Dexter…” Kent had no idea who that was.
Fortunately, Dexter didn’t wait for an answer. “Do you suppose she’s shifted time again? She missed work yesterday and so far today… Not like her.”
Kent concluded Dexter was Shay’s 2024 boss or something. “Um… Yeah, I think she shifted again.”
Dexter quickly responded. “Man, that’s crazy stuff… But, we have volunteers calling in about this coming weekend. Do you think you can fill in for her again?”
Kent heard himself answer before he thought it through. “I can try… sure…”
“Awesome… I’ll text you the list and the address she had scheduled. Thanks a ton!”
The text arrived and Kent stared at it blankly. Then he looked at the list he had found that was written on paper. One name was noted as “project manager” and Kent thought that person—Tia Thomas—might know what to do.
“Tia Thomas?”
“Yes?”
“Kent Marlon… Um… Do you by any chance know what’s going on with a Habitat Housing project this weekend?”
Tia said she didn’t, then reminded him they had worked together the previous Saturday. Kent apologized and explained that he was a different Kent. After a little back and forth on that topic, Tia made an offer.
“Look… I have a couple of free slots this afternoon. How about I meet you in Brooklyn at that coffee shop by Tom’s theater. I’ll help you figure out what’s going on and see if we can get things lined up. We can reach out to Merritt and Hannah… they probably know the drill pretty well.”
“Coffee shop…” Kent figured he could find it once he got back to the theater. “Okay… see you there. And… thanks…”
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