Good Old Days
David Garlock
Copyright 2010 David Garlock
With an expression that was a mixture of mild amusement and disbelief, Tyler Bailey shook his head slowly and looked across at his friend. “You wanna run that by me again?” he asked.
With a nod, Jasper Weingarten leaned forward and rested his hands on his knees. “O.K., Let me see if I can make it a little easier for you. The key to the whole thing is understanding the true nature of time. A common view is to imagine everyone and everything floating upon an infinitely long river, moving at a constant speed from the past, through the present and on to the future.
“However, it’s not quite so simple. The true nature of time is more like an infinite number of points in four dimensions, three spatial and one of time. At any given moment, each piece of the Universe occupies a specific point in space-time. Each of those pieces is constantly moving from point to point, in space, in time, or a combination of the two.
“The path an individual travels from point to point is determined by a sequence of events, decisions and circumstances influenced by those people and things in close proximity to that person.
“Let me give you an example: You and I presently occupy a common set of points with regard to time. Likewise, we occupy sets of spatial points close enough to influence both our life paths. Our interaction is a shared experience that affects the future course of our lives. After we move apart, there will no longer be a mutual influence in what will become the present, but the experience will forever be part of the past segments of our lives.”
Tyler nodded cheerfully, a wide grin on his face. “Yeah, I think I’ve got it now. But how does all that relate to this new invention of yours?”
“Well, in my study of quantum forces and the human mind, I discovered that what we call memory is much more than a record of our past experiences. Each record also contains a link to the time and place at which the experience was recorded. Although we can’t recall each and every moment in our past, due to imperfections in the structure of the human brain, each moment is recorded and linked nonetheless. Those imperfections also account for the fact that after some passage of time, many of our memories no longer match the reality of our experiences.
“Once I had this knowledge, I was able to create a device that can sequence these records and links chronologically. To this sequence, ‘markers’ are added by matching certain records with known dates. For example, a record of your tenth birthday party can be indexed to the date you turned ten years old. In this way, I can determine an exact date for each experience along an individual’s life path.”
“But what good is that?” Tyler asked. “So you can tell somebody the exact date they fell off their bicycle? It sounds like a pretty expensive toy.”
Jasper smiled. “Ah, but now comes the real magic. I have also discovered a process by which a person’s consciousness can be routed to a specific link. This allows that individual to revisit a particular past experience.”
“You mean like hypnotic regression?”
“It’s much more than that! My process not only allows a person to remember the past, but actually relive it. Of course, since it is only the consciousness that travels back in time, changes one might make while in the past do not affect the original timeline. When the traveler returns to his physical body, everything is as it was when he left.”
Tyler pondered this for several moments before deciding that although he had serious doubts that such a thing was possible, he was sufficiently interested to press for more information. “Have you actually tried this?” he asked curiously.
“Not yet,” was Jasper’s reply. “That’s why I asked you to come over today. I want to give you the opportunity to be the first.”
Tyler’s jaw dropped. “Whoa! I don’t think I want to be a guinea pig. Maybe after you’ve worked the bugs out …”
“It’s perfectly safe, I assure you. The link is created with a gentle application of carefully directed magnetic force. It’s not like I’m talking brain surgery here.
“Think about it. Isn’t there a time in your life you’d like to experience again?”
Tyler smiled. He had often considered this very question in his mind. He was weary of the demanding and often unrewarding routine of adult life. He had imagined, on occasion, what it would be like to return to the happy, carefree days of his adolescence. He remembered well those long days spent cruising the joyful streets of his hometown with his friends. He also recalled a certain long legged blonde girl from whom he was inseparable during that glorious summer he was sixteen years old. It would be wonderful to see Tina again. Yes, those were definitely the ‘good old days’.
Tyler took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “O.K., I’ll take a chance. When do you want to do it?”
Jasper leaped from his chair. “There’s no time like the present!” he exclaimed gleefully. “Where do you want to go?”
“How about the last Saturday in August, 1980?”
“You got it!”
He led his friend to a small room at the back of the house, cluttered with various shapes and sizes of electronic gear, and instructed Tyler to lie down on an exam table in the center of the room. Donning gloves, he attached several electrodes to the top and sides of Tyler’s head and started an I.V. drip.
“Wait!” Tyler suddenly realized that he had failed to ask a crucial question. “How do I get back? Click my heels and say ‘there’s no place like home’?”
Jasper laughed. “No, you won’t have to do anything. After twenty four hours of subjective time, you will return automatically. You’ll have just one day, so use the time wisely.”
As he lay calmly upon the table, Tyler experienced a brief period of disorientation, followed by the sensation of floating in an immense pool of warm water. When at last he felt a more solid surface beneath him he opened his eyes and found himself in a room he hadn’t seen for almost thirty years.
He eased himself from the bed and slowly walked around the bedroom he had occupied from earliest childhood until he went off to college. Carefully and thoughtfully, he fingered the row of sports trophies lined up on a narrow shelf above his small student desk and savored the warm glow of nostalgia that swelled within him.
