Addison took a couple of days off from work, kissed Jabob goodbye and hopped into her Civic—destination Sag Harbor where the version of her born in 1962 lived. She managed the trip in just over 2 hours and was welcomed by… herself… into the living room of lovely home on Harding Terrace.
Old Addison hardly looked 62, and Addison told her that.
“Well, the hair comes from a secret bottle my hairdresser knows about. Over the years, I’ve done every this-er-cize or that-er-cize that came along. I’m in pretty good health…”
Addison smiled. “I’m glad to hear it.”
They talked casually for a little while, then old Addison said, “Well, isn’t it something that our memories are merging…”
Addison smiled. “It is… It’s complicated…”
Old Addison reached to the end table beside her chair and picked up a Journal. “So, I started discovering your memories around Halloween, 1984. I worked in an office, which you already know… Well, I started writing down everything I discovered. I suppose if you think about it, you’ll remember me at the Hallmark Store picking one out.”
Just then Addison remembered. “Wow… so many memories in our minds just waiting for some question to come up to retrieve them… So you wrote them down?”
Old Addison flipped open the book. “December 25, 1984… Addison and Jabob shared the day with the others at the theater apartments. Now, I wonder if you remember me writing that?”
Addison leaned back. “I just now did.”
“Addison, it’s very scary… See… there’s nothing in this Journal past December 25. Yesterday, there was nothing past December 24. Each day that passes now ends up being a memory I had back in 1984 and ends up in the journal. I feel like I’m standing on memory quicksand!”
Addison understood. It was mind-numbing to try and make sense of it. The memories folding in on each other created a crazy paradox.
Old Addison flipped back a few pages. She glanced at it, then looked up.
“You and Jacob are struggling…”
Addison shrugged. “Sort of. The memories… Not your memories…”
Old Addison nodded. “I know… I wrote it down. Your head is full of 1880s Addison’s memories, too. And Jacob’s with 1880s Jacob. That Addison being a man…”
Addison nodded. “We remember how the 1880s versions feel about each other and they are reeling when our memories of… each other… It’s a mess… Sometimes, I see my Jacob and have feelings for him from the 1880s Addison…”
Old Addison closed her journal and sat quietly for a moment, then she said, “Listen… I know the Hannahs and Emmas really want every version of themselves to be the same. Maybe they are… But I can tell you this… I am NOT the 1880’s Addison… and neither are you. There must be some… differences in our case…”
Addison smiled. “When I shifted into his body… It was very strange, but… as and actor, I’m comfortable taking on all sorts of roles. I was a bear once… A tree in elementary school…”
Old Addison laughed. “I was a tree once, too!”
Addison smiled. “I sort of figured that was why there could be a man Addison…”
Old Addison shrugged. “That doesn’t make you him nor him you. Now… if my understanding of the memories are right, a couple days from now back in 1984, I’ll remember this day and he’ll remember in back in 1881. Then a few days later you’ll remember what we remembered… then a few days I’ll remember that you remembered that I remembered… We’re going to explode! But… here’s the thing… 1880 Addison needs to understand that you are not him and Jacob is not the Jacob he knows. Your… physical responses to your Jacob don’t mean anything for him… And…”
She said nothing for a long time, then she went on. “Addison… There was supposed to be a Jacob in 1962. I… never got to… Well… my whole life, I’ve felt like something was lacking… something was missing… I never married… Then back on Halloween when I started remembering your memories… I knew what it was…”
She paused again for a long time, then wiped a tear from her eye and went on. “Don’t let Addison-the-man’s memories cause you to lose the best thing that… never happened to me…”
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