Groundhog NightIntroBen was dropping off Emma at daycare. "Remember Emma, try and take your naps and be a good girl. I love you." He kissed her goodbye and was about to walk out the door.
"Daddy! Wait! I remembered something!"
"What is it honey?"
"Grandma gave me a gift, but it was broken." And Emma showed him the box with the earrings that Bonnie had given her about 36 hours earlier. "I tried to put them on, but they didn't work." Ben took the earrings and looked at his daughter's ears. Of course they were "broken," since her ears weren't pierced. Ben sighed, since Bonnie was either presumptuous enough to assume Ben would pierce Emma's ears to fit the gift, or even do it herself. But he realized he could replace them with clip-ons.
"Emma, the earrings aren't actually broken. But they're the wrong type for your ears. I'm going to replace them and get proper ones." And he put the box in his jeans pocket, the same jeans he was wearing when Riley died.
Intro Music Act 1
"Is this actually Mary Hart? Because you sound like a promo."
"Yes, my lawyers tell me it's an excellent idea for legal reasons. Now let me remember, you used to be my maid."
"No."
"Let's see, I slept with your husband, and managed to convince him that you were the one guilty of adultery."
"I certainly hope that you didn't."
"Now I remember! You tried to be my co-host, but Tucker Dobbs stabbed you in the back, and I replaced you with the boy toy I was sleeping with."
"Now that does sound familiar. What can I do for you Mary?"
"Well Tucker used to be my producer. Now he's managed to make his way up so that he's going to interview me early this afternoon. And I would like to make that as awkward as possible."
"I'm listening."
"Your real estate firm has a file, the Panopticon File. which could be especially awkward for Tucker. I was wondering if you could meet me so I could look at it. For a perfectly reasonable fee of course."
"I take much of the day off, I embarrass Tucker, and I get paid for it! What's not to like?"
An hour later, Ben was at the office of his bar, and trying to keep an eye on Ruth in her crib, when the phone rang. "Hello! I'm Mary Hart! You may know me from my internationally famous television show!"
"I know who you are. We've met on several occasions."
"Really? Because I don't remember that at all."
"Is there a reason you're calling me?"
"Yes, do you know Tucker Dobbs?"
"He's my best friend and my roommate for the past four years."
"Actually he's meeting me this afternoon, but he forgot some documents. They're in a blue envelope and they're very important. They're actually at his accountant's."
"I think I can get them. Where should I meet you?"
Half an hour later, Vanessa received a call. "Hello! I'm Mary Hart!"
"I know who you are. Is this about Tucker?"
"Why yes. He was going to interview me today."
"I'm not in a good mood about him."
"Really? That's so sad. Tell me more."
It was early afternoon. And Tucker was about to interview Mary Hart. She smiled complacently as Tucker made some last minute talks with the show's technicians. Vanessa was watching unenthusiatically from stage left. Ben quickly moved up to her, carrying Ruth in tow. "It hasn't started yet?"
"Another one of Tucker's suck-up interviews. No, not yet." Vanessa looked up at Ben and noticed how pale and sick he looked. "What's up with you? I can imagine you looking miserable the day Riley was buried. But why would you look so much worse two days after that?"
"Don't worry about it. I looked much worse last night." And indeed that was true. Just then Tucker spoke up. "Hello everyone! Today our special guest is daytime host Mary Hart."
Hart nodded. "Yes. You used to be my producer. Well it's nice that once we left, we're both better off."
"Quite true!" Tucker turned to the audience. "Ms. Hart isn't known only for hosting, but for her many charitable activities. I'd like to talk about one of them, the Outer Boroughs Orphan League. Perhaps you could tell everyone what it is."
"Total softball question." Vanessa muttered, as she rolled her eyes.
"Well Tucker," Mary Hart stated. "The Outer Boroughs Orphan League was founded in 1949 to help poor and deprived children from all the non-Manhattan parts of New York. It doesn't only deal with orphans, but also with homeless children, children living in circumstances of domestic violence..."
Meanwhile Bonnie had joined Ben and Vanessa, along with the Panopticon File. "Mom, what are you doing here?"
"Mary Hart asked me to bring this file. She's going to cue me for a dramatic entrance."
