Thursday, July 1st, 1982.
8:00 AM.
George McFly, already dressed in his white work shirt and tie, furiously began looking over the final notes of his reports to be turned into Biff this morning. This was something he did around once a week at least, but this time was even more important than before, due to his co-worker's upcoming possible promotion. That, combined with the family planning to leave on a short vacation for the upcoming holiday had George not really minding to do it.
Seeing a couple figures that looked questionable, the middle-aged man ran them through his calculator on the table. Just as he put the finishing touches on what he had, over time, fooled himself into thinking was a nice favor, he heard a loud kick at the door before the figure simply walked in.
"McFly, it's me," called Biff himself, not angrily but somewhat loud. "My junker won't start, so you gotta take me to work," he said, making his way over to the glass jellybean jar near the entryway, helping himself to one.
A little surprised, but now used to these often unannounced, impromptu visits, George got remotely nervous as he rose from the dinner table, adjusting his glasses. "Uh, good morning, Biff. I-I was just looking over the work you wanted me to do. I took some, some extra time with it as well," he improvised, hoping to do anything to cheer the large man up at all.
"Oh, that's good, McFly. I should hope so. Well, you doin' anything extra before we go, or are we set?" he asked, even though it was more of a command.
Just as George was about to speak a response, one of the hallway doors opened, to which Marty emerged from. The teen was just intending to grab a morning snack before heading out.
It was really unusual for him to be up this early, especially with no school, but due to his tiring day yesterday, he'd fallen asleep early. He was extremely looking forward to meeting his new, older friend again by the Burger King at noon today. It had been one of those things he literally had a hard time waiting for. Even though it was still four hours early, he figured he'd just hang around somewhere to pass the time. He could pop into 7-11 to retry his hand at Pac Man again and have a word or two with Dick; maybe the mall when they opened at 9AM. He knew he could find something to do, he always was independent that way, and didn't exactly consider hanging out at home to be very pleasurable. Especially when he saw who he was about to face.
Jesus Christ! I tried so hard to avoid him yesterday. Great, just perfect, look how far that got me. Please, a—hole, just be here and gone fast he thought, beginning to turn right, toward the living room, for the long route to the kitchen. As he walked, he managed to give Tannen, now right in front of him, an unfriendly stare.
"Cat got your tongue, butthead?" called Biff, as Marty momentarily stopped.
Feeling in a slightly better mood than usual, and not wanting to make this bozo mad, he just offered a simple, "Heya Biff. Didn't see ya," as he passed.
Hearing the man mumble something under his breath, Marty simply moved along his way as his father said, "Son, Biff and I are heading off to work at the moment. I'll be home tonight."
"Yeah, see ya dad," said Marty, not really caring to put much thought into it. Not only had he grown further apart from his parents over time, but he figured the less he said, the quicker Biff would be the h-ll out of the house. As he went about making himself some simple cereal, Biff and his father were heading out the door.
"Biff, how long do you think your car will be out of service for?" asked George as they both left through the front door.
"Depends if I need someone to look at the rotten thing. The d-mn alternator might be out again, so who knows, probably a couple days," said Biff in his typical, slightly tough yet joking drawl.
Marty could faintly hear the conversation through the screen door. Just as George went around to get in the car, he heard Biff say, "Let me drive, McFly, I wanna make a couple stops. Maybe get some early morning beer, haha."
Without offering so much as a simple question why, his father stopped and changed his direction. "Well, uh, okay, I suppose that won't be a problem," he said in his usual wimpy, slightly nasal voice, gesturing his hands somewhat awkwardly, as if he were on the verge of laughing for no reason.
Yeah, and if he asked you to go the wrong way up o one-way street, you would, right? Marty sighed a little angrily as he was pouring the milk for his Frosted Flakes, which he intended to eat fast and skip out before his mom woke up. Sometimes he even questioned himself for exuding so much energy over situations like this, knowing no amount of hoping or even talking would change the situation. His father was a total cowering wimp, enough said.
I'm never gonna be like him. Ever!
8:45 AM
Emmett Brown was looking over his continuously failing experiment: The Flux Capacitor. He didn't know what, of anything, he could possibly wire it to (and his house was a mess from trying)! He had recently even hooked up his own time circuits he had rigged up, controlled by use of an old telephone dial numbers. It took an eternity, but he had programmed every year with 4 digits (9999 B.C. to 9999 A.D.) into it, as well as the months and days. It was even complete enough to make a cool, remotely unique double beeping noise when a date was entered.
