Lewis, later known as Cornelius Robinson, often thought about time. He knew that he had changed his own destiny at least once, and had changed Goob's as well. His own had also been changed by his thirteen-year-old son, who did not exist yet since he and Franny were not only not married yet, but they were also only twelve. Yet he did exist, Lewis knew, and was going on with his life in the future, just as he was going on in the past. Except Wilbur was going on with his life with him in the future, and in the future, he was Wilbur's dad. Even though Wilbur was thirteen and Lewis was twelve, which as Wilbur had said, made him older than Lewis.

Lewis eventually stopped thinking about this, as it made his head hurt, and devoted more time to his inventions. He became Cornelius Robinson, and not only royally screwed up, he made some amazing inventions, and as his future self had said, he kept moving forward.

There were, of course, difficulties with knowing ones own future. For one thing, when he was in high school, he started dating Franny. It was difficult for him, because while he knew she was an absolutely fabulous and talented person, he still occasionally thought of her as his best friend's mom. Which was kind of weird. Especially since his best friend was his son. He had to be careful not to let slip anything about the future to his new family and future wife. (Any time he forgot and said something that raised questions, he told them to ask him after they had met him a second time, and refused to explain what that meant). He was extremely meticulous about keeping in contact with Goob and making sure he didn't internalize anything. He also had a lot of trouble, later on, after he was married, resisting the urge to create 'helping hats'. He was sure that they could work—but he knew they wouldn't just as much. To keep himself from forgetting, he put a big sign up above his workstation that said "NO DORIS!" His wife threatened that if their first child was a girl, she would name her Doris. Amid his protests, he assured her that the child would be male.

And that really was his largest problem. He had many friends, and never felt too lonely, but he never connected on a level with them like he had with Wilbur. Wilbur couldn't come back and see him—he himself, in the future had told himself that it wouldn't be allowed, so they couldn't accidentally screw up the space-time continuum again. (However, while his older self had told him that he had forced Wilbur to promise not to see him, this didn't stop the birthday cards from appearing on the day of his arrival at the orphanage. He decided that he simply could not, in the future, punish Wilbur for this infraction.) But Lewis longed to see his friend again, and the waiting was difficult. He knew his best friend would not exist for a while, and was sure he could never be his best friend in quite the same way as his son. Wilbur had promised to try to see him as his friend as well as his father, but even after he was born, it would be thirteen years until he could make that promise, much less try to carry it out.

But it was better than nothing, and Lewis hoped for a long, happy relationship with his son eventually. And one day, long after Lewis became Cornelius Robinson and after Franny, his childhood sweetheart became his wife, Lewis had a son, and Wilbur was the name he and Franny agreed upon for the boy. It could be nothing else.

Cornelius Robinson, once known as Lewis, an orphan, picked up his son in the hospital room and smiled at him in happiness and wonder. "It's been a long time, Wilbur," he said softly. "The last time I saw you, you were bigger than me. We've got a lovely long friendship ahead of us, my man. Just wait until you meet me. Then we'll have stories to tell, won't we?"