"Why would she do that when she's the one being interviewed?"
"Damned if I know. By the way have you heard anything from Riley's old boss Miss Jensen? She called me today saying that she wanted to contact both you and Tucker."
"I've actually been really busy the last couple of days..."
Back on the stage Tucker interrupted his guest. "That's all very interesting. But what I'm concerned about are allegations that the OBOL is being used as a front for money laundering and corruption."
Mary Hart kept smiling, though she looked with fierce determination at Tucker. "Really? I think that would be an unwise area to go into." And she motioned Bonnie to bring the Panopticon File. She took it and took out a paper. "Naturally a lot of powerful people want to be seen doing charitable things. And whenever one of them is caught for doing something wrong people look suspiciously at the charity. Quite unfairly though. For example, here's a record of your mother Joanne Dobbs, being involved with the Panopticon Property Holding Company."
"Excuse me, what does this have to do with OBOL?"
"Why Tucker dear, you seem a little nervous. I can't imagine why. Oh look, your friend has some more useful information." And she motioned Ben to bring her the blue envelope she had asked him to bring. "Now these documents strike me as especially interesting. And I think they involve you personally as well..."
"Me...personally?"
"Well, they start with your mother and they go on to you. Let's see...all sorts of complex financial transactions that may appear awkward. If one was to be especially rigid on such matters. A more generous perspective might drop the matter altogether."
"I don't understand...how could there have been any documents about me..."
"Well, some of these are just ordinary banking transactions. And more of them deal with Mrs. Dobbs and her relationship with the controversial developer Vance Quincannon. But we wouldn't want to go on about it, do we Tucker?"
Tucker appeared speechless. Vanessa winced off stage. "Why Tucker you appear almost pale. Is there something you want to say?" Mary Hart smiled in her patented tone of fake compassion.
"I...I...I..."
"Ten seconds to commercial break..." a technician said.
"I..Well..." And then suddenly Tucker smiled. "That isn't actually my mother in those documents."
"And we're out for four minutes!"
"What are you talking about?" Mary Hart hissed.
"Those documents Joanne Dobbs signed. Same first name, same last name. But they're two months old, and my mother's been dead for more than four." Tucker smiled again. "You see, I couldn't access the Panopticon file. But it occurred to me that if you thought it compromised me Mrs. Wheeler would be happy to give it to you. So thanks for getting it."
"There's nothing here that supports your insinuations."
"Well if you look in those three photographs you'll see three occasions where you were with Vance Quincannon at OBOL gatherings."
"There's no crime in being in the same room as a man."
"No, but perjury is." And Tucker reached over to one of the documents in the blue envelope Ben brought. "This is your grand jury testimony saying you never met Quincannon."
Mary Hart glared bitterly at Tucker. "This isn't about you Mary. It isn't even about Quincannon. I want the big guy behind everything. You know there's a political party in this city with a lot more money than votes."
Twenty minutes later, the interview ended. Tucker and Mary Hart insincerely shook hands, and then Tucker strode over to join his friends.
"That was incredible," Vanessa gasped. "I never thought you were capable of doing something like this."
"I'm stunned too." Ben added. "Well not really with this President. But still..."
"When did you do this?"
"Remember when I said I was upstate for that incredibly dissolute bachelor party. And then later when I said I was recuperating from a horrible hangover afterwards."
"Yes."
"Well actually I was doing extremely dull and meticulous journalism. Also, thanks for telling Mary that cover story."
Bonnie was unenthusiastic. "Something tells me you're not going to be humiliated on national television."
"Are you kidding Mrs. Wheeler?" Vanessa pointed out. "This has to be the best day of Tucker's life!"
"And it's only getting started." Tucker smiled. He got down on one knee, took out a small box from one of his coat pockets and opened it to reveal an engagement ring.
Act 2"Vanessa Virginia Van Jackson, will you marry me?"
For a few seconds Vanessa was speechless. But only for a few. "Yes! Absolutely yes!" And she embraced him.
Bonnie spoke up. "Brad just tweeted me. Quincannon saw the interview and he immediately called the office."
Ben was worried. "Let's see. You compromised a major client on national television because you released confidential information. So you're fired?"
