Chapter 13

I changed back into the clothes I wore there, and Susan had fixed me some breakfast. She sat down with a glass of milk.

“Susan, this is the best breakfast I have had in years, thank you?”

“Doesn’t ... didn’t Julia ever fix you breakfast?” she asked with a curious look on her face.

“She got up and left for whatever she had planned most mornings. I either fixed myself something or went to get something from a fast food place that serves breakfast.”

“So, David – what is this plan you have for us?” Her eyes glistened with this question.

She used the word ‘us,’ so there’s hope?

“First, that was really good, Susan – I may come over every morning from now on – to see you and have some breakfast!”

“Just turn it off for a minute, David – you’ve got my interest, explain your plan?” She sat down next to me.

“I remember the day I met Julia, it was downtown. I walked out of Macy’s and she wasn’t looking where she was walking, and we knocked each other over. I got back up on my feet really quick, apologized and it all started right then and there. I was 31 – she was 24, but she carried herself well and I thought she was 28 or 29. It wasn’t until we dated for a couple years that I found out I was seven years older than her.”

“So, you want to go back to that day, and simply not meet her?” Susan reasoned.

“That or, I could go back before we met and get her involved in someone else?” I thought out loud.

“Would you need me to go with you to do either of those things? I felt younger and more vibrant back in ‘58!”

“Well, I guess I could do them alone. I was looking forward to taking some trips with you, though,” I said with a bit of a pout on my face.

“David,” she said, “I’d very much like to go with you, but there is something I need to ask of you?”

“Doesn’t matter! – Whatever it is, I’ll do it,” I said quickly.

“I want you to treat me like we’re lovers – whichever scenario you use. I really like being fawned over. You must remember my reaction to that kiss at the top of the stairs. I had never had a boy kiss me – much less put his tongue in my mouth like that. Can we do that right now?”

You could’ve knocked me over with a feather. I was so amazed at her request.

I got up, put my dirty plate in the sink, took Susan by the hand and put my lips against hers. The years between us just melted away – she felt so wonderful in my arms. She responded to my kiss, kissing me back even opening her mouth and giving me the tongue.

“Wow, you still take my breath away, Susan. It doesn’t matter to me that you’re older. I would like to be with you -- It doesn’t feel right quite yet. I need to talk to Martin and go to my place and pick up some things. Can I stay here for the short term?”

With my arms still around her slim body, she looked into my eyes and said, “You can stay as long as you’d like – just remember to stay in your own bedroom, until I’m ready. Can you agree with that?”

I gave her another kiss, patted her on the butt and grabbed my keys and left. I’m now looking forward to what may result from all of this.
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I called my big brother and went over to his place.

“Hey Bro,” he said letting me in, “Linda is out with her grandchildren, technically they’re your grandchildren as well.”

“Well Martin, I know what it is I want to do, but I’m beginning to wonder if I should do it. Susan has very clear memories of Danny and John – won’t I be fucking those up?”

“Calm down a little. Remember – if she never meets John, she’ll still remember Danny. If you go back to before she meets Danny, that will likely mess up what Linda and I have done. Do you have a plan in mind?”

I explained my two options for removing Julia from the mix, Martin and I followed the logic out the best we could and determined that it would be the easiest, to be somebody else and meet Julia before our mutual knockdown. I felt more in tune with everything after that. I took a run to my place, saw that Julia was gone and quickly packed up all I could in two suitcases and went back to Susan’s.

Leaving my stuff in the car, I knocked on the door, and the smile I have fallen for, brightened back up my day. We kissed in the doorway and I took her by the hand and we drove to Doc’s.

I saw a car in front, so I knocked. The door opened, and it was Doc, “Hello David, who’s this lovely lady?”

“Susan, Susan Spitzer – my father’s sister,” I answered.

“Well come in, I understand you’ve already taken a trip or two, I saw the money – thanks for that, David,” Doc acknowledged.

“Quick question Doc, on our last trip, to 1954 – Susan said that she felt better the longer we were there. Is that possible or was that just her mind thinking she felt better, what’s that called ‘the pacebo effect?’”

“What you’re thinking of, is called the ‘Pla-cebo Effect,’ David, when a person thinks they are taking a pill that is supposed to help them feel better, some people really are getting the actual pill, while some aren’t – some people will feel better because they think they should be feeling better.”

“If Susan believed she was feeling stronger, she may have been actually feeling better. The visit back to when she was younger may have produced a feeling of euphoria, or there could be something to going in the past to feel better. When you came back to the present, how did you feel, Susan?”

“Well, we were gone for only thirty minutes, but I definitely remember feeling stronger during that half hour. When we got back it continued for over two hours. Then all my aches and pains recurred,” Susan said.

“Were they lessened than before or were things hurting more than before you left?” Doc asked.

“I could perceive a slight overall lessening, Dr. Huckabee,” my spry traveling companion remarked.

“Thank you, Susan, that is very good information. Well I’ll leave you two to your own devices,” Doc said heading back up the stairs.

We got in, I gave her a quick kiss, and we buckled up and went back to March 17^th, 1992 at Noon.

