'I could be better,' admitted Clara, 'but I'm a firm believer in looking on the positive side. In just a few days, our new bundle of joy will be born. I thought for sure that we wouldn't have any more children after Verne, but surprises do happen.'
'That's the spirit, Clara,' Doc said, smiling. 'Are you hungry? Do you want me to make you some more tomato soup?'
'That would be real nice, Emmett,' Clara said, managing a small smile. 'I'm almost tempted to ask Haven if we've had anymore kids after her.'
'That really would not be a good idea,' Doc insisted. 'I realize that I probably sound like a broken record by now - and I admit that I may be a bit of a hypocrite, having broken that rule a few times myself - but one really should not know too much about their own destiny. Especially if we're going to be getting visitors from the future like this. I mean, we don't want to be responsible for erasing anyone away from existence.'
'You're right, Emmett,' Clara said, smiling. 'It's better to just live for today, right?'
'Exactly,' replied Doc. 'We cannot live our lives around what might happen in the future. I mean, that is no way to live. We should plan for the future, and learn from the past - but we should live for today.'
'Anyway, Emmett,' Clara said, stretching, 'I'm going to try to catch some more sleep. I am tired.'
'Yeah, just try to relax, honey,' Doc said, softly, as he kissed Clara's forehead. 'I'll go put the soup on right now. I love you, sweetie.'
'I love you, too, Emmett,' Clara replied, as she hugged Doc.
Doc then headed off to the kitchen, to make some soup.
oooooooooo
Jennifer and Marty and in the living room with Haven, playing Super Mario Brothers on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
'Wow, Haven,' Marty said, impressed, 'I can tell you've had a lot of practice at this game. Do many of your generation play Nintendo, in the future?'
'Yeah, we still have Nintendo,' replied Haven, 'but the Nintendo Entertainment System is not as popular as it once was. We now have stuff like Nintendo 64 and Nintendo Gamecube. Some of my peers laugh at me, because I like to play old-school Nintendo. Original Super Mario Brothers will always be classic, though, I'm sure. I mean, don't get me wrong, I like the newer variations of that game - but the original one will always remain my favourite.'
'Say, did you bring any tapes back with you?' asked Jennifer. 'I'm wondering what some of the music from the future may sound like.'
'I'll go check,' replied Haven. 'There's only the three of us in this room, so it should be okay to play something from the future.'
After Haven left the room, Jennifer turned to Marty, and said, 'Isn't it amazing just how much Haven looks like Clara? If I didn't know any better, I would have thought Haven was a younger version of Clara.'
'Clara probably had longer hair,' Marty suggested, 'when she was Haven's age. People back in the Old West wore their hair long.'
'Didn't Clara come from New Jersey?' Jennifer asked, confused.
'I meant back in the late 19th Century,' Marty said, smiling. 'I guess New Jersey isn't exactly west, is it?'
'Not unless you live in Europe,' Jennifer teased. 'Yeah, it's amazing how everyone seemed so conservative a century ago.'
'I found something!' exclaimed Haven, as she walked back into the room. 'It's Fully Completely by The Tragically Hip. That album was released in 1992. They're one of my favourite bands.'
'Oh, yeah,' Marty said, smiling, 'I remember you telling me about The Tragically Hip the other day. They'll release their debut album next year, right?'
'That's correct,' Haven said, smiling. She then popped the tape into the stereo - and Courage began to play.
'Hey, it's not a bad song,' Marty said, smiling. 'So where do these guys come from?'
'They come from Kingston, Ontario,' Haven replied. 'They actually formed about three years ago, but they have yet to release an album. I think they mostly just play in bars right now. By 2004, The Tragically Hip will practically be seen as Canada's national band. They'll be associated with hockey, beavers, and maple syrup.'
'I would love to visit Canada, someday,' Jennifer said, smiling. 'It sounds like a great country, from what I've heard.'
'Yeah,' agreed Marty, 'the Canadian culture is very interesting. There's certainly a lot of great music from that country, that's for sure.'
'Yeah, Canadian music is sadly under-appreciated on this side of the border,' Haven said, shaking her head. 'I think The Barenaked Ladies are a rather overrated band. There are a lot of Canadian bands that are much better than The Barenaked Ladies. I mean, I really love Kim Mitchell and Max Webster. Kim Mitchell was a real cutie back in the '70s.'
'I totally agree with you, Haven,' Marty replied. 'Kim Mitchell doesn't get the respect that he deserves. He is one very talented musician.'
'Gowan is a great musician, too,' added Jennifer. 'I love his song, Criminal Mind.'
'Yeah, by 2004,' Haven explained, 'Gowan will have replaced Dennis DeYoung in Styx. I'd say he makes a damn fine replacement.'
'What happened to Dennis DeYoung?' asked Marty. 'Why did he leave Styx? He didn't die, did he?'
'No, he didn't die,' replied Haven. 'I really shouldn't be telling you too much about the future. Let's just say that Dennis DeYoung had a falling out with Tommy Shaw and the rest of Styx - so they're currently not getting along.'
'Well, it's a real shame to hear that,' Marty said, sadly. 'I happen to love Dennis DeYoung. It bothers me to hear other people bash him, if you know what I mean.'
'I can't say that I'm too happy about the falling out, myself,' replied Haven, 'but I guess that's just life. It would be nice, though, if one day Dennis DeYoung could bury the hatchet with Tommy Shaw and the others.'
'It would certainly be nice if they did,' said Marty. 'by the way, this is a great tape. I really do enjoy the music a lot.'
'Yeah,' agreed Jennifer, 'this is a great group. By the way, why do they call themselves The Tragically Hip? It's a rather interesting name?'
'They chose their name from a segment on Elephant Parts,' replied Haven.
'Oh, yeah, I've heard of that video,' said Marty. 'It was filmed by Michael Nesmith from The Monkees, right?'
'That is correct,' replied Haven. 'I think it's a very clever band name.'
'Yeah, I agree,' replied Marty, 'even if the terms are rather contradictory.'
'You mean, like Hill Valley?' Haven asked, laughing.
'Exactly,' Marty replied, with a smile.