"Actually the exact opposite happened. He immediately paid the firm 800K he'd been welshing on. So me and Brad can take the rest of the day off to celebrate." Bonnie smiled. "Isn't it wonderful how everything works out for the best?"
"Sometimes. Mom, could you watch Ruth for a couple of hours? I've got an important appointment to meet."
"Don't forget to meet us for our engagement party later this evening! I'll text you the details." Tucker called to him.
And half an hour later Ben was back at Madame Pavone's. "It's a pleasure doing business with you," she smiled smugly as she collected another two hundred dollars in cash from him.
Ben looked warily around as Madame Pavone started to work her magic. "Look, is there any way I can choose when I am going back in time? Because I do have some good ideas of how I could change things..."
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you," Madame Pavone replied with just a touch of malice. And once again, Ben found himself on a rush of strange sensory overload, even though he couldn't see anything. He was overwhelmed by the temporal vertigo. No. He was not so much overwhelmed, as it was deliberately overwhelming him. He intuited that something was clearly trying to deposit him in a ten minute period where he couldn't change anything and his effort would be useless. He remembered when he was a teenager swimming and realized that he was caught in an undertow. If he didn't break free he would drown. With the same sense of effort he struggled against the temporal vertigo. And with a sudden exertion he broke free...and found himself in his apartment.
Ben had the presence of mind to take out his cell phone and check the date. It was 2:06 in the afternoon on the last Thursday in October, ten months ago. "OK, let's think. Emma is in daycare. I'm doing some errands before going back to the bar to manage it. Riley is three and a half months pregnant with Ruth. But she's in Vancouver as part of Danny's brief attempt to join the Canucks. Vancouver is three hours behind New York which means she's probably working right now and wouldn't talk to me. And even if she did talk to me there's no way I could explain everything to her in only ten minutes. After that I'd lose my memory." He heard a noise behind him and realized that Tucker was skyping to him from Los Angeles on his laptop. He then overheard his mother. She and Brad were on their around the world cruise and they were stopping by to visit Tucker.
"Ben are you listening to me? I've got the real interesting gift for your mother. 'Interesting' is definitively the operative word. The key ingredient is marmalade!" Tucker smiled happily, unaware that Bonnie was right behind him.
Oh right, the two had been playing pranks on each other just before they left New York a couple of months earlier, which means they were still doing so now. How did that work out? "I have to save Riley. I'm just going to have to assume my mother and my best friend are not going to kill each other while I think of something." Ben paced back and forth across the floor, while Bonnie and Tucker started to argue.
"I've got it! I'll call Aunt Victoria. If I can do something now that makes her less angry ten months later, she won't walk out on the street and Riley won't be killed pushing her out of harm's way." Ben quickly called his Aunt. "Hi Aunt Victoria!"
"What do you want?' Victoria Manafort replied coldly. "I'm not lending you any money."
"This isn't about money."
"I find it hard to believe that a deadbeat like you would call me for any reason other than money."
"Actually I'm calling you because all my close friends and relatives have recently moved away."
"I thought you had a daughter. Out of wedlock."
"Yes, but I find that conversation with a three year old lacks a certain spark." Ben looked at his watch. He also looked at the laptop. Brad, for some reason, was covered in whip cream. Bonnie, for some other reason, was trying to stab Tucker with a spatula, while Tucker was defending himself with a giant pepper shaker. "Actually this isn't about me. This is about you and Mom."
"Our relationship is really none of your business."
"Mom does love you. It's important for you to know that."
"Your mother can tell me that herself. And if she does want to tell me that, she can apologize to our mother first."
"Look, I know that there is a lot of stuff between you. But let's take the worst first. Whatever she did with your husband, it's not her fault you were married to a womanizer who cheated on you for years."
"So it's all right she's married to a hot rich twit who's ten years younger than her, while I have no one? Hey is that her voice I hear?"
Ben quickly moved to the laptop, and just as Bonnie was yelling to Tucker "You're almost as irritating as my sister!" while Tucker's boss and a mariachi band entered the room, Ben muted it. "Of course not. Mom's not even in New York..."