Despite all this, he began to wonder if it all was even worth it anymore. Just because it was programmed didn't mean it could work. How would he ever crisscross it to coordinate with the flux capacitor? Recently he really was having his doubts. However, given the events of yesterday and that truly eventful meeting with one Marty McFly, it was almost like he had a sudden new spark to life. He was a tiny bit nervous about where their relationship – if it even would exist at all – would go from here.
I still have a great displacement in my own feelings. I reacted too fast. You can't just offer some kid a job out of nowhere, that's an incredulously unorthodox thing to have suggested, Brown. I'll be d-mned if he doesn't now suddenly get nervous of the offer and think what some other people in town do. Although he sure seemed to want to come to work today, plus his brother appears steadfast in his own confidence it will work out.
For the time being, he was going to leave the house for awhile. Knowing him, there would still be time to get any parts of his experiments he didn't want Marty seeing, relating to the time machine, out of the way. Nothing remotely against Marty, but he wouldn't really want anyone to see anything of that nature before its completion. Heck, even he himself, a scientist open-minded to many, many things the average person would not be, would've (if he'd encountered anything that illuded to a time machine, especially before 1955) thought it was, at best, the work of a brilliant daydreamer. At worst, someone who was living dangerously too far in a fantasy world.
Just a few weeks ago, he had finally sold his '53 Packard. It was really hard for him to part with that old car he'd had for so many years, but even with his exceptional care with machinery, it was beginning to get a bit old. Since then, he'd been using his work van as a double for his own personal car. Since he owned both, that wasn't a problem, but still, it would be nice to have something to go to the store in which didn't advertise his services as if he were a pool cleaner! Even at his age, that could be slightly embarrassing if he just had to get milk or something.
Even though Dr. Brown's 24 Hour Scientific Services was basically just an all day handyman's services with things such as electronics as well, he also did extra things on the side with it. For instance, he could make a customer's TV set go louder with certain special tinkerings.
That aside, he was going to Statler Toyota in downtown Hill Valley, which also had a large selection of used vehicles. Not just Toyotas either. He had gone there last week to look over a few models. He'd already done most of the paperwork for purchasing a '74 Chrysler Lebaron with only 20,000 miles on it. The previous owner had just painted it and installed a brand new stereo system in it, along with several other fixer-uppers. What only he knew, though, was that this was going to be the vehicle he would try to install the flux capacitor and time circuits into.
Normally he'd have driven to the lot, but it was a nice day and he assumed the least he could do was get a little bit of exercise, so he decided to take the approximately 3 mile walk.
"Oh, Einy, just going out for an hour or two. I have strong anticipation of driving back here in a new car," he said, petting the collie as he barked lovingly in return. It was strangely as if he understood the words his master was speaking.
With that, the scientist was out the door in the already almost hot summer sun for the brisk walk to the other side of town. Before long, his speed picked up as he had no trouble keeping the pace up. At 62 years old, he was in very good shape for a man his age. Just from the looks of it, it would be hard to tell he was only three years away from the technical retirement age. He had the energy of a 32 year old, at least.
9:00 AM
Marty walked out of the 7-11 store near his home with his skateboard in hand, again a bit disappointed in his Pac Man score. He only got to Level 4 this time, before again getting cornered without any big blue dots left. Having been out of quarters, he left without staying long at all, especially since Dick wasn't there – who usually worked in the evening. Instead the guy on duty that morning was a rather unhappy seeming old man (old in actions, at least. But he was old both ways to Marty, possibly around 55). This was the kind of guy you almost had to wonder why they worked in customer service if they seemed to hate people; a semi paradoxical idea.
This man, in fact, was Dick Wilson's total opposite in many ways. He looked nice from the onset, but was a grump when you spoke to him on many occasions. Just a brief ten or so minutes earlier, as Marty was reloading the machine with his last quarter, Mr. Smith had come over to him to demand, "Kid, are you gonna buy something or just rot your brain on that silly machine?" The teen wondered if he'd subconsciously lost that final game on purpose as an excuse to get out of there.
He took a short hike back to Route 395. This was now a suburban, semi busy road, unlike the desolateness in this area back a mere 25 years ago. He wanted to head to the Twin Pines Mall, almost a mile and a half away but didn't want to board it in the hot sun. He waited for a while for the right car to drive by before implementing a trick he called 'car-surfing'. A ratted up Ford truck drove by heading east rather slowly, giving the young teen just enough time to grab its back bumper.
