September 5, 1987
2:00 PM PDT
After the DeLorean broke the time barrier, Verne felt nervous. As much as he enjoyed time travel, he knew that there were risks to consider. He also would really have to be careful to not run into his other self, who would actually be a young boy of seven.
Suddenly, he noticed that the display panels were flickering. He groaned to himself, as he figured that his time travel trip would be longer than expected. Then again, it might not be so bad to re-visit the 1980s. In a few ways, he came to really miss the decade.
"Damn!" muttered Verne, as he landed the car. First, he would have to walk over to Francesca's Italian Diner - and he would really have to be careful to not let Marty or Jennifer see him. He suddenly wondered how long he would be stuck here, while his father fixed the display panals. Of course, it did feel pretty nice to revisit his past.
As he began to walk out of Hill Valley Park, he thought of just how lovely the weather was. It was so tough to believe that summer was almost over. He certainly wondered what his younger self would be doing. In a way, he missed being seven years old.
He then thought of how well he would fit in. Would he be able to pass as a teenager of 1987? He loved many songs from this decade, and he did remember this year real well. Still, at seven years old, he was certainly too young to do teenage stuff.
He simply smiled to himself, as the idea of running into Jules amused him. The idea of temporarily being older than his brother gave him such a huge thrill. He then thought of his younger self, and if his younger self might even like him. A lot about him simply had changed, but there were other things about him that had stayed just the same.
As he remembered his father's warning, he knew he shouldn't entertain the idea too much. After all, a lot of precautions certainly did have to be taken - as he knew that changing the past too much could be disastrous. That would definitely not be good.
He suddenly wondered if he would meet the girl of his dreams in this year. It wasn't as if the girls at his school didn't like him. In fact, he was generally well-liked. He still felt a little bit disturbed at his lack of ability to find a girl that he could really connect with.
After all, if his father could meet his mother a whole century in the past - then it could also be possible for Verne to meet the girl of his dreams from a different era. He quite loved the idea of following in his father's footsteps. He decided that moving ten years into the future wouldn't be a major issue. After all, for him, it was actually 92 years.
Just as he caught sight of Francesca's Italian Diner, he smiled to himself. The thought of Italian food just made his mouth water. As he caught sight of Marty's old car in the parking lot, he felt so nostalgic. He wondered if Marty sometimes missed his old car.
oooooooooo
"Hey, c'mon, Jenn!" protested Marty McFly, as the two of them were at Francesca's Italian Diner. "Just give her a break! I'm sure that your aunt didn't actually intend to offend you. Anyway, it's the thought that counts, right? Don't be so hard on her!"
"I'll be hard on her, if I'd like!" snapped Jennifer. As Marty suddenly looked wounded, she added, "I'm real sorry, Marty. I didn't mean to take it out on you. It's only that... Well, if she truly did care about me, she would realize that I was no longer a baby. In fact, I think she's after something. Why did she wait so long, before contacting me?"
"I think you simply need to loosen up, Jenn," urged Marty. "I mean, you should not be that quick to judge her. Maybe she felt bad about not contacting you - so she decided to, uh, make it up to you. I know you feel real offended about the baby dress, but..."
"It's so mortifying!" groaned Jennifer. "I'm nineteen years old, now - which means I'm no longer a child. It offends me terribly that my Aunt Paula thinks I'm still a baby. She should've known better! There are no excuses! Whose side are you on, anyway?"
"Well, yours, of course," Marty replied, quickly. "I mean, I don't even know your aunt - but I don't think you should be quite that bitter with her. I guess I really don't like it, when people are fighting. I mean, I simply understand that you feel hurt - but do you really think it's good to harbour so much resentment inside? It's not good for you!"
"I really hate it, when you go all psychologist on me," groaned Jennifer. "Well, I guess I simply can't deny that you have a point. As I'm currently studying psychology, it just would make sense to put what I learn into practice. Still, I am not keeping that dress!"
"You should maybe donate it to Goodwill," suggested Marty, "or St. Vincent. I suppose you would have quite no use for that dress, but maybe someone else would. Anyway, please don't judge your aunt too harshly. I'm sure she's not that irredeemably evil."
