3:30 PM PST
"You look wonderful, Calvin!" Lorraine gushed, and she and Marty '05 were in the kitchen. "You're going to look so great for tonight! It's quite a shame you have to leave right after the dance. You know, it rather seems like just yesterday that we were still in high school. It's amazing how much has changed since then."
"Yeah, it is amazing," Marty '05 said, smiling. "You know, I sometimes wish I could go back to being a teenager. Sometimes being an adult can really be stressful. It's ironic how, as kids, we can't wait to grow up - then, once we grow up, we began to realize just how easy kids have it. Of course, there are pros to adulthood, too."
"I know exactly what you mean," Lorraine replied. "Even though my parents were always pretty strict - well, at least my father was. George and I don't like to be as strict with our own children. There are limits that we do have to set, though."
"Yeah, I don't doubt it," Marty '05 agreed. "I remember how you told me you'd let your kids do whatever they want. I had thought the same thing too, back then. Of course, once you have kids, then reality starts to settle in. Know what I mean?"
"Well, there is certainly a middle ground you need to strive for," Lorraine was quick to comment. "I don't believe in spanking, for instance. My father would actually use the belt on us, and I really grew to be terrified of him. There was even a time when I'd hide, whenever he came home - and I'd refuse to spend time alone with him."
"So what happened?" Marty '05 asked, with curiosity. Even in the original timeline, his mother had never resorted to corporal punishment. "I just don't blame you for not wanting to spend time with him. That'd be a very scary thing to go through."
"Well, at first, he used intimidation," Lorraine replied, quietly. "He just wasn't very understanding of me. He actually scolded me for being afraid of him. Then he told me he would give me a reason to be scared of him, and he belted me for that."
"That's awful!" Marty '05 gasped, horrified. "That was mean of him to do! After all, that would not exactly do anything to make you not be scared of him. So what did you do, after he belted you? Gee, I'm so glad that he wasn't my father!"
"Well, then I ran away from home," explained Lorraine. "I ran off to a friends house, and I hid in her basement. I then wrote him a letter, stating how I wasn't planning to return home, until he would decide to stop using the belt - and I left it on the kitchen table. It actually took two weeks for my parents to find me, as I was in hiding."
"I guess you swore your friend to secrecy?" Marty '05 asked. As Lorraine nodded, he continued, "How did your parents find you? What did they say, as soon as they found you? I'm sure that your parents were worried sick about you, when they found you."
"Well, my mother immediately hugged me," Lorraine replied, "and she wept, as she kept saying how much she was really worried about me. Even though my father did agree to stop using the belt on me - he went on to say he'd no longer be my father, and that he no longer loved me. I actually told him that that was fine with me."
"Your father sounds like a real asshole," Marty '05 said, fuming. "You don't withdraw love from your child like that. I can imagine how you felt so depressed by the whole thing. I would never stop loving my children. I try to be a good father to them."
"For over the next month or so," Lorraine explained, "my father actually kept doting on Milton, and telling Milton how much he was loved. Meanwhile, I was showering my mother with affection - and I kept telling her how much I loved her and all that."
"It sounds like the two of you were trying to make each other feel jealous," Marty '05 commented. "Did that cause any problems with your parents marriage? I guess none of the other children were born, yet. I'm sure that's created tension in the family. I'm rather surprised your parents didn't decide to get a divorce, because of that."
"It did," Lorraine replied. "When my grandparents came to visit, they quite took note of how my father and I were behaving - and then they proceeded to scold both of us for behaving so childishly. Actually, my father was scolded by them a bit more. They said how I was simply a kid, so I had an excuse - but my father was the adult, so he should've known better. In short, my father and I finally decided to reconcile."
"Well, I'm glad you two worked things out," Marty '05 commented. "It's real nice that the story has a happy ending. Your father did behave quite immaturely." Just then, a doorbell could be heard. Marty '05 felt pretty nervous, as he added, "I wonder who it is. You know, I'm so excited about the party that will be taking place this evening."
