Chapter 5: Reunited

Denise realized she was lying on her back in a bed. At first, she did not know where, what time, or even what timeline, she was experiencing. She could see the faint rays of light coming through the bedroom window.

“Are you awake? I didn’t know if you were going to wake or fucking croak in bed,” said Thomas from the doorway.

Denise snapped awake. Thomas’s voice was definitely younger. She realized she must be back in the eighties. And Thomas was also present. Both of these were good signs. His language, though, seemed to come from his older self.

“Denise!” he shouted as he snapped his fingers rapidly. “You awake?”

She sat up and said, “Yeah, I’m awake.”

“What the fuck happened? You were having some kind of nightmare and spasms for hours.”

“We’ve got a lot to talk about,” she said.

She got up and steadied herself as she stood.

Thomas opened his pants and fished out his dick. “Before we leave the bedroom, why not give me one your patented holiday blowjobs? Nothing says Thanksgiving like snacking on this third leg.”

“Later,” she said calmly. “We need to talk. Right now.”

Thomas’s eyes clouded over for a moment. He then looked down and realized he was stroking himself. He quickly pulled up his boxers. Denise was already headed to the kitchen. She started a pot of coffee. She felt a sense of deja vu, making coffee for her Thomas in the eighties with some of his older personality clearly present.

In the kitchen, Thomas sat at the table. He looked to Denise and said, “I’m sorry ... about the bedroom. I don’t know why I did that ... and was I cursing like Tammy?”

Denise let out a low, relieved laugh. She went to Thomas and pulled him to his feet before she hugged him tightly.

“Remember how I slept with the groomsman and didn’t know why? Well, that’s what’s happening to you. This dementor thing is fucking with you. Making you like your old self.”

“My old self?” Thomas asked. “But how do you know about...”

Denise poured coffees and sat at the table.

“Those spasms were not dreams. I spent about twelve hours with you. The fifty-something you in your future timeline.”

Thomas went still. “You mean, you teleported into the future?”

Denise nodded. “Exactly. And while you told me everything about your previous life, after seeing your old self in person, I think you are more of an asshole than you described.”

Denise sipped her drink as she watched for Thomas’s reaction. He sat still and did not say anything. “The good news is that I continue to look great into my fifties,” she added with a small, self-satisfied grin.

Thomas did not know if he should feel ashamed at the raw assessment of his older self, or amused at her proclamation that she continued to look good for another three decades. Eventually, he laughed quietly and shook his head in amusement.

“I’m sure you will continue to look great no matter your age,” Thomas said. “Now, tell me, what happened?”

They talked for an hour. Thomas started to fidget in his chair.

“I need to stand up,” he said. When he stood he pushed his chair back under the table. “Actually, I need to take a fucking leak. Want to come help? Maybe you can help clean me with your tongue.”

Thomas saw Denise’s reaction before she could say anything.

“Oh no, did I, uh ... sorry,” he said quickly.

“It’s OK. Go to the bathroom. In fact, jump in the shower and get dressed. We need to get to my mom’s house for Thanksgiving lunch.”

Denise and Thomas arrived at her mom’s house an hour before anyone was expected. It gave them time to pitch in with last-minute chores. Denise helped her mom finish the food prep in the kitchen. Thomas carried chairs and tray tables from the garage and attic to anywhere there was an empty spot throughout the house.

The family was pretty much the same group that was at Thanksgiving dinner the previous year. After eating, Denise’s Uncle Jerry was the first to bring up the annual poker game.

“I hope you two are ready to defend yourselves,” he said while giving Thomas and Denise a smirk. Denise left the room and returned a minute later carrying the homemade trophy.

“You mean, this?” she said as she held it up with a grin.

Thomas smiled at Denise and gave her a thumbs up. He wanted to tell Jerry that he was ready, too. He also wanted to add a barb that he expected to get updates on the football game from Jerry since he was likely to bet big and lose in the first round like last year. Instead, he held his tongue knowing how badly Jerry sulked around the game after his early exit a year ago.

Like the previous year, there were six tables. Denise’s twin cousins did much better this year, but both lost in the first round. Uncle Jerry dominated his table and was the first to move to the semi-finals.

It took almost three hours for the six tables to resolve their winners. Along with Jerry, Denise, Thomas, and Denise’s mom were all in the final two tables of six. Two hours later there was one final table. Denise, Thomas, Uncle Jerry, two older cousins, and her mom.

“I can’t believe you’re still in the game,” said Denise’s dad said to his wife as the group situated themselves around the final table. He won the draw to be the dealer at the final table.

“Hey! No funny business here,” said Jerry as he alternated a grim look from Denise’s mom to her dad.

Everyone played conservatively the first twenty minutes. A cousin was the first to bet big. Denise’s mom pulled out a miracle on the river and ousted the cousin. Once the first all-in was called the game progressed quickly.

Denise’s mom’s luck ended next. She bet recklessly, assuming her perfect card would appear on the turn or river. It never did and she lost the bulk of her purse to her brother. The other cousin was the next to lose to Uncle Jerry. That left Denise, Thomas, and her uncle as the final three. Jerry had the big stack, followed by Thomas, then Denise.

“All in,” called Thomas. He held a bad hand. Denise’s uncle had folded and he hoped Denise would follow. She did not.

“Call,” she said. He flipped his cards and watched expectantly as the community cards did nothing to improve his hand. It only took three more hands for Thomas to bust out of the game. Denise and her Uncle Jerry were the final two with roughly equal stacks.

It took over an hour for the winner to be crowned. Denise lost two big hands early but kept chipping away with several small wins. Eventually she called all-in and won with a pair of pocket aces. That gave her ninety percent of the chips and her uncle could not mount a similar comeback. For the second year running Denise was the family poker champion.

“Here you go, it’s yours for another year,” said her mom as she passed the trophy back into Denise’s hands. Jerry offered a half-hearted congratulations.

With the poker game over, the family started to disperse. Denise and Thomas stayed to help clean by moving tables and chairs back to storage. Her mom loaded the dishwasher and had it running by the time everyone met in the kitchen.