Chapter 3
Almost
Gerry hurried to get the phone. Once he was in the other room, Coach turned to Kate. "Now
we're sure who you are, but there's still the question of how ya got here."
Kate broke from Coach's hold, but stayed close to him. "I don't know. I was just out boarding—"
"Boarding?"
"Skateboarding." Seeing her grandfather's blank look, Kate grumbled and searched or a way to
describe the sport. "C'mon, I know they had skateboards in the early 80's! It's like a board with
wheels and you ride on it."
Coach's eyes lit in recognition. "Yes…I know them…dangerous things."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Accidents happen. One did. I fell off right outside of this house, only it was
30 years in the future." Coach whistled, but let Kate continue. "The next thing I remember, Uncle
Ju's waking me up and it's 1981."
"Uncle?" Coach repeated with a curious tone to his voice.
Kate giggled. "He's not actually my uncle, but that's what I call all the guys from the team.
Sunshine's—" Kate didn't get to finish, for Gerry re-entered the room at that moment, his
shoulders sagging.
Coach noticed the defeat in Gerry's limbs. "What is it?"
Gerry sighed. "That was J. She has the flu. She can't come."
The color drained form Kate's face. She found herself needing to sit.
Coach rubbed his face with his hands. "Well, we can't call it quits. There'll be other times."
Gerry shook his head slowly. "I know. I'm just beginning to loose hope."
An ironic smile settled on Coach's lips. "I was too. Until hope in the flesh called me Grandpa."
Upon Coach's reference to Kate, Gerry glanced at the girl. She sat on the couch, trembling.
"Hey now, what's wrong?" he asked, moving beside her and placing an arm around her shoulders.
"That was my mom…on the phone…" Kate choked out. "But…she's not my mom yet."
Gerry gave Kate's shoulders a squeeze and was about to reply when a knock came from the door.
Coach glimpsed through the window. "And that's your father at the door."
Kate jumped up in panic. "He can't see me! The time-space continuum!" She began running
around, searching for a place to hide.
"The wha?" Gerry said, trying to calm her.
"Oooh…the movie'll come out in four years, that'll explain! Stall Dad!" she dictated to Gerry.
"Hide me!" she then yelped, addressing her grandfather. Gerry and Coach nodded. The first
wheeled out to meet Alan, while the other led Kate to a hallway closet.
"In here," he whispered. "We'll try and get your dad out of here soon as we can." With a nod of
her head, Kate pulled the closet door shut. She found a comfortable corner and settled in for the
wait. As the closet was not far from the living room, she could easily make out the conversation
unfolding.
It started off as nothing ordinary. The three caught up on each other's lives, discussed football, the
usual. Kate found herself drifting off to sleep. About half an hour later, she was startled awake by
an angry voice. "I should just throw those old pictures away!"
Kate tried not to gasp. The voice belonged to her father. She listened intently. Coach was talking
now.
"Why would you do something like that, Alan? Are you sure you're just not jumping to
conclusions?"
"Jumping to conclusions?" Alan was up and pacing now, his voice a near-shout. "It's been how
many years Coach, how many years? Jumping to conclusions is something you do quickly. This
isn't quickly." He ran a hand through his hair. "She's throwing away 18 years of our lives."
Gerry wheeled next to Alan and eyed him. "She's throwing away?"
A pained expression was on Alan's face. He flopped down wearily onto the sofa. "No. We both
are." He rubbed his red face with his hands, and his voice wavered a little. "But I don't know how
to fix it. I don't even know if I can fix it. Sometimes I'm so mad I just want to start screaming and
never stop, and other times…other times…I don't even know what I feel."
Back in the closet, Kate buried her face in a jacket. She couldn't let them hear her cry. The results
would be disastrous. Yet, she couldn't hold back the sobs. Sure, she knew about the fight (her
parents did talk of it, though not often). She'd even heard her parents fight before. But nothing
could prepare her for the degree of anger, then defeat and pain in her father's voice.
Kate didn't know how much longer she was in that closet. Finally, the door opened and light
shone through. "All clear…" Coach took one look at Kate's tearstained face and knelt down at her
side. "What's the matter, sweetie?"
"Dad…he's so…I never…" Kate hiccupped. Coach's face softened and he wiped the tears off
Kate's cheeks. "I know. It bothers the rest of us, too. We just can't give up hope. Your parents
were too close once to not speak to each other for the rest of their lives." He hugged Kate.
"Besides, you're all the proof we need. It may seem impossible right now, but they're going to get
back together. How else could you exist, and be here with us, if they're not?"
Kate bit her lip. Coach's words made sense. If only he knew the other reason why she was upset.
But she couldn't tell him, couldn't tell anyone. Coach sensed that something was still wrong, but
he figured that she'd been through enough that day. She needed something familiar. "Hey…how
about you come home with me tonight, huh? You can sleep in your dad's old room."
Kate nodded and gave her grandfather a watery smile. Little did he know (yet) that that room was
where she always slept when she was over Coach's.
Coach grinned at her warmly. "Alright. Good, let's go home."
