Eleanor's P.O.V

Thursday, June 15, 1939

I woke up in my clothes from yesterday, but not in the comfort of my own bedroom. I shot up and looked around, confused before the events of yesterday started to pour back into my head. Dad ditching me for work. Riding the Ferris Wheel. Arriving in 1939. Meeting Ava. I swung my legs to the side on the bed and leaned my forehead against my hands.

I stood up and grabbed the blue dress that I bought yesterday, before changing into it. I hung up my clothing from 2016 in the wardrobe and put on a new pair of black high heels before making my way to the kitchen. There, I saw Ava making a fresh pot of coffee and the clock that hung above her read 9 am. "Hey, you're up. I was afraid I'd have to come in there and force you out of bed." Ava joked as we laughed. "Want some coffee?"

"Please," I responded as I sat down at the dining room table.

Ava soon came over with a mug of fresh coffee, a side of cream, and sugar. "Ready for your first day at work?" Ava asked and I nodded happily as I stirred the added sweeteners into the caffeinated liquid.

"Yup! I sure am," I told her as I finished making my coffee. "So, what do you have for breakfast?"

"Eggs and bacon, but if you don't want that I also have cereal," Ava answered.

"Actually, eggs and bacon would be lovely thank you," I told her and then took a sip of coffee as she walked back to the kitchen in order to start breakfast. I looked around her flat again and noticed some photos on her mantelpiece. I walked over with my coffee in hand and looked at the photos displayed in frames.

There was one of her as a little girl, with what looked like her parents, and another when she was in her teens and a few friends. The last one was of her and a guy kissing on the beach. "Who's the lucky guy?" I asked her and Ava turned to me. She saw which photo I was looking at and I watched as her cheeks colored to a light shade of pink.

"His name's Bret," she responded bashfully. I smiled as I walked over to the kitchen counter and leaned against it as she continued to make breakfast. "We've been together for around 3 years," Ava told me.

"Wow!" I said, "The only relationship I had lasted for a year."

"Have you dated anyone since?" Ava asked and I shook my head.

"Never had the time nor found a decent guy to date," I explained.

"Have faith! You'll meet one eventually." Ava said and I laughed.

"As if finding a guy was that easy!" I told her and we both ended up laughing. "So, you said Bella wouldn't be back in town for another week?"

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure she's going to Georgia with her husband," Ava said sadly.

"What makes you say that?" I asked her.

"For a while now, she's been talking about moving and her dream is to live in a small town," Ava explained. "But we've grown up together ever since we were 7, so it's just going to be weird to not have her around. I mean, she and I started this store together once we got out of high school."

"If you two are as close as you say you are, you'll find a way to keep in contact, don't worry," I told her.

"I hope you're right," Ava said and placed some eggs and bacon on a plate for me. I took it with a smile as we moved back over to the dining room table. "So, tell me about yourself. Where are you from?"

"California, but my dad-" I stopped talking for a second as I remembered my dad. What do I say? He's still in California. No, that will allow her to start bombarding me with questions about where he lives and shit. "My dad - umm," Come on, Eleanor, think. "He used to work here." Great job.

"Used to? What happened? Did his job move him somewhere?" Ava asked.

"Uh, no," I told her. "He - um - died in a car accident, a few years back, along with my mom." There, now she'll hopefully stop asking me questions about them. Ava looked at me sadly and placed her hand on top of mine affectionately.

"I'm so sorry, Eleanor," Ava said and I gave her a small stiff nod, then moved my hand away from hers. It felt strange to be called Eleanor. I was only ever called that when I was in trouble with one of my parents and I definitely didn't want her to call me Ellie. That would just remind me of the life I could never go back to.

"Nora," I said to her after we ate in awkward silence. "You can call me Nora. I'm not really used to people calling me Eleanor."

"Well, Nora," Ava said softly. "It's almost 10 am, and I have to open up the store. Come down when you've finished eating." I nodded again, and she stood up. I watched as she put her dishes in the sink and made her way down the store.