Marty had been taught how to do this a couple years ago, courtesy of some high-school guys Dave knew. It was a dangerous trick if one wasn't careful. He often worried about doing it, especially at higher speeds, and/or with any cars that might turn. The lesser worries, of course, came with being spotted by other drivers who might report it. He surely didn't want his parents to know! Though he second-guessed its safety and getting caught sometimes, he decided to stay on the vehicle. The last thing he wanted to do would be to wimp out. That would make him feel too much like his father for comfort.
Being careful yet enjoying the really quick ride, the truck breezed past JFK Drive before slowing down at a corner, where Marty cut his own speed and held on tighter, crouching down more to gain balance, as well as not be seen by the driver. He could see the right-hand orange turn signal on. He jumped off, just before the vehicle began its turn. Luckily it had been early in the morning still, so there weren't too many people out and about in this area.
After only a few minutes of regular speed skating, he made it down the entryway to the large mall. Being still only ten minutes after 9, there weren't exactly a lot of people there – most of them likely consisting of employees. He couldn't believe this place used to be a huge farm at one time. He could vaguely recall when the mall was constructed to its present form in 1973, when he was 5 years old. Even before then, though, it had been an outdoor strip mall. Whoever lived at this farm must be really old. he couldn't help but think to himself.
Because he didn't spot any kids hanging out here yet (as they often did), he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do yet, but he'd come up with something. He had quite a bit of saved up allowance money with him, as well as anything he could make by cleaning neighbors' yards and the like. He considered maybe getting some new tapes at the Musicland store, or just going to read a magazine at the bookstore. Heck, even being able to walk in the still practically empty hallways of the mall would be more fun than being at home.
9:30 AM
Doc approached the Statler dealership in the town square in a bright Hawaiian shirt, only a little bit tired out by his morning walk. He was glad to get to drive on the return trip, though. Walking through the extensive lot of cars, he could understand why this was such a happenin' place. It was Hill County's largest car dealership, and the next nearest one was in Grass Valley. Making his way past all the shiny new and used vehicles, he entered the building's double glass doors. He approached the customer service desk when he saw a woman he recognized. She had dyed blonde hair and was in her late 20's (but probably could've passed for a high school student, or at least under 21, if she really wanted to).
"Oh, hello, good morning. I remember you from last week, I believe," he offered, friendly enough.
Looking up, the young woman said happily, "Hey, Doc Brown, how are ya? You here to pick up the LeBaron?"
"Quite certainly. You know, it's going to be strange not having my old Packard anymore. I am just now beginning to wonder if selling it was the feasible choice or not," he said, recalling the conversation he'd had with her recently.
"Hey, don't worry about it. The guy who bought it seemed like a collector. I'm sure he'll take care of it. Just one minute," she said, picking up a white office phone at her desk, dialing a couple numbers. "Jim, Mr. Brown is here about the '74 Lebaron."
"Oh, thanks. But you can just call me Emmett. Mr. Brown is so formal," he replied, more comfortable now.
"OK, I prefer knowing people on a first name basis anyway." It was an early hour, so there was more than enough time for a chat. "Anyway, sounds like you had a lot of memories in that car, huh? I wish they still made cars like they did in the 50's. I mean, hey, today's stuff rocks too, but I like older cars. In fact, I like a lot of things older," she said, looking right at him.
He enjoyed talking with people, so he had no problem sharing these things. He enjoyed when anyone took an interest in him. "Well, why don't we just say it wasn't quite as memorable as it may have seemed, despite all the years of ownership it has had. In almost 30 years time, I don't believe it went more than 200 miles from this very town. Plus, it was only on occasion that people would ride in it with me, so I was, typically speaking, the vehicle's only occupant."
"Really? You mean you're not married or anything?" she asked, smiling, almost as if she knew what the answer was already. "Oh, I'm sorry, I know that's none of my business," she said, apologizing.
"Ah, not to worry, it's quite alright. It's not every day that I go into detail about my life. No, I'm afraid I've never been married. I suppose being a lifetime workaholic, especially with scientific endeavors has taken its unfortunate toll on me in a few ways. I also am a town handyman on the side."
Just at this moment, the 30-something salesman, Jim, he spoke with last time came out of a back office approaching the scientist.
"Howdy Emmett. How ya doin' this morning?"
"Pretty good. Nice seein' ya, Jim."
"Great. Hey, do you wanna take her on another test drive before she's yours? That one we we tried doin' before had to be cut short 'cause of all the rush hour traffic."