Almost
Gerry hurried to get the phone. Once he was in the other room, Coach turned to Kate. "Now
we're sure who you are, but there's still the question of how ya got here."
Kate broke from Coach's hold, but stayed close to him. "I don't know. I was just out boarding—"
"Boarding?"
"Skateboarding." Seeing her grandfather's blank look, Kate grumbled and searched or a way to
describe the sport. "C'mon, I know they had skateboards in the early 80's! It's like a board with
wheels and you ride on it."
Coach's eyes lit in recognition. "Yes…I know them…dangerous things."
Kate rolled her eyes. "Accidents happen. One did. I fell off right outside of this house, only it was
30 years in the future." Coach whistled, but let Kate continue. "The next thing I remember, Uncle
Ju's waking me up and it's 1981."
"Uncle?" Coach repeated with a curious tone to his voice.
Kate giggled. "He's not actually my uncle, but that's what I call all the guys from the team.
Sunshine's—" Kate didn't get to finish, for Gerry re-entered the room at that moment, his
shoulders sagging.
Coach noticed the defeat in Gerry's limbs. "What is it?"
Gerry sighed. "That was J. She has the flu. She can't come."
The color drained form Kate's face. She found herself needing to sit.
Coach rubbed his face with his hands. "Well, we can't call it quits. There'll be other times."
Gerry shook his head slowly. "I know. I'm just beginning to loose hope."
An ironic smile settled on Coach's lips. "I was too. Until hope in the flesh called me Grandpa."
Upon Coach's reference to Kate, Gerry glanced at the girl. She sat on the couch, trembling.
"Hey now, what's wrong?" he asked, moving beside her and placing an arm around her shoulders.
"That was my mom…on the phone…" Kate choked out. "But…she's not my mom yet."
Gerry gave Kate's shoulders a squeeze and was about to reply when a knock came from the door.
Coach glimpsed through the window. "And that's your father at the door."
Kate jumped up in panic. "He can't see me! The time-space continuum!" She began running
around, searching for a place to hide.
"The wha?" Gerry said, trying to calm her.
"Oooh…the movie'll come out in four years, that'll explain! Stall Dad!" she dictated to Gerry.
"Hide me!" she then yelped, addressing her grandfather. Gerry and Coach nodded. The first
wheeled out to meet Alan, while the other led Kate to a hallway closet.
"In here," he whispered. "We'll try and get your dad out of here soon as we can." With a nod of
her head, Kate pulled the closet door shut. She found a comfortable corner and settled in for the
wait. As the closet was not far from the living room, she could easily make out the conversation
unfolding.
It started off as nothing ordinary. The three caught up on each other's lives, discussed football, the
usual. Kate found herself drifting off to sleep. About half an hour later, she was startled awake by
an angry voice. "I should just throw those old pictures away!"
Kate tried not to gasp. The voice belonged to her father. She listened intently. Coach was talking
now.
"Why would you do something like that, Alan? Are you sure you're just not jumping to
conclusions?"
"Jumping to conclusions?" Alan was up and pacing now, his voice a near-shout. "It's been how
many years Coach, how many years? Jumping to conclusions is something you do quickly. This
isn't quickly." He ran a hand through his hair. "She's throwing away 18 years of our lives."
Gerry wheeled next to Alan and eyed him. "She's throwing away?"
A pained expression was on Alan's face. He flopped down wearily onto the sofa. "No. We both
are." He rubbed his red face with his hands, and his voice wavered a little. "But I don't know how
to fix it. I don't even know if I can fix it. Sometimes I'm so mad I just want to start screaming and
never stop, and other times…other times…I don't even know what I feel."
Back in the closet, Kate buried her face in a jacket. She couldn't let them hear her cry. The results
would be disastrous. Yet, she couldn't hold back the sobs. Sure, she knew about the fight (her
parents did talk of it, though not often). She'd even heard her parents fight before. But nothing
could prepare her for the degree of anger, then defeat and pain in her father's voice.
Kate didn't know how much longer she was in that closet. Finally, the door opened and light
shone through. "All clear…" Coach took one look at Kate's tearstained face and knelt down at her
side. "What's the matter, sweetie?"
"Dad…he's so…I never…" Kate hiccupped. Coach's face softened and he wiped the tears off
Kate's cheeks. "I know. It bothers the rest of us, too. We just can't give up hope. Your parents
were too close once to not speak to each other for the rest of their lives." He hugged Kate.
"Besides, you're all the proof we need. It may seem impossible right now, but they're going to get
back together. How else could you exist, and be here with us, if they're not?"
Kate bit her lip. Coach's words made sense. If only he knew the other reason why she was upset.
But she couldn't tell him, couldn't tell anyone. Coach sensed that something was still wrong, but
he figured that she'd been through enough that day. She needed something familiar. "Hey…how
about you come home with me tonight, huh? You can sleep in your dad's old room."
Kate nodded and gave her grandfather a watery smile. Little did he know (yet) that that room was
where she always slept when she was over Coach's.
Coach grinned at her warmly. "Alright. Good, let's go home."