After his eyes had drifted across the remainder of the treasures neatly arranged around the room, he slid open the closet door and shed his blue and white striped pajamas in favor of a pair of faded jeans and his one-time favorite T-shirt – a tribute to the rock band Queen.
Once dressed, he ventured forth to become reacquainted with the world of his youth, but stopped short at the top of the stairs. Loud, angry voices, he recognized as belonging to his parents, boomed upward from the lower floor.
“I don’t know what you want from me,” he heard his father say. “I work hard to provide for this family. I don’t know why you don’t think I deserve some relaxation sometimes.”
“Relaxation!” his mother spat back in reply. “Can’t you relax at home instead of spending all your time on that golf course? We never see you anymore.”
“How can I relax? Things sure aren’t very relaxing around here.”
A moment later, he heard the front door slam and then there was silence. Cautiously, he made his way down the steps and into the living room.
His mother, standing behind the couch, managed a weak smile. “Good morning, dear. Would you like some breakfast?”
Tyler shook his head. After witnessing the events of the last few minutes, he certainly had no appetite. “No, I’m not very hungry right now. I think I’ll go for a little drive.”
Just then, the phone in the hall rang. His mother went to answer it. A moment later, she called to him. “Ty, it’s Tina.”
Some measure of happiness returned as he made his way to the phone. “Hi, Tina,” he sang cheerfully into the phone. “What’s happening?”
“You’ve got to go with me over to Deanna’s. She and Mark invited Tim and Peggy over for a swim and I simply refuse to be a third wheel. Can you be here in fifteen?”
“Wouldn’t that be a fifth wheel?” he joked. “Sure, baby, I’ll even make it ten.”
In a flash, he was out of the house and climbing behind the wheel of a 1966 Chevy Nova, faded blue with multiple patches of gray primer. As he twisted the key and heard the engine roar to life, he recalled fondly the months he spent laboring in his father’s store to earn enough money to buy the car. It was his pride and joy – his ticket to fame and freedom through all four of his high school years.
As he drove toward Tina’s house, a symphony of beautiful memories wafted across his conscious mind. Cuddling at the drive-in movie – evenings spent on secluded blankets in the moonlight. As he recalled distant memories of her scent – her touch – the prickly sparks that came from pressing his lips on hers, he felt that shaky, trembling excitement that he hadn’t experienced since he reached adulthood.
When he pulled into the driveway, Tina was already waiting on the porch. Moving quickly, she plopped into the passenger seat and fastened the seatbelt.
When Tyler leaned over, expecting a kiss, she pecked him quickly and turned back to the front. “Can we swing by the 7-11?” she asked. “I told Deanna we would bring some Coke and chips.”
“Sure,” he replied. “I thought maybe we could go to the drive-in tonight. I’m in the mood for a good movie.”
“No, I can’t,” she replied. “I’ve got this thing with my parents, but you can come over tomorrow and help me with the yard work. My dad’s been after me big time.”
Tyler was glad he would miss out on that chore. Moments later, he eased the car into the 7-11 parking lot and stopped the engine. It was then that he realized he hadn’t checked his wallet for cash. Not to worry, he thought. He recalled always having a few dollars in his pocket. He soon discovered the present situation to be an exception to that rule, however. He found nothing in the wallet but a couple of old theatre ticket stubs.
Tina’s expression was transformed from blank indifference to fiery anger in an instant. “I swear, Ty,” she shouted. “I don’t know what’s wrong with you! We can’t go over there without bringing anything! Just take me home. I’ll make up something to tell Deanna.”
“Tina, I’m sorry. I was sure I had money.”
“Just drive!”
Tyler grabbed the key and twisted. Nothing happened.
Tina shook her head. “God, Ty! I don’t know why you keep this piece of crap. You should get a car that works.”
He jumped out of the car and raised the hood. Seconds later, he discovered that one of the battery cables had come loose. He pressed it down and twisted it back and forth, trying to get enough contact to power the starter. When he tried the key again, the engine reluctantly sputtered to life.
There wasn’t a word between them as Tyler drove back to Tina’s house. When they arrived, she bolted from the car and slammed the door loudly. Tyler backed out of the drive and headed home.
When he arrived, he bounded up the stairs and threw himself on his bed. Was this the way it really was? He wondered. Digging deeper into his jumbled collection of memories, the answer came slowly and painfully.
Now he remembered that his parent never got along very well. That was why he spent so much time cruising the streets. He and Tina only saw two movies at the drive-in that summer, and there was only one evening in the park basking in the moonlight. Both of those events occurred less than a week after they started dating. He also came to realize that he wouldn’t be helping with the yard work the next day. Tina would call early in the morning to break off their relationship. By next week, she would be dating Josh Brickley, soon to be captain of the football team.
The ‘good old days’? As he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, he found a new appreciation for the steady job, loyal friends and dependable car he would possess in the future. Looking at the alarm clock on the nightstand, he decided to spend the next twenty two hours enjoying this roomful of treasured relics, counting the minutes until he would be gratefully returned to the life he discovered was not so bad after all.
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