He stopped to think for a moment, scratching his head. Normally he would, but he really wanted to run a couple errands and get back in time to tidy up before Marty arrived. "Oh, I think it will be just fine in any case. I would take that into consideration if I didn't have plans soon after this."
The nice man understood. "Oh, hey, I'm with ya on how that is. Well, there's just a little more paperwork we have to do first then."
As the scientist was about to follow him over, he turned back to the woman he'd just been speaking with.
"Well, I think I'll be going, but it was nice conversing with you this morning," he said, as she seemed to agree with that. He continued, "Also, to think I can recall exact distances and things of that nature, I'll be d-mned if I haven't forgotten your name," he said, laughing a little at his own expense.
"Oh, it's Alexis, but you can just call me Alex. Hey, I forget things like that so often, so it's cool," she said. "Have a nice day Emmett."
"You too, I need to get going. Have a very nice day," he said, walking over to a table with Jim.
Within 20 minutes, his business was finished as he was given the keys to his new dark green LeBaron. He had to head to a Radio Shack, of all places, to pick up some electronic equipment he needed. What better way to break it in than to do some shopping in her? Looking around the interior again, and noticing it was in practically new shape for its age, he turned the ignition on and happily drove away.
9:45 AM
Marty sat at the food court of the mall alone, checking out a couple magazines he'd just gotten from the bookstore and finishing up his breakfast from the mall's McDonald's. It wasn't very busy in comparison to how it would typically be, but he was still surrounded by people, mostly teenagers a little older than him. Many were buddies hanging out, or couples. Marty sighed, he hated being alone in these kind of surroundings. What kinda guy do they think I am here all alone? They probably think I'm a loser, just like my old man. Sure, me and the guys coulda come here, but with the way things are goin' I'm not gonna be coming here with a girl till I'm 25.
No sooner had all those thoughts left his mind, he coincidentally turned around and recognized a familiar face heading his way, coming from the food counter.
"Yo, Marty! What's goin' on, dude?" called an acquaintance named Edward, a fellow soon-to-be high-schooler from his 8th grade class.
"Hey Ed, not much. This is the only place that's open, man, but it's too quiet around here," Marty said, gesturing around him to the tables, which were starting to be vacant again, as the older teens began walking around the rest of the mall.
"Yeah, I know. So hey, how does it feel to be free from H.V. Middle School finally?"
"If I don't see that place again until my own kids go there, I'll be happy," Marty happily declared. "But, I've heard stories about high school, and I dunno if I'm feeling too hot for that either. Especially Mr. Strickland, the vice principal. Dave graduated last year and he hates the guy. My sister does too."
"Yeah, that big baldie practically gets mad at everybody from what I hear. He calls people slackers too," his classmate said, before continuing, "Hey, do you mind if we sit here?"
"We?" Marty questioned, having been so preoccupied with thought, combined with just flat out not paying attention (probably a trait he got used to doing in boring classes at school!) he failed to notice Edward's female partner with him. "Uhh, yeah, sure, go ahead," he said, suddenly rather nervous.
"Oh, hey, sorry if I didn't say somethin' earlier, this is Claudia, we started going out a week or so ago."
Marty managed a weak, "Hey," as he introduced her back. "This is Marty from my math class. This guy has even got his own band, they're pretty knarley, I'll tell ya."
"Thanks man, I try my best, even if I can't hold a note as good as Steve Perry," said Marty, a little more comfortable now that he had a subject to talk about (one he liked, no less). He was extremely uncomfortable around girls, and this appeared to be no exception.
Just as he seemed to relax a little, his friend had to say something. "Claude, I'm gonna go call my parents, I forgot to tell 'em something. I'll be totally fast. You and Marty can talk, be back in a sec."
Claudia just said, "Yeah, okay."
No, geez, not now! This was exactly the kind of situation he dreaded. Though he was confident quite often - sometimes, even a little too much, causing him to get into trouble - he was pretty uneasy with talking to an attractive girl, not to mention alone! It's not like he was gonna try and ask her out, but it was still the general idea of it. He still decided to try his best to go along with it.
"Hey, so how long have you and Ed known each other for?" she broke the ice.
"A couple years now, since 7th grade started. Yeah, I think that's right. 7th grade," he continued, repeating himself needlessly as he slightly buried his face in his hands. Seconds seemed to pass like hours right now.
"So, you gonna be hangin' out here for awhile? We will be, this place is rad!"
