Penny and Amy arrived in London. It was the middle of February, cold, wet and damp. The chill caught them by surprise. They were not dressed for the weather; they hailed and jumped into a black cab which took them to their hotel. After unpacking and catching a few hours sleep, due to jet lag, they met at the hotel bar to plan the next move.
"How was your room?" Amy asked.
"It's excellent, huge and a great view of the city of London." Penny beamed.
"Good for you, mine is just a small room with a single bed. You are so lucky, Penny," Amy said with a touch of sarcasm.
"I'm, and it has a Jacuzzi tub and a king size bed." Penny squealed.
Amy just rolled her eyes in envy. When they arrived at the hotel, it had been overbooked, and Penny's room given away, there were no rooms available until the next day, so as a kind will gesture, Penny was upgraded to the only room left, the honeymoon suite at no extra cost.
"It's only for one night, shame Leonard is not here, we could have had a great time in the jacuzzi rubbing bath oil all over each other's bodies." Penny said with a smirking grin.
"Too much information, So have you got the address.?" Amy changed the subject.
"Yes, no, I mean I have it, but I don't know," Penny sighed.
"Have you got it or not?" Amy asked.
"It's back in my room." Penny sighed again.
"It's no good there Penny. Do you want to do this or not?"
"Amy, I don't know, what if they reject me." Penny now wasn't sure if she wanted to go through with it, she zoned out as Amy began to speak. Penny was excited about taking this journey and interacting with this parallel family. Penny had positive thoughts all the way to London, excited about meeting them, but now she was here, she wasn't so sure. As panic set in, Penny felt sick but controlled her emotions. She heard Amy say.
"It will be fine; they don't know about you, all they know is their Penny is dead. If you don't do this, you might regret it for the rest of your life." Amy reminded her.
"I'm not sure about this Amy," Penny said as she played with her fingers.
"At least go to the address, we could park opposite the house, When they come out, then make your mind up if you want to meet them or not," Amy tried to use another angle to get through to Penny.
"I don't know if that is a good idea Amy, I mean, I'm still mad at Leonard for keeping this from me, but now it makes sense that he was trying to protect me," Penny grumbled.
"Do you also think Leonard might be trying to shelter this family from the reaction they would have, to knowing about you?" Amy asked
"Yeah, I guess, but no harm was going to come out of him telling me. Why did he keep it from me, did Leonard think it was best for me not to know. I'm so confused right now." Penny said.
"I am sure he meant well, but he had no right keeping what he knew from you. If you feel it wouldn't hurt anyone, then meet them and be honest with them. Otherwise, you will always live with the burden on your mind." Amy paused to look at Penny; her lips were trembling, and her hands were shaking, exposing Penny's fears. "Remember Penny; It can also affect yours, their present and future, whatever decision you conclude. Sometimes we tend to hide things because of the fear factor," Amy advised.
Penny broke down. "My present and future are with Leonard I think. But does he feel the same, I may seem carefree and put on a smile, but it's all false, it is just my way of coping." Penny began to cry.
Amy put her arms around Penny trying to assure her that everything will be okay and to follow her heart. She told Penny she was here for her and not to be upset with Leonard as he was just looking out for her and didn't want to see her hurt.
Speaking to Amy made Penny understand her emotions and feelings. Penny held a photograph of her with her family tightly to her chest. She looked at the photo as memories came flooding back, she remembered the good times, the happy holidays, birthdays and being there for each other. It was all too much, "Actually I'm not ready for this." Penny stormed off.
"Can I help you," Leonard said. He looked at the 6-foot frame of a man standing before him. He was probably in his mid, late forties. The pretty lady next to him was shorter and perhaps in her early forties.
"Hi my name is Wyatt, and this is my wife, Susan. My son Randall and daughter Sophia."
"Wait a minute are you Penny's parents, I mean the Penny that passed." Leonard stammered
"Yes we are, we are here because we have information that she might be alive," Susan said.
Leonard could see where Penny got her beauty. "I'm sorry I don't know what you are talking about." Leonard lied.
"Penny was spotted with you a few months ago at an Italian restaurant a few blocks away. Here is a picture that was taken of you two dining there." Wyatt handed Leonard the photo.
Leonard looked at the photo; he remembered the evening, it was when he and Penny came to his world for the first time. Jack, who was their waiter, took a picture of them because he thought they were so cute together. "How did you get this and how did you find me?"
"The restaurant delivers to your apartment. One of Penny's friends worked at the restaurant, she gave us your address. On the evening you visited she was on the day shift so missed your visit. The next day she saw the picture on the restaurant wall and nearly had a heart attack. The owner insisted the photo was taken the day before and also the date was printed on the back. A guy called, I think Jack who worked there confirmed he took a picture of the cute couple." Wyatt said.
Leonard thought it was rude to keep them standing outside, so he invited them in. "Please sit down."
