The Time Traveler's Lover : Jack at 31 (1)
Inspired by The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The characters belong to Annie Proulx.
Jack travels back and forth in time throughout his life and encounters Ennis and himself - visits that change everything and almost nothing.
November 14, 1975
As he walked down the hall toward his son's room Jack touched his left shirt pocket, feeling the folded postcard he'd tucked there. It was the third time Ennis had sent a postcard inside an envelope, and remembering what had resulted those other times, he grinned. He imagined arriving at Ennis' door -- his door! -- and tried out in his mind the various expressions of surprise and joy he might expect to see on Ennis' face when he opened it to find Jack there. They would fall into bed --- a mattress! -- and between rounds they could talk about their future. No need to load up the truck with camping equipment: he'd invented an emergency at Lightening Flat and told Lureen he had to go up to help out his parents.
He felt suffused with a euphoria that radiated out from him to embrace his wife and son. He'd had to will himself not to smile broadly when he told Lureen of his mother's illness, and felt real affection when he'd kissed her goodbye. She had told him Bobby was in bed with a slight fever, so Jack should make sure to see him before he left. Jack was already imagining Bobby visiting him and Ennis at their ranch, riding with them, basking in the attention of Ennis' girls. So no one could say he was abandoning his son.
As he neared the bedroom door he heard Bobby yell "Knocked his block off!" Jack frowned, his mind doubling back on itself, probing for a memory lurking on the edge of his consciousness. He heard giggling and the clashing of hard plastic from the other side of the door. He leaned his head against the doorframe.
"Bobby?" Silence, then a couple of muffled clunks and the sound of cotton swishing across floorboards. He turned the doorknob and pushed.
"Hey cowboy, you feelin better? You sure were makin a lotta noise just now."
Jack held open the door to Bobby's bedroom and saw his son was still in his pajamas, crouched on the floor before the Rock'Em Sock'Em robots that LD had given him two years before for his sixth birthday. "Teach 'im to fight like a man someday," his grandfather had intoned. Bobby had played the game with LD a few times that day and Jack hadn't seen him touch it since. It was a game for two, but his son had never asked him to go a round with him.
Bobby scrambled up and sprang onto the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest.
"I'm a little better, but I think I need to rest some more. Where you goin, Daddy?" he demanded, staring at the keys in his father's hand.
Jack sat down on the edge of the bed facing his son, and pressed the back of his fingers to Bobby's forehead. "You still feel kinda hot. Did Mama give you some a those little pills?"
"Yeah Daddy. But where you goin?"
Jack braced his forearms on his knees and put on a grave expression. "My mama's sick so I gotta go up to Wyoming to help my folks." He looked at the robots on the floor and nudged the base with his toe. "Were you playing with those all by yourself? Seems like that ain't much fun."
Bobby stared at him, searching Jack's face. After a moment he mumbled, " I was playing with a friend."
Jack smiled. "Oh right, your imaginary friend. How's he doin these days?"
Bobby crossed his arms and frowned at the ceiling. "Well, I think he’s a different one. His eyes are blue instead of brown and he’s in first grade. He’s funny -- he didn’t have any clothes on."
The memory that had been teasing Jack suddenly stepped forward and sucker punched him. He gasped and dropped to his knees to peer under the bed. Reaching out, he grasped the little mound of cloth and dragged it towards him. Smoothing the shirt with the jumping sheep over his thighs, he remembered when he found it in a souvenir shop in Jackson on the way back from a week with Ennis. He used to bring things back for Bobby -- when had he stopped doing that?
All the other times this happened Jack had only seen himself or Ennis, even if he hadn't always known who it was while he was there. Maybe this had not been a dream whose details had faded. When had he gone the first time ? He didn't want to think about this, or examine his memories, afraid his mind would run in circles. He brought his hand to his heart and felt the postcard, smiled. This was real, a dream come true.
He rose to his feet, ruffled Bobby's hair and left, heading north to his future.
