Link to beginning of story:
https://steemit.com/fiction/@justephen/justin-time-chapter-1-an-original-novel
Link to Chapter 18: Dreamer
https://steemit.com/fiction/@justephen/justin-time-chapter-18-an-original-science-fiction-novel
Chapter 18 Review:
Justin and Blair go down to his basement and find that their first task is for Justin to start practicing dream control which is the first step towards learning how to time travel. Kirstin can't concentrate on her play as she is so distracted about her last encounter with Justin. Finally she is persuaded by her roommate to visit Justin one more time. Mark Hannity who is now a financial adviser had invested heavily in a company that was now head by Katherine Time. He is expecting that company to come out with a new drug that will save his mothers life. Kirstin shows up at the university where Justin just excused his students.
Chapter 19: Deja Vu
Seeing Kirstin so suddenly, Justin was lost for words again and just stared at her.
"If this is a bad time, I understand. I can leave.", said Kirstin as she started turning around.
"Ah.. No. No. This is not a bad time at all. I.. Ah..I was just catching up on some work. Um..um...hey.. have a seat." Justin said stuttering the whole time."
"Oh! Thanks!," said a very happy and relieved Kirstin.
As Kirstin grabbed a chair, Justin started thinking to himself. 'Wow.. She is actually here. She is so beautiful. I wonder if she may still be single. After all, she did go out of her way to find me. Or maybe she is here on business and needs my help or direction.'
"So..What brings you here?", Justin blurted. 'Oh my god. The first thing I say to her is, What brings you here? Wow..I am like a little school boy all over again.', he mused.
Finally recovering, Justin said, "I mean..It is wonderful to see you? How have you been? It's been so long."
"I've been great. How have you been?" reacted Kirstin. 'I've been great? How have you been? That is the best I can come up with?', Kirstin said to herself.
"I've been busy. Ever since you left, I have been nothing but busy.", bounced back Justin. 'Ever since you left? That sounds bitter.'
"What I mean to say, was...okay to be perfectly honest with you. I am really tense and ruffled and...I am so happy to see you?", he said with relief.
"I am really nervous too and really happy to see you." she said feeling relieved herself.
"By any chance are you married or with a boyfriend or anything?" 'Wow, that was direct, but I might as well get it over with', he thought.
"No..What about you?", she answered.
"I'm not either.", he said.
Both of them just stood there beaming.
"Hey. Do you want to go out and get some coffee. There is a great local coffee shop just down the street.", mentioned Justin.
"I would love to."
"Hey hey, welcome back! It's great to see you buddy. Hop in the car.", said an excited Judge Jacoby.
"It feel strange to be out." said Larry Van Morrison as they left the asylum.
"I have been cooped up their so long, I forgot what it feels like to be free."
"Being in the asylum is much better than lifetime in prison. If it wasn't for my friend David Cohen, you would of been found guilty of first degree murder. Instead you got off on an insanity plea."
"True. Your friend David is a hell of an attorney. I just hated being in that asylum for so long. I was so fed up with these shrinks asking and probing me with all of these questions to see if I was 'ready' for the real world. I couldn't stop losing my temper, they angered me so much. Then they started medicating me so I could deal with my 'anger' issues. Just thinking of all I went through in there infuriates me.", vented Larry, the old owner of Bel De Flur Country Club Restaurant.
Judge Jacoby bragged, "Well you are out for good now. I made sure of that. It took a while for me to get to the right person. But, I finally..shall I say?...persuaded them to see things my way. Hey, speaking of David Cohen, he is hosting a poker game tonight. Want to come?"
"Well....I don't know."
"You might as well..It's not like you have a wife anymore to go home to.
They both chuckled.
Justin and Kirstin were sitting at a small cozy table in the corner of the Grounded Beans Coffee Shop. They had spent the last two hours conversing about old times and catching up on the events after they split.
"So, tell me more about your book. Do you really think time traveling is possible?", smiled Kirstin.
Justin was so enamored with Kirstin, he had forgotten all about his tasks that laid ahead of him. He knew he had to tread very lightly on this subject.
"Yes. I really do believe it is possible. I think I may be close."
"I read your book and.."
"Oh really?", Justin interrupted.
"Oh yes. It is very complicated. I do have questions regarding the philosophical aspects of time traveling. Would you mind if we discuss that?"
"Not at all. Please ask away."
"Do you believe we can go back in time and change the actual events that have already occurred?"
"Yes. Yes I do.", Justin replied and was anticipating the next question.
Justin has had many philosophical conversations on this subject with Blair and fellow scientists. He was pretty certain he knew where this line of question was going. Justin was more than happy to be patient and let her assemble her questions at her pace.
"If that is true, then couldn't it change many things or even everything that is true today? Here is an example. We first met in high school. I was behind you in line at the concession stand. You bought your burger, drink and fries and turned around quickly and spilled your drink on me.", she laughs.
"That wasn't my fault, you were standing so close to me, I didn't even have room to turn around.", he laughed back.
"I was at least four feet away. You just weren't looking where you were going."