Nearly ten minutes later Ben was concluding his chat with his aunt. "Look you're both strong determined women who would do anything to help the people they love. It also means that you can be both be incredibly stubborn and refuse to admit that you were wrong. I'm not asking that you forget all the bad things Mom has done. It's just that next time the two of you argue, you don't let Mom's obstinacy blind you to the incredible and loving woman she can be." Aunt Victoria hung up. Had he changed things? Ben looked at the laptop and switched the sound back on. Brad was still covered in whipped cream, only now there was a lot of marmalade on him as well. Something was dropping confetti in the room, and while the mariachi band was playing, Bonnie and Tucker were singing "Anything you can do I can do better." Bonnie had replaced her spatula with a polo mallet and Tucker was dressed in a bird costume. Ben decided there must be some logical reason why they were doing this, and turned off the laptop. He sighed and closed his eyes. If he had failed, he would find himself back in Madame Pavone's with only one chance left to make things right.
When he opened his eyes he found Riley sitting right by him on the couch in his apartment. It was the night she had died, except she was very much alive, dressed up in the same short skirt and black sweater. Ben couldn't believe he was so lucky, and he still couldn't believe it when Riley reached over and kissed him.
"Now that's odd," she said.
"What? What is?"
"If somebody told me that the first time Ben Wheeler had sex with me he wouldn't make a cheesy come on, I wouldn't believe it. And I definitely wouldn't believe it if I was told he wouldn't make a cheesy come on the first time we made love after giving birth to our first child."
"I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize. Actually I kind of wished this would happen the first time we started dating."
"...I mean for a moment I thought I was never going to see you again."
"Well you don't have to worry about..." but then Riley looked at Ben more closely. "When you were down at the bar ten minutes ago you were in perfect health. Now you're so pale. Almost ashen."
Ben realized he probably was, since he had just given two thirds of his life away. "Don't worry about it. All I need is a good night's sleep."
"Well I don't think that's going to happen." And she moved towards him again when Ben's phone rang. "Please don't let it be Angela. Please don't let it be Angela." Riley muttered as Ben took it.
It was Tucker. "All right. I've put your aunt in a cab and seen her off safely. Now can I please go back on my date with Vanessa?"
"Is she all right?"
"Yes. She's still mad at your mother, but other than that."
"Thanks for doing that Tucker. I just needed to be sure." Ben hung up and smiled to himself that his brief conversation with his aunt ten months ago had somehow given him the presence of mind to make sure that Tucker kept an eye on her. "OK, where were we?"
"This." And Riley embraced Ben again. "I've been waiting most of my life for this moment. It's taken so long for us to get to this point. And much of that is really my fault. But now after so many years and so many false starts I can now wait for the moment when you whisper gently into my ear..."
"Don't trust Ms. Jensen."
Riley immediately drew back. "What?"
Ben had difficulty remembering the conversation he had overheard two years ago/the day before and he knew he would have even more trouble explaining it to Riley. "I'm sorry. It's really complicated. But there is something definitely not right about her."
"I mean I've always know her to be selfish and unscrupulous. I know she cuts corners. Could she be doing something worse?" Riley reviewed a lot of transactions that she knew Ms. Jensen and Palladino had been involved in, and now that she was suspicious of them they looked a lot more sinister. Then something even more alarming occurred to her. "Do you think she might have something to do with Ross dying so suddenly? Oh my God. It's a good thing I have a weekend to think it over."
Riley took a deep breath and tried to return to her romantic mood. There certainly wasn't anything she could do about it tonight. And for the third time she embraced Ben. But before anything even mildly PG-13 could happen, Ruth started crying. Riley had brought her over from their apartment and she was lying in her crib near the door of Ben's bedroom.
"Oh for Christ's..." Riley, with a great effort of will, managed to contain her anger at being interrupted. But she was still frustrated: "Seriously it's 2017! I know You have a strict rule against pre-marital sex, but it's been months. It's been more than thirteen for Ben. If You just cut him a little slack, You won't regret it." She muttered this as she and Ben got up to look after their daughter.
Fortunately, all Ruth needed was to be changed. Once that was done she was actually happy and soon went back to sleep. As they watched over her, Ben put his hand on Riley's shoulder. Riley reached out to touch it with her hand. "Do you remember when Sam asked you whether you wanted another child with me? Have you ever thought of that?"
