Disclaimer: I do not own Back to the Future, Family Ties, Light of Day, or The Secret of My Success.

July 12, 1987
3:00 PM EDT
Family Ties Universe

Alex P Keaton was at the beach with his close friend, Skippy Handelman. The weather was pretty hot out, and the two of them were floating in an inner tube together. Alex smiled to himself, as he thought of his family.

"You know, Alex," Skippy said, sighing, "I try so hard to put Mallory out of my mind. I wish she would at least try to give me a chance. I don't understand why she feels this need to be mean to me."

"I guess she just goes for the bad guys," Alex said, sighing. "I understand that I should probably be used to be by now, but I still cannot understand his infatuation with Nick Moore. I mean, he's a huge jerk - and I really believe she could do better. Granted, I sometimes give her a hard time about her intelligence - but she is my sister, and I really do love her a lot."

"So you still want to work at Wall Street, someday?" Skippy asked. "I have to say that I greatly would miss you, as we've always been so close. I mean, you have always been a great friend to me - and you always did stand up for me, whenever other people would make fun of me or put me down."

"I think the problem is," Alex said, softly, "too many people in this world are so judgemental and shallow. I think the people who feel the need to put you down in order to make themselves feel superior might have some insecurities themselves. I believe that you are a little bit... well, should we say, eccentric. However, there really is nothing wrong with being different from other people. I'm a bit different from other people myself."

"So, should we go out for ice cream later this evening?" asked Skippy. "I sure could go for some ice cream, Alex."

"Well, I have a few loose ends that I need to tie up," replied Alex. "Perhaps this evening, we could go out for ice cream. I really do love summers a lot. The weather is nice and warm, and it's nice to take a break from college."

"Sometimes, I wish I lived a little more down south," Skippy said, sighing, "because I really don't like how winter can be so cold. I think it would be nice if it could stay warm all year round."

"Well, there are fun things you can do during the winter months," Alex offered. "I agree that I'm not quite fond of the cold temperatures myself - but, if you look past that, you can really have a lot of fun. I do enjoy Christmas a lot, as well. I still feel rather ashamed as I look back a few years - and I remember how I had once looked down on Christmas. I don't know what was going through mymind that year."

"Money can be very nice, I agree," said Skippy, "but money can't exactly buy you love. There's so much more to life than money, you know - like friends and family, for instance."

"Right, and I realize this," Alex said, nodding. "You know, I am doing this as much for my family as I'm doing this for me. Remember how I had big dreams of wanting to attend Princeton College?"

"Right," Skippy said, nodding, "and Mallory ruined your interview for you, right?"

"Well, I'm not going to blame everything on Mallory," Alex replied. "I admit that I was rather mad at her for being so hysterical at my interview, but I also realized just how much I really do value my family. I might clash with my often, when it comes to politics - but they always have been very supportive of me, and I'm very grateful to have a loving family. I really would not trade my family in for anything."

"Not even for a million dollars?" Skippy asked teasingly.

"Nope," replied Alex, nodding. "Look, economics may be a huge passion of mine - but I'm really not a greedy person. I guess the major reason why I'm a Republican instead of a Democrat, is because the Democrats want to overtax us. I really think it's not the government's responsibility to make sure the poor get their needs met. It is something we should be doing ourselves. That's why we have charities like The Salvation Army."

"Yeah, taxes are bad," Skippy agreed, nodding. "So you think the Democrats tend to waste our money?"

"That's correct," replied Alex. "I believe the Democrats tend to be real hypocrites, if you ask me. They claim that they care about the needy and such, but they then take the money and use it to benefit themselves. I don't fault my parents at all for holding liberal views, as I understand that they mean well. So my intentions is not to criticize everyone who holds those ideas. Rather, my criticisms are directed towards the government."

"I see," Skippy said, nodding. "Hypocrisy is bad. So what are your plans for this evening?"

"Well, I kinda need to be by myself for a few hours," explained Alex. "I have a lot of stuff on my mind. Later this evening, though, you and I could go out for some ice cream. You know, I really miss Ellen Reed a lot. I miss having a steady girlfriend. I really hope I can find a girl this fall that I can connect with. Perhaps you really may want to consider meeting other girls, and trying to take your mind off of Mallory. There are other fish under the sea."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," replied Skippy. "I really liked Ellen, too. The two of you were great together."

"Yeah, well, I suppose she's married now," Alex said, sighing. "I have to admit that a little part of me would like for them to get a divorce, even though I really don't approve of divorce. If I can move on with my life from Ellen, maybe you should try to move on with your life from Mallory. I am sure that you'll be able to find your girl one of these days. You just have to look in the right direction, you know. I mean, you're too focused on Mallory."

"I guess you're right, Alex," Skippy said, sighing. "I mean, if she really doesn't care about me, then why should I care about her? Maybe it is time to move on."

"Now that is the spirit," Alex said, admiringly. "Look, Skippy, it's been really fun swimming with you - but I have some things that I need to do right now. So I'll see you later this evening, all right?"

"Sounds fine, Alex," replied Skippy, as the two of them stepped out of the water.

"Take good care of yourself, Skippy," Alex said, warmly, as he placed his hands on Skippy's shoulders.

"Thanks, you too," replied Skippy. "So what time will you pick me up tonight?"

"Uh, maybe around 7:00," suggested Alex. "I promise, Skippy. I always do enjoy spending time with you, after all."

"Same to you, Alex," replied Skippy, as he grabbed the inner tube and began to head home.

As Alex headed into the woods, he began to think of how fortunate he was to have a loving family and some wonderful friends. He had to admit that he would feel really sad about leaving his friends and family, as soon as he was able to work on Wall Street. Still, it's not like he would never see his family again. He could always go home and visit his family and friends around the holidays. Anyway, he had always been very fond of Wall Street.

Alex suddenly felt a very strong gust of wind tugging at him. Alex tried to keep still, as he believed that the wind would eventually pass. However, he felt himself being engulfed by the wind - and everything went black.