Chapter 3: May 24, 2004

The next time Rory Daniels met Megan Green, it was May 2004, at the drugstore. He had gone to pick up a new bottle of shampoo and other things—a routine trip.

Once he had his things, however, he found himself wandering into the candy aisle, an array of chocolates and other sweets on display. The note the older Megan had left him was on his mind—he had gotten a list of her preferences, with the obvious indication that he should use that knowledge, presumably to make her younger self happy. He wasn’t usually one much for candy bars, but he was willing to have some on hand for her.

As he browsed through, looking for the one he knew to be her favorite, his mind wandered. It was weird how attached he felt to her after only having really talked with her twice, and then a third encounter at a restaurant. Was it destiny? Or was the fact that she had been pregnant with his child—that he had held his own son before he’d even had the requisite fun to conceive him—that got to him?

He hadn’t fallen in love, but he wanted to make her happy.

“Oh, excuse me!” the chirping voice pulled him out of his thoughts, as he was about to reach for a package of her favorite ones.

He also recognized that voice.

He looked up, and there she was. Megan Green. But thinner and younger-looking than he’d seen before. Her hair was done up in a ponytail, and her breasts seemed almost small under the forest green shirt she was wearing. “Uh, sorry,” he said, confused.

This was before the accident. This was the real-time Megan, the one who was still a sophomore in college, thoroughly unaware of the interactions she would have with him eventually.

Was this where they “met”?

She smiled at him, then as her eyes slid over him, the smile started to turn into a frown. She tilted her head, obviously confused. Almost like she recognized him. “I’m sorry, do I...” She shook her head. “Never mind.”

While he tried to figure out what to do, she grabbed a package of the candy bars, and turned and hastily walked out of the aisle.

He felt the weight of the space-time continuum on him. What if this is where they were supposed to meet? What if this was where they were supposed to start dating? If he didn’t go talk with her, it would break everything!

But what if it wasn’t? What if this was just a chance encounter, and later they would know for sure? After the accident?

That he didn’t feel things tearing apart or anything else he imagined would happen if caused all of reality to collapse made him feel better.

A chance encounter.

But then, how had she possibly recognized him?

He let it be, wandering back into the store, to give her plenty of time to pay and leave. He wandered through the aisles, and came to the condoms. While the first Megan had complained about the pregnancy—apparently he would get a vasectomy—he had no idea if he’d come across a Megan who didn’t want to get pregnant at some time. Just in case, he grabbed a pack of condoms and ambled through the freezer aisle. She had listed her favorite kind of ice cream, and he got a pint of that, then went back to the candy aisle, got a package of her favorite candy bar, and checked the front of the store.

She was gone.

So he paid for his stuff, went home, and wondered if he had actually just undone everything.