"You mean right this minute? Or right this minute nine months from now?"
"Well more at a time that would be convenient for both of us."
"Actually...yes. Very much so. I mean two children can be trying enough. But I would like it if I could say about a kid of mine that the reason she was here was because her parents loved each other, not because I have bad luck with condoms."
"Do you want a boy or a girl?"
"Given how hard it is to find a three bedroom in Manhattan, I'm hoping for a girl."
"Then she could grow up, and we could watch her graduate, and then graduate again from university. And we could watch her get married." Riley sighed happily. Ben smiled, only to realize that he was probably not going to see either of his daughters get married, let alone any future ones graduate high school.
He stepped away from Riley. "I'm sorry. I've been selfish, thinking only about myself. But I can change that." And with that he left Riley and went back into the night.
Act 3Tucker and Vanessa were returning from their date. "Well, if I say so myself, that was a truly remarkable date. Even more so since I had to spend most of the evening baby-sitting my best friend's mother."
"Yeah, if you say so."
"Is something wrong?" Tucker wondered as he took out his keys.
"It's the oddest feeling. Tonight was great. But I've got the weird sense of Deja vu. It's really strange because I think it's about something that is going to happen. Do you understand?"
Tucker was about to dismiss the idea out of hand, when it occurred to him that there was something to it. "I'm sure it's nothing," he said with an uneasy confidence as he opened the apartment door. The two were a little surprised to find Riley frantically pacing, or more accurately frantically tiptoeing since she didn't want to wake Ruth. "Is something wrong?" Vanessa queried.
"Me and Ben came back here. But suddenly Ben said he was being selfish and he got up and left. I couldn't follow him because I had to watch over the girls. I know Ben is going to do something desperate and dangerous and foolish, and I've got to stop him."
"Well you're not having sex with him, so how foolish could it be?" Tucker objected.
"Have you tried calling him?" Vanessa suggested.
"I'm so stupid! I shut off my phone because I didn't want us to be disturbed. And now I'm so distraught I forgot where I put it."
Tucker and Vanessa looked around and Vanessa noticed it one of the shelves near the door. "Here is it. Oh, there's a message."
Riley quickly grabbed the phone and started the message. It was Ben. "Riley this is the last time we're ever going to talk. I'm sorry and it's very complicated. But if we stayed together, the best case scenario, the very best case scenario, is that you'd be a widow before you turned fifty. It's not fair that you should lose both Wheeler brothers. So I'm going to make things right." There was a click as the message ended. Riley collapsed to her knees and almost howled: "NOOOOOO!"
"Is this making any sense?" Tucker asked.
Back at Madame Pavone's, the proprietor took her third and final installment of $200. "I can't really expect to live more than twenty years can I?" Ben wondered regretfully.
"An actuary would give you sixty years when you began this. Since you've done this twice, you now have only twenty. Give or take five years."
"I understand. Let's do this." And once again Ben felt himself facing the rush of sensory overload, the rollercoaster of temporal vertigo. But this time, he was strong enough to decide where he wanted to go. With a considerable effort, he was able to reach his destination. It was the night that Bonnie had more or less broken up her sister's marriage. But Ben wasn't here for that. He was downstairs studying trigonometry with Riley, in her fat, socially awkward phase. "In fact, there's nothing you can't do if you try hard enough."
"Riley, we need to talk." And Ben put down his math materials. "I know you have a crush on me."
"What?! That is so...what?!" Riley replied in her singularly unconvincing way. Just then the phone rang, and Ben deliberately ignored it. Looking at her, Ben noticed that while Riley could deceive herself, at some level she couldn't lie to him. He nevertheless persisted. "Riley, I know you hide it well. Very well actually. But behind all the practical jokes and bullying, you think that I could be a better person. That if I smartened up or had a little luck I could be this wonderful person that you're dreaming of. And I have to tell you that's never going to happen. The Ben who ruined your sweet sixteen party is the real Ben."
"Wait, you're sorry for that? That's so sweet of you!" And she reached out to embrace him. Ben realized this wasn't working to plan and recoiled. "Look, I'm a shallow guy! The only way I would ever love you is if you lost a hundred pounds."
