Locomotive to the Past by George Schultz (iphone ebook reader .TXT) 📕

“Uh… maybe you could get a job, closer to your apartment! Oh… look at me! I’ve already got you living… on Ohio!”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “That’s always a possibility! Just one more thing . . . to throw into the damn emotional smorgasbord! But, I don’t know where that company would be! Or… more importantly… where the stupid job would be located! Besides, a goodly part of me… well, I’d like to stay working with Eric! Working for Eric!”

“Why? Why… on earth? If he went and waited… till late night, on Tuesday . . . to apprise you, of that apartment being available? Given the shortage… the God-awful shortage… of housing! And he was willing to let it pass you by? Till he talked… to Susie? Why would he… ?”

“I think I told you. He simply wanted to run it by Susie! Wasn’t comfortable… till he did!”

“‘Run it by’? That’s a strange saying! I’ve never heard anyone say that before!”

Jason, by then, realized that he was becoming too overwrought! He was going to have to remind himself, once again, to be awfully careful! Lest he begin throwing out any further “futuristic” utterances! At that point, he could not afford it!

“Listen, Valerie! Susie and I are… are… well, we’re special! She took me in, when I first… uh… when I first arrived! And she talked Eric . . . into keeping me! I don’t know… that she’d talked him into hiring me! Hiring me… that very first night! I believe that he’d probably needed a ‘warm body’ anyway. Another hand… for the job.”

“‘Warm body’? Jason! Why is it… that you’re talking so… well, so… so funny? So strangely? All of this… coming, all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know! I wasn’t aware . . . that I was talking. Talking… funny! I… look, Valerie! I don’t want, to upset you! You’ve been a part . . . a major part… of all this brain-twisting, decision-making, process! But, Susie is special! She’s so special… to me! She really is! And Eric has always . . . right from the git-go… always recognized that fact!”

“‘From the git-go’? Jason! What’s come over you? I’ve never heard you talk like this! Carry on like this! Use all these goofy words! All these really goofy expressions! Not to this extent! It seems like you’ve gone off…”

“I… I really don’t know! Don’t know why! Well… yes I do! I’ve got you upset! That’s why! Plainly upset! And that’s the last thing… that I wanted to do! I’d wanted tonight to be… well, to be… to be really special!”

“Like you and Susie? Like you . . . are special?”

“Oh, stop it! Let’s watch the goddam hockey game!” The referee—and the three forwards from each team—were all at center ice, for the opening faceoff!

“Jason! I’ve never heard you use that word before! What’s come over you?”

“Never mind! Just watch the freaking game!”

“‘Freaking’? Jason! Freaking? I can’t believe… that this is you!”

“Well, it’s me! And you might not even know me! Maybe not as well as you think you do! You’ve never seen me, in a muddle, before! In the middle… of a muddle! A damnable muddle! I’ve got a lot of decisions to make! A lot . . . for me, anyway. I’ve never been called on… to make decisions before! Not like these! I’m probably not surprising you! I guess that I don’t handle it… handle them . . . very well! Hell, I don’t have to guess!! I’m in over my head! Way over my head!”

That, she understood! “Jason? Jason?” Her tone—and, surely, her mood—had changed! Immensely! “Look! All evening, I’ve been talking . . . when I should have been listening!”

This was a popular phrase, for the time. But, not one—never one—that he’d ever thought he’d hear, from the lips of Valerie Krenwinkle!

“I’ve been too harsh with you,” she’d continued. “I’ve been acting as though you were a… were a… were a little boy, or something.”

“Well, dammit, you weren’t far off,” he muttered.

“As it turns out,” she said, ruefully, “I was! I was way far off! Listen, Jason! You’ve got . . . to make your own decisions! And, let me tell you… let me assure you… I’ll go along with them! Any of them! All of them! Is that not my duty? My official duty? Am I not, after all, your… your girlfriend?”

She locked both of her hands—around his left (his nearest) biceps! The gesture—immediately—brought tears, to his eyes! (Big time—as long as phrases, from the future, seemed to be tossed about! He managed to not annunciate that particular one!)

As noted, his eyes filled with tears—and a bountiful number of them were spilling over! My girlfriend? She’s my girlfriend? I have an actual girlfriend? Would you believe it? A girlfriend! I’ve got a real-life girlfriend!

“Valerie,” he sniffed. “I’m sorry! I’m… I’ve been acting, like a boor! I apologize! I never should’ve used that kind of language! I just…”

“No,” she said, softly. “I jolly well had it coming! Any time you find me… trying to run your life . . . tell me, to just butt out! You’re even entitled to throw in a ‘goddam’, every now and then… if you like!”

“Listen, I’ve just about made up my mind! But, I’d like your thinking!”

“‘My thinking?”

“Your opinion!” He—most assuredly—was going to have to put the kibosh, on his 2001 vernacular! “Your honest opinion,” he maintained. “I want to know… need to know… your exact opinion! Your honest feelings!”

“I don’t know. If I… ! I don’t know if you’ll want to hear my honest opinion!”

“I do! I will! I may not follow what you say… but, I’ve got to know, what it is that you think!”

“In that case… as long as we both understand that you may, or may not, follow what I say… then you’ve got a deal!”

“Here’s,” he explained, “here’s what’s rattling around… in my devious, warped, little mind: I think I’ll put off the radio thing… but, just till the dust settles.”

He looked—closely—at her, trying to ascertain whether she was mortally wounded! She seemed to be doing all right. (Key word: “seemed”.) His “peasant cunning” told him that this was no time—to be hesitating!

“I believe