Alright, calm down, McFly, just have the typical conversation you'd have if she were a guy. Just think of somethin' to say, man! Marty's nerves raced a bit, as he told the exaggerated truth. "Yeah, for awhile. I've got enough saved up to spend. Besides, anything to get away from the house. School is out, my parents are the most boring people on the face of the Earth, plus it's a million degrees out."
"I just gotta babysit some obnoxious little kids and I've got enough for a week," said Claudia. It seemed to go easier on her end of things. "By the way, everybody says that about their parents. Mine are, like, so strict with me. I'm sure yours aren't so bad. I mean, Edward's are pretty cool for their age, anyway."
Still keeping his head partly down, and/or looking not directly at her, Marty continued, "Yeah, but, but y-you don't know my parents. I, well, ya know," he elaborated, meanwhile stuttering and repeating himself again. "Mom practically still wants to hold my hand while I'm crossing the street. That's heavy."
"No offense, dude, but you are kinda short," Claudia said, giggling. Marty looked like he was devastated by that seemingly harmless comment. Luckily, for him, it had no time to continue. "Hey, I'm jokin' with ya," she said, patting him on the arm for a moment, which made him flinch, albeit forgetting the height comment for the moment. "Were you an only child or something? Maybe that's why."
It was apparent she hadn't paid attention to the boys' conversation closely enough. "I've actually got a sister and brother a few years older, so no, we've ruled that out," he said matter-of-factly. Edward, what's keepin' you? Just the h-ll off the phone, and hurry up, get back here so I can relax!
"Oh, well, what's the worst thing, the most embarrassing thing your parents ever did with you? For me, it's gotta be when my dad dropped me off at school a couple weeks ago in front of my friends. Not only did he have to make a scene out of talking to me all loud, but he had Elvis playing. I mean, that's everything short of announcing 'I'm old'! I mean, gag me."
Now that music came back into the equation, Marty suddenly had a visible change in demeanor. "Yeah, that would get to me too. My parents would do that kinda thing without even having any idea it was embarrassing to a normal person. Dad's just a little nerdy, but mom's more loud and the rule setter. Just one thing, though, Elvis rocks! Come on, I know his music is old, but that was the first rock and roll stuff out."
Sensing the change in him, Claudia observed, "Man, you're really into music, aren't ya? Okay, Elvis is kinda cool, but still, I guess it's that my parents aren't into MTV or anything new. New meaning after 1970. They don't, ya know, not like it, but I tried tellin' them it's probably gonna be huge in a year or two. Especially New Wave. I mean, I love listening to that stuff 'cause synthesizers are just so in right now, but they're not listening."
"I guess I can see that. Dad is okay with it, just unhip, but mom is one of those types that thinks rock and roll and anything else like that is harmful. It's like she's a nun."
Claudia laughed in agreement before changing the subject. "Hey, you're a funny kid. You just seem like a natural that way. So, where exactly were you going here again? Just wonderin', cause we're gonna go see E.T. It's been out a couple weeks. I haven't seen it and everybody else at school has. Edward already went to it when it came out, but he's going with me anyway, isn't that sweet?"
A funny kid? That's what I always hear, but she's my age, why am I a kid to her? Just cause I'm short, huh? Marty thought of her earlier comment. "Yeah, sure, he's a nice enough guy from what I've seen," he said with the teeniest bit of jealousy. He hoped against hope, someday he could do something that would make a girl say that about him. Before he could think any more about that, his friend returned from the phone booth.
"Hey, it's cool now, I just called home," he replied, sitting down next to his date and opposite from Marty, getting into his food for the first time. "We still got over half an hour till the movie starts at 10:25. Marty, you wanna come with us?"
Normally, he'd have agreed faster than you could say go, but today he remembered how important his meeting with Doc was. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to tell them about the sixty-something man he'd befriended the day before. Heck, he didn't even know how well received something like that would be by his best friends, The Pinheads, whom he usually referred to as 'The Guys.' Instead, he made a phony excuse up, as he often did. "Uh, yeah, geez I'd love to, but I kinda gotta be somewhere at Noon. I'm helping someone I know," he stopped mid-sentence, slowing down a bit, "err, clean up their house."
So it wasn't a total lie, but still.
"Before the Cineplex opens, we were just gonna go to Musicland. I know you've probably got some hot new stuff you wanna pick up, right," Edward teased him a little, almost thinking he had to say yes to that.
"No kidding, guys, I was goin' there anyway. Good call!"