As soon as Marty '05 and Lorraine headed to the door, Marty '05 could see five men standing ouside - accompanied by a teenage girl. It took a minute or two, before he realized that they were Marvin Berry and The Starlighters. He felt very nervous.
"You must be Calvin Klein," Marvin greeted, warmly, as he stuck out his hand. "You sure were a good guitarist, even though you actually did lose us towards the end of Johnny B Goode. My cousin must have really enjoyed your style, though."
"It's, uh, nice to meet you guys again, too," Marty '05 replied. "I'm sorry about how you hurt your hand. I quite feel as though it was partially my responsibility that you hurt your hand. I also apologize greatly for the way that I shocked you guys."
"Uh, that's all right," Marvin replied. "It's not your fault how you were being bullied, and I guess we really weren't ready for your style of music. We wanted my cousin, Chuck, to join us tonight - but he rather had other commitments to keep. I brought along my daughter, though. Her name is Yolanda - and she plays the guitar, too."
oooooooooo
"So you ended your relationship with Tad?" Marty '86 was asking Sabrina, as the two were in the guest bedroom with Jennifer and Haven. "So how did it work out? Had he gotten pretty angry with you? Did Doc mention the status of the time machines? How do you like the way Jennifer and I look? I can hardly wait for tonight."
"You both look wonderful," Sabrina gushed. "You look good, too, Haven! Tad actually took the news pretty well. When Ellen ended her relationship with Goldie, I decided it really was about time for me to come clean with Tad. So neither of us have any date for tonight. We can still have fun, though. The time machines are all repaired, now."
"I really feel a little sad that we have to return home, soon," Haven said, sighing. "I really will miss being able to time travel. What all did Doc say happened to the time machines? I mean, I would guess that our time machines must have collided."
"That is what happened," Sabrina explained. "Also, Marty, your time machine would have just ricochetted back to 1985 - if it didn't collide with Haven's. That sure would explain why your older self has no memory of his previous visit to this year."
"Whoa, this is heavy!" breathed Marty '86. "Well, I guess I'll explain that to my older self. It does make sense, in a strange sort of way. Well, we'd maybe better head off to the aerobics studeo, and we can meet our friends there. How's that sound?"
"You know, I do still miss the cafe," Sabrina said, sighing. "Still, I guess Lou Jr really decided that this town needed an aerobics studio. I must say that it's very great that this town has it, to be honest. I'm also glad that Goldie Wilson is the mayor, now."
oooooooooo
Marty '86 was feeling quite nervous, as he and Jennifer stepped into Lou's Aerobics Fitness Centre. He noticed that Tad and Greta were dancing together, and Goldie Jr was dancing with another black girl. Ellen was chatting with some girls.
"So, Jennifer," Marty '86 asked, huskily, "shall we dance? I guess Marvin Berry and The Starlighters are playing Night Train. That was the same song they were playing when I showed up in 1955 with Biff - and when I first showed up, for that matter."
"Scram, Berry, I'm cutting in!" called a tough-sounding female voice. Marty '86 then turned to see Rissy pushing the black girl out of the way, just as she started to drag Goldie Jr over the dance floor. This scene then looked too familiar to him.
"That's Yolanda Berry," Sabrina explained. "She and her father spent the summer in this town, and I'm become good friends with her. She's terribly shy, though. I pretty well feel bad about this. Should we maybe step in and intervene? I just can't believe that Rissy can do something so despicable! I'm telling you, she's a total bitch!"
Marty '86 was about to answer, as Yolanda pushed Rissy out of the way and crisply said, "Excuse me, miss!" As she began dancing with Goldie Jr again, he cupped her face into his hands and gave her a long and passionate kiss. Marty '86 whistled.
Just then, the guards had escorted Rissy and her gang out of the building. Marty '86 felt so relieved to know that the gang wouldn't be making any more trouble. He and Jennifer began to dance, just as he saw his older self stepping on the stage. He was stunned that the band would even want him back, after he was so wild in 1955.
"That'll be just awesome," Jennifer commented. "The two of us will be dancing, while your older up is up there, performing with The Starlighters. I don't believe you and I have ever danced to your own music before. I guess there's a first for everything."