Night of 18 to 19 April 1912

New York

We left the hotel at about 1 a.m. George was with us. New York slowed down, but didn't fall asleep. The trams went to the depot, cars stopped running, horse-drawn carts occasionally passed. A lot of illuminated advertisements were lit up.

Stacks of yesterday's unsold newspapers were strewn near the Times Square subway station; the wind was blowing rubbish along the empty lanes. The homeless were huddled up against the walls. This city had everything except comfort. For all its dynamic modernity, I would not want to live here. Changeable like a woman in search of a profitable husband. No matter what Sinatra and Alicia Keys sang.

The lampposts on the sidewalks were in the classic Victorian style with swirls. Lanterns were used to illuminate the roadway on thin tall poles with a grape-bunch-like end hanging down. There was no single standard regulating the design of pillars. Each street could be different. The stinking breath of the 21st century with a unified stamping of the same type will not come here soon. And thanks God.

We decided to take a walk to Lower Manhattan. My new acquaintances thought that I should definitely see the famous Trinity Church, Clock Tower Building and admire the view of the Statue of Liberty from the embankment. As if I had never seen this statue.

Rose walked a little ahead, arm in arm with George, who constantly amused her. She is strange. Invited me to hang out, and now ignoring me.

Dawn we met on the Brooklyn Bridge. Rose was no longer taking her eyes off the dentist, and I knew I was losing. A middle-class single dad just doesn't stand a chance against a wealthy American with the face of a model. He personified the quote "The world is mine", I am everyday life sprinkled with coal dust.

I wanted to watch the sunrise from above. Took off my jacket. Now nothing hindered movement. Keeping my balance carefully, I walked along the narrow steel beams that hung across the roadway to a web of steel cables.

I would not have injured myself (the beams hung low), but I could have broken my arms or legs.

Taking a deep breath, climbed onto the ropes. It's a bit high, of course. Everyone looked at me with bated breath. The vestibular apparatus, which I inherited from Henry Wilde, did not disappoint. The height didn't bother me. I never felt dizzy, because Chief Officer was trained to climb at high altitude from the age of seventeen, starting work at sea on a sailing ship.

The rise could be reduced to five minutes if I were a little more sober. Firmly clinging to the railing that led to the top of the arch of the bridge, I calmly went up and up. Step by step, the distance to the arch was reduced. The wind whistled in my ears. The height was dizzying. But the dangerous climb was worth it.

Having reached the end, I stepped confidently to the top of the Brooklyn Bridge. The first rays of the sun lit up Manhattan. Everything was in full view: the dome of the Singer Building, the Woolworth Building, a square municipal building with a triple spire, the piers of steamship companies, the Manhattan Bridge and the wide Hudson River.

A new day of a new life filled with sunshine.

When the sun finally rose, Mark cryptically spoke to all of us:

"Would you like to see one interesting thing? George, you will be especially interested. This has never happened in your life, and probably won't."

"Sounds intriguing. Of course, I want to see." George smiled modestly.

I got out of the taxi with a bottle of whiskey in my hand. Arriving at the Mark's mansion on 5th Avenue, we were all very drunk and sang Lady Gaga's song "Bad Romance" in chorus. George also sang with us, although he didn't know the words.

Mark and Alex took us to the yard. In the depths of the luxurious estate there were several garages. In two garages were parked quite ordinary cars for the beginning of the 20th century. When Alex opened the third one, George and I were both jaw-dropped. In front of our eyes was a white Lexus LX produced in 2011.

"Omg, can't believe it…" I was shocked.

"Yeah, Yeah, Henry. It's future" Mark smiled.

"W-o-o-w" George also was surprised by vehicle from the future. For him Lexus was like The Death Star from "Star Wars" for us.

"Wanna test it, George?" Alex asked.

"Definitely, Alex. I have never seen anything like this"

"Welcome to the future, my friend" Alex smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly what I mean. Future."

George got into the car. He ran his hands over the dashboard, took hold of the wheel, looked up at the car roof.

"Amazing! Where did you get such beauty? I have never seen such perfect cars for sale." Zane Sr. asked

"And you won't see, George. It's from the future, like all of us."

I didn't know why Alex told George everything. Probably because he looked like his distant descendant Billy Zane and was a part of our home.

Alex and Mark wanted to take this car with them to Europe. If George and I knew how transporting this car would end up for us, we would have destroyed it right there.