Less than 15 minutes later, the three young teens were inside the mall's music retail store. Much in style of the times, there were records and LPs lining quite a few aisles of the somewhat large store, more towards the front. They were reducing in prices in recent history, with a large sign announcing All LPs tagged at 9.99, now reduced to 7.99. Sale through the July 4th weekend. The back walls had sales of posters and T-shirts. In the corner area to the right was a small section for 8-track tapes, a now dying format.
Marty only bought a few of those in his life, after they'd all been eaten, he decided to stick to tapes and LPs. In the row off to one side, there was also a large section of VHS tapes. Marty was the first to notice that.
"Check it out guys. Videos for only 30 bucks. Can't beat that, huh?" replied Marty in excitement. "Not that I can watch 'em on that little black and white piece of cr-p TV in my room, but still."
"I bet someday we're all gonna be laughing at those prices," came Edward's future-minded reply, as he and Claudia went straight back toward the second half of the store, where there were a few rows of cassettes, now the main listening source.
Marty said "Yeah," as he, for the meantime, looked over the rack of 45' singles near the register. Because they were only 50 cents, and he liked a lot of individual songs he didn't want to buy the full album of, he grabbed nearly a dozen before going to join his mates in the cassette section.
"So, did you guys come to get anything, or you dunno yet?" he asked them as he scanned down the A's, going in alphabetical order, as he commonly did in case something caught his eye he hadn't thought of.
"Just the new Toto album for sure," called Edward. "I would get Sammy Hagar, but I don't really got enough. Besides, I don't think any more singles are comin' off Standing Hampton, so that counts 45's out."
"Hey man, I was gonna pick that up for sure. I'll let ya borrow it in the meantime," Marty said, still half lost in thought, looking everything over like there was no tomorrow.
"Cool, dude, thanks," said his male companion, as they all continued looking around. Awhile later, as everyone had decided on what they were getting, the three teens headed to the register. Marty went first, since he was getting the most stuff. Along with the eight 45' singles he'd decided to get, he had three cassettes too, including the aforementioned Sammy Hagar one.
"Hey," amiably said the clerk behind the counter, a guy probably no less than five years older than they were, clearly someone hip with the times. He was even sporting a Flock of Seagulls type haircut and just looked like a rock fan.
"How's it goin'?" said Marty casually, as the guy began ringing up his stuff. Before long, he had a casual question. "Just wonderin', my friend here is getting Toto's IV," he said, pointing slightly behind him to Edward's direction. "What do ya think the next hit is gonna be off it? Rosanna is huge, can't top that."
"Good question, dude," the older teen said, obviously in heaven being able to talk about stuff like this at work. "They'll probably want a ballad, so maybe 'I Wont Hold You Back'. If you ask me, though, 'Africa' should be a single. I think that would rock."
Marty had a sudden realization, as if that was entirely true. "Yeah, it would. It's got a beat and you can dance to it, but being last on the album can't help."
Not long after, the threesome left the store, strolling down the huge walkway back towards the movie theatre.
"So, did you get anything, Claudia?" asked Marty.
"Oh, just the new Rick Springfield album," she said. "He's so cute. Plus, 'What Kind of Fool Am I' is such a sweet song. I can't believe it's been out two months and I haven't gotten it till now."
"Wait, so you only got an album because the guy is cute?" teased Edward.
"Like Omigod. Who's talking? Who is the one who buys every magazine the Go-Go's are in? Somebody likes Belinda Carlisle, hehehe," she teased. He brushed it off like it was nothing. Marty watched that, and knew he could never be that casual, no matter what the condition was.
"Hey guys, Rick is cool," Marty said, as he stopped to turn right, toward the exit. "Well, it's getting late. I'm outta here, guys. Enjoy the movie, again," he said, chuckling. "See y'all later."
"Bye, Marty. See ya," they both said as they went their separate ways. Looking at his watch, he noticed it was 10:30. He had spent so much time looking around in the music store that he'd lost track of time, yet again. Picking up his speed to almost a run, he dashed out the front glass doors, narrowly avoiding a guy coming in, going the opposite way.
"Excuse me. Sorry," mumbled the young teen as he darted along the sidewalk parallel to the building heading toward the nearest crosswalk. He didn't quite know why he was in such a hurry – it was still an hour and a half before he was due to meet Doc Brown – but he just had the strange feeling something else would happen and he'd end up being late. It was quite ironic to him about that very thing in life. He was seemingly late for everything. No matter how early he got prepared, something would hold him back, be it simple laziness, a change in plans or forgetting. Despite all this, Marty somehow still easily let himself get carried away and often forgot to set his alarm – earning him some not so happy teachers at school.