"So you're saying you'd go out with me if I lost a hundred pounds."
"No! We're getting off track! You should love someone who loves you even though you're fat and unpopular! It's Danny who loves you!"
"Really?" Riley sounded skeptical.
"Look he's your closest and dearest friend!"
"Well since he's virtually my only friend, that's not quite the recommendation you think it is."
"He's also the most handsome and popular guy you know. I can tell you he's destined to have a great future in professional sports. And he's loved you every day since he met you."
"Again, really? Isn't he fooling around with Josie Feltshank right as we speak?"
"Well yes... But the point isn't that he's your best friend, so much as you're his best friend. The only reason he hasn't asked you is because he doesn't want to ruin your friendship."
"Yet again, really? That's the only reason you can think of for why Danny has made out with the entire cheerleading squad?"
"Look, guys can be very stupid about sex! You can wait five or ten years to realize that I'm never going to improve. Or you can go up to the man who's always loved you and have the perfect life you deserve. The only reason you think you're attracted to me is because everyone's belittled you for so long. So you don't think you're worthy of Danny..."
"That is not really..." But just there was a strident shout from his parent's bedroom: "BENJAMIN BRET MICHAELS WHEELER GET OVER HERE! I need you to witness what your mother has done!"
"Ben, there's no need to-wait you think I named my son after Bret Michaels? Can't you give me any credit for taste?"
"You should see what your aunt wants." Riley said.
"Look if you go to Danny tomorrow and tell him you love him, you won't regret it."
"This sounds like a prank."
"What's the worst that could happen? You talk to Danny, and if turns out that I'm lying, you'll both beat the crap out of me. But since you're both probably going to do that to me in the near future anyway, why not take the chance?"
Riley was extremely suspicious. But something in Ben's tone, plus the fact that he had guessed her feelings towards her made her reconsider. "So it's like Pascal's Wager!"
Ben struggled to figure out what Riley was talking about. He only remembered what it was exactly ten seconds after present day Riley would have gotten impatient waiting for him to recall. "Yes! Exactly! Only instead of eternal damnation, it's sex!" He walked towards the feuding sisters when he blinked-and found himself sitting back at Madame Pavone's. "That wasn't ten minutes. Wait! I'm not dead!"
"Look at your watch." Ben did so and he found himself a couple of hours earlier than when he made his third and fatal visit to Madame Pavone's. "Consider this a rounding error in your favor. You have enough time to go back to the bar and say goodbye to all your friends."
Ben got up, weaker than at any time before in his life. He almost staggered/crawled to the door, and it took some minutes for him to resume a halfway normal walking pace. But despite the vertigo and shortness of breath he managed to return to the bar. There he saw his mother and aunt arguing, while Tucker was nearby trying to avoid their conversation. Ben looked around when he heard a call.
"Ben! Good to see you bro!"
And it was Danny, alive at last, holding Riley by his side. Then Danny decided to kiss her. Ben saw the two of them embrace, and noticed the wedding rings they both wore. With considerable effort, he successfully hid his feelings as he put on a genial smile. Before he could think of what next to do with the little time he had left, someone barked at him. "Wheeler! There you are! You're supposed to be doing your job! Get behind the bar or I'll fire you!"
Wheeler quickly did so, and realized that it was Ian Hughes abusing him. So he must have bought the bar. "That means I never slept with his wife. The sacrifices I make."
CodaBen was trying to dry glasses, when Tucker sat down at the bar. "It's odd. I've got this strange sense of Deja vu. I get the sense that I proposed to Vanessa. The odd thing is that it's not something I've done but something I'm going to do, very shortly. And thinking about future events is against the whole point of Deja vu. And I got another sense of Deja vu, about this great date with Vanessa. But it's not about a date I had in the past, but the date I'm about to have later this evening. Isn't that weird?'
"Uh-huh." Ben nodded weakly. He could barely stand and felt feverish. His vision was not entirely clear and he was desperately tired. "Tucker, I don't want to be rude. But I really need to talk to Emma and Ruth."
Tucker stared oddly at Ben. "Who are you talking about?"
"My daughters!" Tucker laughed. "What's so funny?"
"Ben, you don't have any children."