They both began giggling and smiling together.
"Anyway, like I was saying", Kirstin continued. "If you went back in time, and didn't stand in that line or if there were two people in front of me, you would of not spilled that drink on me and we wouldn't be here today."
"I agree with you, but there is much more. Ready? Here goes.", Justin took a breath and continued, "I will try not to make this too lengthy. Have you heard of the parallel universe theory?"
"Kinda, but not really."
"Although there are many parallel universe theories, this is what I believe. Let's take your previous example and say that right before I was going to go in line, my cell phone rang. I stopped for a moment, answered the call and then went in line. You would of been gone by then. We would of never met. My belief is in a parallel universe, that may of happened. Also, you may have received a phone call in another universe. And in still another universe, you stayed home because you got sick. I believe there are infinite universes happening all at the same time. Instantly. For every breath or movement each individual takes, it creates a new universe. Right now, we are infinitely splitting universe's from our perspective. From my stand point, you are in my universe and things happen around me. From your stand point, I am in your universe and things happen around you. If I go back in time, your universe would be effected like it always is and continue splitting at every moment even though I may not directly affect it. You personally would split, as you are your universe. This conversation would also split as it is just one microscopic branch. If I come back and you see me, then there is another split. Do you understand or am I not explaining it well?"
"I think I understand.”, she said.
“Okay, let me ask you this. Have you ever had Déjà vu? The feeling that you have experienced the exact event you are experiencing now? My belief is that you have momentarily skipped from one parallel universe to another. And then a moment later you come back to your current universe.”
“I do understand Déjà vu and that makes sense. That whole theory is very difficult to grasp overall. It almost makes me feel irrelevant."
"I understand how you feel. I believe the human brain and psyche are not suppose to understand or comprehend this theory for a few reasons. First, it would deter man’s reason for existence. If we knew this to be true, then we would feel that our decisions are futile and eventually we would cease to exist. Secondly, we would lose the wonderful journey we are taking on earth. Although I believe this theory. I don't live my life with that in mind. I try to enjoy my journey. Was there anything else you wanted to bring up?"
"Um. Yeah. What about the morality of going back in time for good or evil?"
"If I go back in time, then I could attempt to change something for the better or for the worse. It would affect my universe, and when I see you, it would affect your universe, but only through my eyes. You would have your own universe that branched off from your perspective and some of them will affect you, others would not. I would guess that from my perspective, I have changed things."
"Okay..Okay..my brain hurts. Let's change the subject. Speaking of time. What time is it?”, asked Kirstin.
"Wow. It is already 9:30 pm. I'm not tired at all.", said Justin who just found a second wind.
Kirstin looked around. "You know. I'm not tired either."
"Hey, there is a movie starting at 10:00 pm across the street. Would you like to go?"
"A movie? At this time? hmm Why not?"
Justin and Kirstin walked across the street hand in hand.
"Give me a beer.", said attorney Mark Cohen to his wife.
Then they heard the door bell ring. "I'll get it."
Mark Cohen left his huge family room walked through his extra wide hallway, took 20 steps down his semi spiral staircase and entered the grand foyer before opening the front door of his exquisite 6500 hundred square foot home.
He opened the door. "Hiya Judge! It is great to see you again! And Larry! Larry Van Morrison. It is really great to see you!", he said giving Larry a very firm two handed shake. "I was hoping you could make it. Please. Follow me. I have a great game room I set up particularly for poker. I actually hired a bar tender/cocktail waitress to serve us and whoa is she built."
"Who else will be joining us today?" asked the Judge.
"My brother-in-law, a couple of my friends who you have never met, Ned Mason, who you have met once before and Congressman Howard Hirsch."
"Oh. I thought he had retired by now. Isn't he in his seventies?", asked the Judge.
"I think so, but he will never retire.", said attorney Cohen as they approached the enlarged game room.
Larry Van Morrison had remained silent as he was just soaking in all of this new stimulation. It had been a while since he was not surrounded by white walls. They were all greeted by a scantily dress lady who immediately asked them what they would like to drink. They were informed that there was a full bar at their disposal.
"Please. All of you make yourself comfortable until the others arrive."
Everyone ordered drinks and relaxed.
"Here is your beer honey.", said Martha Cohen, the attorneys wife as she entered the room. And it is good to see you again Judge."
"Please Martha, call me Walter. We are all friends here."
"Okay Walter.", she said somewhat sheepishly.
"You took too long for that beer.", barked her husband. Ada Mae here already fixed me something.”, he continued as he slapped Ada Mae's rear. "And Martha, watch the front door and escort people here as they come in.”
Slowly the rest of the poker folks entered including Congressman Hirsch.
"I hope you don't mind. I brought my son Jerome. He's not much of a poker player, but loves to watch.
"What would you two like to drink?" asked a flirtatious Ada Mae.
"I'll have a martini and what do you want Jerome?", asked the Congressman.
"I'll take a scotch on the rocks.", said Jerome Hirsch, ex juror of the Katherine Time trial.