June 16, 1932
Jeff had calmed down, and he started to look around.
"Hey, Bogg, Penn Station," he said pointing at an impressive brown building not far ahead.
"I thought that was in New York," Bogg said.
"Yeah, definitely one there," he said, looking at Bogg as if he was surprised his mentor would remember.
"I think this is officially Union Station in Pittsburgh, but Pap-Pap always called it Penn Station. It has the neatest rotunda. I used to visit my grandparents when I was a little kid, and this is where they'd pick me up" Jeff said excitedly. Bogg smiled, Jeff spoke of his time as a "little" kid the way only a 12-year-old could, implying it was a long time ago.
"Last week?" Bogg chuckled to himself. He knew better than to say it aloud, but he was looking at a child he could still pick up in one arm when it was necessary.
"Pap-Pap died not long before my parents," Jeff suddenly pronounced. "Heart attack. The last time I was in Pittsburgh – well before when we were here, or I guess it was well after, because obviously my grandfather had to be born after I met my great-grandparents, and he didn't die until.... This is all really confusing sometimes," Jeff was continuing to ramble, and his eyes grew darker and looked farther and farther away. Bogg put a hand on his shoulder.
"Just follow your own thoughts, Jeff. You don't need to sort out every intricacy of the time stream looking at your own life. When was it for you?" Bogg said.
"The last time I came here, it was with my parents, for the funeral," Jeff said with a nod, as if satisfying the requirements for a quiz and looking up at Phineas Bogg waiting for approval. "That's definitely right."
Bogg nodded, and looking at Jeff's face, pale under the sunburn, he wished he'd just immediately omni'd them both out of Pittsburgh, 1932, red light or no. Headquarters could have found someone, and this mission seemed to be breaking Jeffrey.
"Hey kid, how about we take a break for a while? I got clobbered in that game back in Massachusetts, and I'm sore where I didn't know I had muscles," Bogg said with a sheepish grin, hoping Jeff might agree to a pause if he thought it was for the sake of his partner.
"But it's a red light, Bogg, what if we miss whatever it is we're supposed to fix? You can't be so sore it's worth that," Jeffrey said.
"Yeah, you're right kid. OK, we'll keep looking," Bogg replied grimly, watching Jeff's face closely. "Let's go inside. Looks like rain, and maybe I can at least find a bench, right? We'll let the revolution find us this time?"
"Sure, Bogg."
Bogg watched Jeffrey's uncharacteristically slow stride as he headed into the station.
"Smart kids give me a pain," Bogg thought sardonically. "I wish this one didn't give himself so much."