"We came to pick up Penny's stuff to take home and was told about you, Penny's friend visited your apartment several times, but it seems you left town," Wyatt said.
"Is she here Randall asked. Leonard looked at Penny's brother. He looked a little younger than Penny with long blond hair and a little taller. "No, She is away on urgent personal business," Leonard replied.
"So she is alive, where is Penny now, and are you guys dating.?" Sophia asked.
Leonard blushed and ignored the dating question. Penny's older sister was pretty; he had heard a lot about her. Leonard didn't know what to do or say. How was he going to tell them that the Penny they are looking for is not their Penny, and she is from another world? They probably wouldn't believe him. "It's complicated." Leonard finally said.
Leonard came back from the kitchen, tray in hand containing fresh coffee and orange juice for his guests. He put the tray on the coffee table and gathered up the letters and documents and put them in his desk drawer. The family helped themselves to the beverage and sat patiently.
"I'm afraid you have the wrong end of the stick. Penny, I mean this Penny is not the same Penny you know." Leonard said
"I don't understand," Wyatt said. The others were nodding in agreement.
Leonard didn't know how to break the news to them. He also didn't want to lie to them. "This Penny is not from this world. She is from a different world, to be exact a parallel universe, an exact copy of this universe but with different realities and outcomes," Leonard explained that the cosmos contains an infinite number of parallel universes which, contain an infinite number of realities. Leonard hoped he was making sense.
"So what you are saying is that Penny is from a different universe and survived in that timeline," Randall asked.
"Yes, I traveled to her universe on a top-secret mission and met Penny, her family were killed in an asteroid attack, but she survived," Leonard looked away.
"This is fascinating if true. Is our, I mean this Penny, is she okay." Sophia asked.
"She is fine but has been going through a lot lately," Leonard said sadly.
"I have heard of parallel universes, but I thought it was just science fiction and there are no facts to it. It is hard to believe that there are copies of us and different realities that exist in multiverses." Randall said.
"They do exist; I built the first device that could transport humans from one universe to another. These realms sit side by side in higher dimensions that our senses are incapable of perceiving directly. Each alternate universe carries its own different version of reality." Leonard added.
"So basically there are there, but we can't see them. That's why there is one where Penny died and another she survived." Wyatt said.
Leonard nodded. "Our universe is just one of an endless string of realities. The possibilities are endless."
They sat there in shock they couldn't believe what Leonard was telling them he tried to convinced them that it was the truth but they just thought he was hiding Penny from them and somehow faked Penny's death. There was silence as they took the info in. Leonard looked at each of them and their expressions. He could see the disappointment, ambiguous grief, the feelings of despair, sadness, anger, and guilt, creating an atmosphere of confusion and astonishment. Leonard could tell that they probably thought his story was extraordinary and maybe a figment of his imagination. Leonard could see that they loved their Penny and she still is the person they remembered; he could feel the suffering and the pain from their loss that he may or may not fully understand. Leonard tried to be kind and courteous and answer their questions as truthful and best as possible. Leonard knew he was breaking protocols by giving out official information, but they deserve to know the truth for Penny's sake.
"So where is Penny now?" Susan asked as she swipes a tear.
Leonard went to the desk drawer and retrieved the note Penny left him. "She went to London to find you guys." Leonard handed the note to Susan.
Penny sat on the large king size bed in her hotel room, she looked at the family photo again, and at the mini bar, she helped herself to two little bottles of Courvoisier brandy which she drank in record time. Penny felt sadness as well as anger and a range of other emotions. She loved her family and did not want to forget the old memories; she felt guilty as her feelings were becoming complicated. The family in this world must also be grieving, was she doing the right thing, was she betraying her old memories for new ones, if she met them, will the old memories eventually fade. Penny did not know the answers to these questions. Penny knew her family was physically with her, but psychologically they were gone. Penny wanted the pain to go away, she wanted her life back and her family. So what do I do about it? She asked herself. Why do I continue to put myself through this pain? Penny felt lonely and isolated in this big city. She wished Leonard was here to hold her and everything will be alright. Penny missed him terribly, he always knew how to comfort and ease her pain. Penny knew all she had to do was call him. Penny curled in her large bed alone, and for the first time since meeting Leonard, Penny couldn't reach out and touch him. The emptiness she felt of losing her loved ones was probably what was pushing her towards Leonard and seeking out a new family. This isn't fair. She didn't want to be a burden on the family of this world. Penny had made up her mind. She decided to leave things as they were. They didn't need the shock or the confusion of a Penny been alive, let them get on with their lives knowing their sibling is gone forever. Penny decided to go back to her world and get on with her life too, with or without Leonard. She cared about him but knew he would have to give up everything to be with her. Tomorrow she was going to tell Amy her decision, they were meant to stay for a week in London, but Penny knew the longer she stayed, the more the motivation to reconnect would be for her.