MCMLXXXXII (1992)
AT&T releases $1,499 video telephone
Jury selection begins in Rodney King Trial
Nicotine Patch is introduced
WrestleMania VIII – Hulk DQs Sid Justice
Three astronauts simultaneously walk in space
The Cartoon Network is established
FCC votes to allow local phone service competition
Ross Perot enters US presidential race
10 millionth cellular telephone sold
McDonalds opens in Beijing, China
The US Constitution gets the 27^th Amendment added

We walked a block to East Jefferson St, found the ‘77 Lincoln Town Car. The keys were under the passenger mat, and it started right up – Thanks Doc and Martin. We drove downtown, getting there an hour before our ‘walking collision’ takes place.

Susan decided to wait for me, so I left her in the car at the corner – she wanted to watch.

Remembering that Julia is coming from Nordstrom’s, I lean against the outside wall and wait.

I see her inside about to come out and she had turned to walk towards me, and I start walking to her, stopping like I knew her, “Julia – if it isn’t Julia Nicklaus – I haven’t seen you in a year!”

She looked at me and said, “Do I know you?”

“My goodness, I’m Douglas Goode – we met at that dinner party last year at the Met, you might not remember me – but do I remember you! You were the prettiest woman there – in that beautiful blue dress you had on.”

“I remember the party, but I’m not sure if I remember you specifically, Douglas. There were so many people at that party.”

“Let me take some of those things from you Julia, you’re likely to bump into some lowlife – are you through shopping or just letting your credit card cool down for a minute?”

The laugh that attracted me to her came out as she let me take a few things from her.

“Douglas, thank you so much – where are you heading to?” she asked me.

“If I was quick enough, I’d say wherever you are headed to. I have got to admit something though. Since that day we met, I have sort of been crushing on you, hoping to see you again. Hoping to make a better impression. Let’s unload this in your car and we’ll go for a Starbucks?”

“Oh, that’s such a good idea, Douglas, my arms are killing me.” Julia said, and we walked to her car about a block away.

There was a Starbucks right nearby. I paid for both of us and we sat and talked, learning a few things I never knew about her before. As we separated to go our separate ways, Julia turned and said, “Call me sometime Doug – real soon!” giving me her phone number.

“Sure thing,” I answered as I walked to Susan, who had been waiting in the car. I got in gave her a kiss – and took the car back to where we found it. Then, using the newest tech Doc had we found ourselves back in the Time Machine and she pushed the button.

“That was something - watching you be Mister Smooth,” Susan said as we got out and yelled goodbye to Doc and got back to Susan’s. I got a tremendous headache as we arrived.

“It’s funny Susan – I still remember Julia, but she’s gone – Can I let you get yourself inside. I’ll be back as soon as I can – be careful, beautiful,” I said heading to Martins.
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“Hey – how’s my bachelor brother doing these days? Found that special someone yet?” Martin asked.

“As a matter of fact, I have, what’s happening with you?” I questioned.

Just then Linda came out in just a towel, “Oh, hi David – I was just...”

“It’s OK, I know about you two – Danny Hilts and all of that. Just got back myself from a trip in Doc’s Time Machine, Have I got news for you!”

They both stared at one another, as I saw her turn and say, “Be right back!”

While waiting for her, I told Martin about everything I knew, and how I knew it. Linda joined us and we all wondered what broke the link – why did they not know I knew about the Time Machine. We got each other up to date on everything else. The fact that they ‘forgot’ Julia was most important to me. All of the details from our family dinners were intact. I had just come back to being alone – without a wife, or even a date.

Martin even asked the heretofore-avoided subject, “You’re not gay again, are you?”

“Martin, of course not – Susan and I are going to go back to 1958, and she’s going to keep Mom busy while I make my move on Susan at 18. If it works as well as it did for you two, we’ll come back to our own descendants. Boy when you say it out loud – that really sounds hinky. See you guys!”

I went back to Susan’s, got out with my suitcases and put them in ‘my’ room.

I sat down with my beautiful aunt and re-plotted our moves for our trip back to 1958!
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Susan helped me unpack, putting my stuff on hangars. I took every opportunity to either kiss her or put my hands on her, feeling her softness.

We talked about what had happened so far, both in the present and the past.

We headed back to June 25, 1958 at 3pm. School is out for the year; Susan is still staying with her brother George (22) and his wife Lorraine (23); Linda is one-year-old, and Martin is four. Of course, Susan and I look 18 again. We are now, brother and sister Douglas and Julia Goodman.

We decided to be going from house to house, getting support for the upcoming presidency of John Kennedy. Eisenhower was the president, and my Dad was very anti-Republican at the time.

We knocked on the front door. Lorraine answered – looking swell!

“Hello, we represent the Young Democrats of America. We feel that General President Eisenhower is not doing what he promised. We support the Senator from Massachusetts, John Kennedy,” I said all in one breath.

“Hello, my husband would agree with you. Are you thirsty, I just made some pink lemonade?”

Wow, my mother could charm anyone at any time, with that smile of hers.

“Yes, thank you!” Susan said, “I’m Julia and this is my brother Douglas, we are the Goodmans.”