On this hot summer morning, the sun was now practically straight up in the sky, less than two hours before high noon. In his haste to wipe some sweat off his face, he hesitated to see a large man in time to avoid completely running into him. His reflexes were pretty quick, so he managed to at least slow down quite a bit and slide to the side, but he still rammed the man a bit. The issue of height aside, he was now still big and strong enough to hurt someone if he'd been going fast enough. Oh, sh-t! Please let this go over okay? Why do I always seem to cause these sudden accidents? "Hey. I'm really sorry. I-I didn't mean to, I shoulda been watching myself," he said in haste.
As he waited for the ball to drop, he got the biggest shock of his life. The guy not only didn't look angry (a little startled perhaps, but not mad), but he was suddenly familiar. "My God, Doc? Hey listen, I was, I was just on my way to meet you now. That's what the hurry was all over," he assured his new older friend, just to make sure.
"Not any problem, Marty. You know what that bumper sticker says: "Sh-t happens!" the white haired man offered in his loud, raspy voice, laughing aloud. "You sure were here early yourself."
Immediately relieved of his reaction, Marty continued, a little calmer now. "Yeah, I just woke up early. Well, you know, early for me, and wanted to get out of the house. I figured I'd hang out here for awhile. I ran into this guy I know from school and I got some music and a couple magazines."
"Mind if I inquire? I'd be interested in the knowledge," said Doc, much to Marty's surprise yet again. He continued, "You can show me in my new car, if you'd like a ride."
"Really? Cool. Should we get started early? I mean, it's still only about 10:30," he asked, as they walked to his newly bought LeBaron, parked on the other side of the lot. He had several habits, one of which was not to park next to other cars, if he could at all help it.
"So, when did ya pick this guy up?" questioned Marty as they began to drive off.
"Just this morning actually. This is only the second time I've driven the vehicle in all honesty. I got a good deal on it at Statler's used section. It was hard getting rid of my old Packard, though. You wouldn't believe all the years I invested into owning that baby," the scientist recalled with pride. He was still slightly regretful of selling it, but that was in the past and there was no changing that. Not yet at least.
"Yeah, I don't blame you. Too bad I didn't get a chance to see it," said the teen, as he noticed something. "Auto Reverse tape deck. Alright! This is a cool car, Doc. Most of the car tape decks I've seen are ones that you have to eject it and flip it over when one side ends."
As Doc turned left from JFK Drive onto Main (which became 395), he offered something. "The previous owner put a lot of careful detail and new features into it before parting with it apparently. If you want to play one of your new cassettes to break this puppy in, be my guest."
It was setting in how uncharacteristic of a man in his 60's this really was. He honestly had an interest not only in Marty as a person, but even cared to listen to his music. If he's making this all up to try and be my friend or whatever, he's doin' a d-mn good acting job. "Okay, you don't mind Jackson Browne, do ya?"
"Certainly not. Doesn't he sing that tune about 'Running on Empty'?"
"Hey, that's the guy!" Marty rejoiced. "This is his newest album. The one with that song was before this one," he said, as he carefully slid the white, shiny new cassette into the player. Several seconds later, the opening beat of 'Disco Apocalypse' began.
"I can't honestly say that I'm familiarized with this musical piece, but it sounds like something great to dance to."
"Down the side streets and the avenues. There be sisters walkin', two by two…"
The scientist resumed, "Normally incorrect English seems wrong to me, but I'll be d-mned if it's not more singable!" As he drive a bit, though, he was reminded of something else.
"By the way, last evening, I ran into your brother while I was getting one of my frequent meals at Burger King. I told him about our meeting and what your parents would say."
"Oh, God, I hope he didn't go tell them or something. He's usually pretty cool about that stuff, but I gotta make sure. What did he say?" he remarked with some worry.
"He simply said he felt your parents may be a little disapproving of it, but that it shouldn't be a monumental problem;. He said he would be willing to discuss it and see if he can convince your parents any differently," said Emmett, with more seriousness than he had a moment ago.
"That's great, Doc. I haven't seen him since I got in last night and he left for work. He usually gets back in the middle of the night when he works evening shifts. He musta been still asleep when I left too."
"So, I would assume that the rest of your family has no advanced knowledge of me, right?"
"No, not yet. That's what I'm really worried about. I mean, I know we met from a strange way yesterday, but thing is, it still happened. But how are my parents, mom especially, gonna react to it? I mean, with as different of an age as we are, how am I gonna convince her to let me see you, let alone help you out around your place?"