I pushed my eggs around my plate for a while before sighing as I stood up and walked over to the window behind me. I need to go and see what has changed in New York. Maybe I could do that this weekend. Hopefully, Ava would show me around. She is sweet, and I'm thankful that she is allowing me to stay with her for the time being. Although I couldn't stay here forever. I needed to find a way home if that was even possible. Maybe if I rode the Ferris Wheel again, it would take me back. It was worth a shot and if it didn't work, I guess I would have to push forward and live out life in the 1900s. Even if that meant I'd never see my parents again. Maybe I could befriend my grandpa.

I laughed at that last thought before putting the dishes away in the sink. I looked up at the clock. It was 15 minutes before 10, and I could do the dishes before I had to head downstairs. It was the least I could do for Ava since she cooked breakfast for me.

〜〜〜

After cleaning up and making my way downstairs, I saw Ava flipping the open sign over. I stood by the register as she turned around and walked closer to me. She proceeded to show me how to use the cash register and how to write up the receipt. Then, we just waited until a customer came in.

"So, random question," I laughed a bit. "Do you think you could show me around Brooklyn sometime?"

"Of course," She cheered. "I don't open on Sundays with church service and all. I could show you around after that." Great, now I have to go to church. The last time I was in a church was when I was 10 years old.

I gave her a fake smile and responded with, "That would be lovely."

"Great." She said to me, as three ladies walked into her shop. Ava and I turned towards them before Ava greeted them, "Good morning, ladies. How are you doing today?" Ava gave me a look that said she would be right back and walked over to help them.

I stayed behind the counter and gazed out the shop windows as I watched people walk up and down the streets. It felt weird to see all these people in different clothing, knowing that they had a different lifestyle than I was used to. Knowing that they didn't know the things I knew. Superheroes would exist in a year or two thanks to Captain America. The internet would make access to knowledge and communication so much easier. The actual God of fucking Mischief would try to take over Manhattan with an alien army.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by someone walking up to the counter. I gave them a smile and asked, "Would that be all ma'am?" and rang up the first three customers that had come in.

Next thing I knew, customer after customer came pouring through the shop. I quickly got the hang of being a cashier, but I've always been a fast learner. Ava and I didn't have time to chat with each other again until 4 pm. Once rush hour ended, Ava went upstairs and got us some water. As she came back down from the apartment, I brought over two stools that I found in the back and we sat down.

"Is it normally this busy?" I asked her.

"No, not really, but it's almost Friday and women tend to need new dresses for their dates over the weekend," Ava explained.

"Fair enough," I muttered. "Have you lived in Brooklyn all your life?"

"No, I used to live in Pennsylvania, but my dads' job got moved here when I turned 6 and I've been here ever since." She explained. "Look, I know I've only known you for less than a day, but would you mind watching the shop for a few hours on Saturday? It's just that, I have to go pick up my boyfriend from the train station-"

"I'd be happy to watch the shop for you." I cut her off and she gave me a hug after setting her glass down.

"Thank you," she said and pulled away from me.

"No problem."

〜〜〜

After the crowd started to slow down, a man walked up to the counter. He was about a foot taller than me and a brunet. "And what's a girl like you doing here?" He asked me. I rolled my eyes as I rang up his suit.

"Working," I answered, sharply.

"A dame like you shouldn't be working this late," He continued to flirt.

"Beats sitting around at home all alone," I replied, calmly.

"Alone?" He asked surprised. "I thought a peach-like you would've had a boyfriend."

I handed him his receipt and passed him back his suit, which was neatly put away in a shopping bag. "Last I checked, that's none of your business. Have a nice day." I replied. He gave me an unhappy look before storming out of the shop. Ugh, men. Ava walked back over to me, confused.

"What's wrong with him?" Ava asked.

"Got rejected by the cashier." I joked and she chuckled.

"Hey, I was going to order in. Want anything?" She asked and I shrugged.

"Pizza?" I asked her and she smiled, then walked upstairs to order. Maybe life here wouldn't be as bad as I thought.