"Well, now that you put it that way..." Jennifer replied, as she smiled faintly. "Gee, I guess I can't even rant to you - without you becoming so logical and rational. It very much... Well, it sure does get a little frustating - but I guess you're right. Maybe you should also consider studying psychology, since you really seem to be cut out for..."
"Thanks, Jenn," Marty replied, laughing, "but it's not quite my bag. I mean, I do have my heart set on being a rock star, and... Well, I sure do understand what Doc means about knowing too much about your own destiny. Still, I continue to practice hard."
"Yeah, you should," agreed Jennifer, as she playfully slugged Marty's arm. "After all, if you end up doing anything to mess up your career - it could just create a few huge problems. In fact, it can even create a major time paradox - the results of which..."
"... can cause a chain reaction," Marty continued, "that would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum, and destroy the entire universe." As Marty's lips curved into a smile, he added, "It's quite strange to think that my band could actually be that important to the entire universe. Anyway, I must say, this is good chocolate cake."
"I should maybe do a little grocery shopping," suggested Jennifer. "It's so nice to live together. We get to have more independence, and we can watch just as much TV as we want. Also, I no longer have to put up with Mom lecturing me to eat healthy."
"She's just looking out for you," Marty replied, as he flashed a lopsided smile. "I quite see what you mean, though. You want to be able to make choices for yourself. Also, Marlene won't be born for another ten years. She'll be named after your beloved..."
"... aunt," Jennifer finished, dreamily. "Yeah, I've always loved Aunt Marlene - and I was always close to Sarah. I really love the way 'Marlene' sounds a lot like 'Marty'. It will simply feel good to have ten years of freedom. Not that having children won't be such a blessing to us, but it would be much work. Well, it's nice to be independent."
oooooooooo
After Verne stepped into Francesca's Italian Diner, he rather quickly glanced around the wall - and he saw that Marty and Jennifer were sitting right on the other side. It sure felt so tempting to walk in and say "hi", but he knew that he had to avoid being seen by them. He began to realize just how much he missed the teenage Marty.
"Well, Jenn, I'm going to head over to the Browns," Marty was saying, just as he and Jennifer stepped through the door. "I'll be home at six, though. We sure can watch a movie tonight, if you'd like. We could watch either Light of Day or The Secret of..."
Verne stepped in the door, as he quickly grabbed the pink baby dress - which was on the bench that was closer to the door. He stepped into the other door, as that really was the entrance. He began to realize just how much he had missed the restaurant.
"Are you alone?" asked one of the waitresses, as she walked up to Verne. He nodded, as she continued, "Anyway, we have a real big special today - with the all you can eat pasta meal. It comes with garlic bread and a large soft drink. For dessert, we really do have the triple-layer chocolate cake. Well, would you like smoking or non-smoking?"
"I'll take non-smoking, please," Verne replied, as he followed the waitress. "I want the stuffed shells, for my pasta. The triple-layer chocolate cake sounds great, as well. It'll be tempting to have it now - but that can wait. I'd also like a Sprite. No ice, please."
"You've got it," replied the waitress, as she placed the silverware on the table. "Your meal really should be here in no more than ten minutes. The dessert also comes right with the meal, so you sure picked a great day to come. Today is our anniversary."
Verne smiled, as the waitress walked off. The knew that Francesca's Italian Diner had opened in 1972 - and then, by 1995, the restaurant was taken over Olive Garden. At least, it did continue to serve Italian food. Still, he did have some very fond memories of eating here - whether it was with his family, or with his friends. He felt nostalgic.
"Here is your Sprite, sir," commented the waitress, as she walked back. "Your stuffed shells should be nearly ready." As she looked closer at Verne, she added, "You simply look familiar. Have I seen you before?" As Verne nodded, she added, "I will be back."
Verne wondered if he still looked like his younger self. Of course, he was much taller - but maybe his face really hadn't changed too much. Also, back when his father was a teenager, there was also a resemblance in looks. Doc was more studious, though.
Come to think of it, he simply wondered if the teen version of his father would've liked him. He did get to meet Doc at seven, who seemed nice enough. Verne really felt that the young version of his father preferred Jules, though. After all, Jules really was the intellectual one - even though Verne happened to resemble his father more closely.