The scientist partially understood where his passenger was coming from. "I admit, I understand how tough this must be. You know, when I was about your age, my parents, especially my father, frowned upon my love for the author Jules Verne, and science in general. You should've seen their profound reactions when I told them I wanted to make my living in the scientific community. These were the days kids were expected to become doctors and lawyers, or run the family business."
Until this time, Marty had never thought about what the aging man was like at a much younger age. It was nice to hear some things about his own past, even if it was eons gone by now. "Well, you did it, right? I mean, did you get in trouble or anything? I don't know what it was like for kids back then, but I know it must've been heavy duty to blaze your own trail then, huh?"
"Without a doubt. They accepted it, but it took awhile, and my teenage years weren't the most pleasant time of my life," he recalled, a little sad.
"Sorry if I shouldn't be bringing all this up. Just wonderin' how did you get into science?"
"That's certainly alright," he reassured, before continuing. "It was when I was 11 years old in precisely the year 1931 A.D. I was younger than you are now. I used to spend a lot of time studying at school and reading whatever books they had on display there. Now, I wasn't some bookworm, but you must remember, there wasn't that much to do for kids in those days like now. My home life was not much more fun. Anyhow, I began reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the famous Jules Verne novel. I felt I could identify with Captain Nemo to a degree. Up until then, nothing had quite captured me that way. I knew science was limitless, and the advances we could make I could only dream of. I imagine you feel a similar way about your music."
The teen listened intently. This was the first time anything about science interested him that much. He knew it didn't have to consist of boring school textbooks and phrases you needed a P.H.D just to pronounce. "Yeah, that's exactly it. I still remember this teenager in the neighborhood babysitting me when I was 6. A Rolling Stones song came on, and I just thought it sounded cool. Some old lady came over and was like 'Turn that noise down!'" Marty said, doing his best to imitate a cranky old lady. "I just laughed at how annoyed she got by it."
The scientist actually laughed a bit at the mental image of that. "That's not unlike when I accidentally caused a small explosion as I attempted to build a model airplane out of explosive chemicals." Earning a laugh in return, Emmett continued, this time more seriously. "However, like I was saying yesterday, I just don't think it's a good idea to keep secrets. That's why I think your folks should know about you meeting me. Particularly if you're going to be employed by me to any degree," he declared, sympathetically, as they got beyond the outer reaches of the suburban area, nearing Lyon Estates.
Marty hung his head in shame, about to revert back to his old way of thinking that anyone over about 40 was uncool, and just didn't understand. However, he knew that wasn't true already. He just sensed it. "Yeah, I guess you're right. My house is coming up here soon. We could stop in there and see if anyone is home. I doubt they will be, though."
"That's something we could try," he said.
Less than a minute later, they made a right turn into the housing complex. Doc slowed down as he neared Marty's driveway, near the dead-end part of the street.
"Ah. Mom is home after all. I'd have thought she'd be working," said Marty, as Doc followed him from a distance behind. Even though it was his idea, he couldn't deny that he was slightly nervous about what his mother would say of their newfound and unlikely friendship. If what he heard from Marty as well as his brother, Dave, was true, this may not turn out so good.
"Maybe I should wait out here first. If I come in unannounced, that could heighten her unease," he suggested.
"Oh yeah, good idea," Marty agreed, as he went inside his house. Stopping off at his room to quickly drop off his bag of records, he made his way into the living room and noticed his mom finishing up a phone call.
"…You too, dad. Yeah, George is looking forward to the trip too. So, we'll see you tomorrow around noon. Okay, bye bye," called Lorraine Baines-McFly as she hung up gently. She leaned back, sprawled on the couch in front of the TV with a muted episode of The Price is Right on.
"Mom, hey, listen. I got something I gotta tell you. It's kind of important," said Marty, before she even had a chance to respond.
"Oh, what is it, hon?" she asked casually.
"Do you want the long version or the short version?"
"Whichever works for you, Marty."
Taking a deep breath, her son proceeded to give her a brief rundown of the previous day's events. "Look, he's right outside now. He said he wanted to meet you to discuss some stuff. I can tell him to come back another time," he finished his huge monologue with.
"I'm not too sure of this. Sure, he can come in, but I don't know if I feel right about you working for a man like that."
Without saying a word, Marty opened up the front door and lightly pushed against the screen door, holding it open for the man. "Coast is clear," he called, hoping for the best. Doc did too.