<< Jack at 30 | Jack at 31 (2) >>
The characters belong to Annie Proulx.
Jack travels back and forth in time throughout his life and encounters Ennis and himself - visits that change everything and almost nothing.
November 14, 1975
As he walked down the hall toward his son's room Jack touched his left shirt pocket, feeling the folded postcard he'd tucked there. It was the third time Ennis had sent a postcard inside an envelope, and remembering what had resulted those other times, he grinned. He imagined arriving at Ennis' door -- his door! -- and tried out in his mind the various expressions of surprise and joy he might expect to see on Ennis' face when he opened it to find Jack there. They would fall into bed --- a mattress! -- and between rounds they could talk about their future. No need to load up the truck with camping equipment: he'd invented an emergency at Lightening Flat and told Lureen he had to go up to help out his parents.
He felt suffused with a euphoria that radiated out from him to embrace his wife and son. He'd had to will himself not to smile broadly when he told Lureen of his mother's illness, and felt real affection when he'd kissed her goodbye. She had told him Bobby was in bed with a slight fever, so Jack should make sure to see him before he left. Jack was already imagining Bobby visiting him and Ennis at their ranch, riding with them, basking in the attention of Ennis' girls. So no one could say he was abandoning his son.
As he neared the bedroom door he heard Bobby yell "Knocked his block off!" Jack frowned, his mind doubling back on itself, probing for a memory lurking on the edge of his consciousness. He heard giggling and the clashing of hard plastic from the other side of the door. He leaned his head against the doorframe.
"Bobby?" Silence, then a couple of muffled clunks and the sound of cotton swishing across floorboards. He turned the doorknob and pushed.
"Hey cowboy, you feelin better? You sure were makin a lotta noise just now."
Jack held open the door to Bobby's bedroom and saw his son was still in his pajamas, crouched on the floor before the Rock'Em Sock'Em robots that LD had given him two years before for his sixth birthday. "Teach 'im to fight like a man someday," his grandfather had intoned. Bobby had played the game with LD a few times that day and Jack hadn't seen him touch it since. It was a game for two, but his son had never asked him to go a round with him.
Bobby scrambled up and sprang onto the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest.
"I'm a little better, but I think I need to rest some more. Where you goin, Daddy?" he demanded, staring at the keys in his father's hand.
Jack sat down on the edge of the bed facing his son, and pressed the back of his fingers to Bobby's forehead. "You still feel kinda hot. Did Mama give you some a those little pills?"
"Yeah Daddy. But where you goin?"
Jack braced his forearms on his knees and put on a grave expression. "My mama's sick so I gotta go up to Wyoming to help my folks." He looked at the robots on the floor and nudged the base with his toe. "Were you playing with those all by yourself? Seems like that ain't much fun."
Bobby stared at him, searching Jack's face. After a moment he mumbled, " I was playing with a friend."
Jack smiled. "Oh right, your imaginary friend. How's he doin these days?"
Bobby crossed his arms and frowned at the ceiling. "Well, I think he’s a different one. His eyes are blue instead of brown and he’s in first grade. He’s funny -- he didn’t have any clothes on."
The memory that had been teasing Jack suddenly stepped forward and sucker punched him. He gasped and dropped to his knees to peer under the bed. Reaching out, he grasped the little mound of cloth and dragged it towards him. Smoothing the shirt with the jumping sheep over his thighs, he remembered when he found it in a souvenir shop in Jackson on the way back from a week with Ennis. He used to bring things back for Bobby -- when had he stopped doing that?
All the other times this happened Jack had only seen himself or Ennis, even if he hadn't always known who it was while he was there. Maybe this had not been a dream whose details had faded. When had he gone the first time ? He didn't want to think about this, or examine his memories, afraid his mind would run in circles. He brought his hand to his heart and felt the postcard, smiled. This was real, a dream come true.
He rose to his feet, ruffled Bobby's hair and left, heading north to his future.
<< Jack at 30 | Jack at 31 (2) >>