August 28, 1977
"Take care, Jason," says Lucinda Treborn.
"I will, Mom," replies Jason Treborn.
He watches as his parents leave the dorm room. He lies down on the solitary bed. This is his first night living away from his parents. He had brought a suitcase full of clothes with him, currently sitting on the floor. The dorm room is small, with only two beds- the other bed belonging to a roommate, Charles Heppleman.
He turns on a Magnavox television, which he had purchased with money he won betting on sporting events. He sees an image, in color.
He smiles. He can get used to this. It is a lot better than watching the black-and-white Philco back home. He wonders if Scott had felt the same way when he had moved away from his parents.
No, he thinks. Scott was awakened at 5 A.M. every day by some loudmouth sergeant.
"You okay in there?" asks a female voice.
Jason looks and sees a woman with long brown hair, appearing to be no older than her early twenties. He had met her a few hours ago, when he first arrived in the dorm room; she is the resident advisor.
"Fine, Andrea," he says. "I'm just settling in."
"I know what it's like," replies Andrea. "First moving away from home. What's your name again?"
"Jason."
"Nice to meet you, Jason."
"What's your major?"
"Biology. I want to be a nurse."
"Awesome," replies Jason. "You're gonna take care of the bedpans and shit?"
"Hopefully not too often. Well, I have other business to attend to."
"See you later."
After Andrea leaves, Jason takes a Polaroid camera and points the lens at himself.
Here's to my first semester of college.
He presses the button.
Oooooooooooooooo
October 16, 1977
The rat-tat-tat sound fills the room as Jason types away on the Smith-Corona typewriter. The hammers hit the ink ribbon, printing a letter on a piece of white paper.
Damn, I've got to get this in by Tuesday.
Looking at what he had typed so far, he notices a misspelled word.
Shit! I have to type the whole page all over again!
Jason trashes the paper, throwing it into a wastebasket that is nearly full.
"Still typing away?" asks one of the students who lives in a room next door.
"I just wish there was a way to catch mistakes before they end up on paper," replies Jason.
The semester is looking to be real tough.
Oooooooooooooooooooo
December 15, 1977
Thank God it's over.
Jason turns in his last final examination, leaving the lecture hall to be greeted by the cold air of upstate New York. He can feel the cold even while wearing a heavy coat, as almost everyone else is. Condensation is visible as he exhales.
After having to go to classes four days a week, some of them in the morning, and all the additional time for studying for papers and tests, he is finally done for this semester.
Checking his watch, it is 4:15, and it is getting dark. Some of the students are going back to their homes too study for examinations on Friday.
Walking along the concrete pathways of the college campus, Jason walks down exterior concrete stairs into the student union. Dozens of the university's students gather here to celebrate the end of the fall semester.
Already there is a party in the union's common areas. A couple of the older students purchase beer from a bar, while others stand on the floor or sit on couches. A couple of people play pool at a pool table. A Sony color television displays moving images. The song "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry blares from stereo speakers installed in the ceilings.
"Jason," says one of the boys, wearing a sweatshirt and a coat tied around his waist. "How was your final?"
"I did fine, I think," replies Jason. "I spent nights in the library doing research and shit."
"Well, friend, I am glad it is o- ver. At least I can put this bullshit away for a couple of weeks."
"Yeah, I only have to worry about working at that pizza place." Jason walks over to a white top counter, ordering a Coca-cola.
"Hi there," says a female voice.
Jason turns and sees Andrea. "How was finals?" he asks, sipping the Coke.
"You know, tests, term papers, that kind of shit. Glad it's over. Where are you going for the holidays?"
"California. My parents and I are gonna visit my brother and his wife there."
"Where in California do they live?" asks Andrea, lining up to order a beer, with a colored strip of paper around her wrist.
"Tustin. It's near L.A., I think."
"Pennsylvania, for me. About thirty miles from Pittsburgh. Got to leave Sunday. A couple of friends and me are gonna go down to New York City tonight."
"I've been there." Jason recalls going to New York City for a weekend with some classmates. "A lot more expensive there than around here."
"Yeah, you can't find a beer for a buck down there. So, you having dinner at the dining hall?"
"Might as well."
"See you there."
Jason sits at one of the couches, finishing his Coke just as the song "Best of My Love" by the Emotions plays. He looks at her for a few seconds before turning his attention elsewhere.
Gotta keep my options open.
Oooooooooooooooooo
December 22, 1977
Jason sits in his bedroom at his family's home in Connecticut. Darkness is on the other side of the window, even though it is only 5:15. He, his parents, and his sister Meaghan are scheduled to leave for a flight to California early tomorrow morning. Already his clothes are packed in suitcases.
He reads over the business section of the newspaper that contains stock quotes, as well as a note about the results of the 1977 World Series between the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Looking through the photo album, he sees a photograph of his high school graduation seven months before. He walks over to the window, feeling the freezing cold of the glass.
He looks at the picture again, noting the brightness.
At least it will be a lot warmer, he thinks before flashing back.
Ooooooooooooooooo
February 6, 1978
Retrieving his mail from the university housing office, Jason walks back to his dorm room, looking through his mail. He sets aside the typical junk mail sent by merchants. "Hotel California" by the Eagles plays on a General Electric radio.
He opens his mail from his broker, summarizing the value of his investments as of January 31, 1978. He grins at the amount he had made.
I sure am getting somewhere, he thinks. He had just visited his broker to make some investments, after receiving a note from the future. He wonders how much more money he can make.
Maybe I can buy my parents a color TV for next Christmas, with a VCR to come with it.
Jason picks up the telephone and dials a number.
Oooooooooooooooooo
March 18, 1978
Jason sits down at the dining hall with his tray, having gotten some scrambled eggs, bacon, a bagel with Philadelphia cream cheese, and a glass of Minute Maid orange juice.
He had been up last night partying at the dorms with a couple of dormmates; one of them had snuck in a huge keg of beer. They watched the film Star Wars, which had been released in theaters last year and is available on Betamax home video. The resident advisor had gone off on her own with a few of her friends. Jason can feel residual feelings from last night.
The eighteen-year-old briefly ponders what to do today. He could put on sweats and play basketball at the university's basketball courts. There is one fellow who is on the school's basketball team.
"Morning, Jason," says one of the girls living in the dorm.
"What's up?" he asks.
He looks at her face and her eyes. Something is seriously wrong.
He puts down his fork, feeling as if his heart sank. There is an eerie, empty silence in his mind.
All of those feelings come about upon hearing two words.
Andrea's dead.