Rainy Day Secret
"Jeremy, sweetheart, tell me a secret. Tell me something you have never told anyone else not even your brothers." Candy whispers.
The young married couple are at the Bolt family home place for some afternoon romance. It is a rainy dreary day.
Jeremy snuggles closer to Candy in the bed. "A secret, huh? Well, there is something that I have never told anyone in Seattle. I'm afraid they might think I'm crazy."
"Oh, now you have to tell me!" Candy squeals with delight.
"I don't know, Candy. Even you might think I'm nuts." Jeremy smiled.
"Oh, Jeremy, I won't think you're crazy. I know you. You are very level headed. Please tell me." Candy pleaded.
"Well, okay. You know the meadow on the other side of Bridal Veil Mountain, the one Dad named after Mom, Maggie's Meadow?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, I've seen it. It's lovely." Candy replied.
"On the far side of the meadow, there is a wooded area with lots of tree tops grown together. Well, one day about six months ago, I walked through the meadow and then I kept walking through those trees in the wooded area. At the end of the trees with the tops grown together, there are two oak trees, one on either side of the path. They look like a doorway." Jeremy said.
Jeremy didn't speak for a minute.
"Please tell me, Jeremy. You know I can keep a secret." Candy said softly.
"Do you promise to believe me?" Jeremy looked at her worried. "No matter how weird it sounds?"
"Yes, darling, I promise." Candy said sweetly.
"Okay. When I walked between those two oak trees, it was like going through a door. A door like you would never imagine. Are you sure you will believe me?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, Jeremy! I will believe you. Yes, yes, yes!" Candy was exasperated.
"When I walked between those two oak trees, I went through a door into the future." Jeremy looked at Candy.
"What? I don't know what you mean, Jeremy. The future? Are you talking about next week or next month? How is that possible?" Candy was confused.
"No, not next week or next month. I'm talking about almost a hundred years from now. The last time I walked through the tree door, I went to the year, 1968." Jeremy said.
"When was the last time you went through the tree door?" Candy asked.
"Last week." Jeremy answered.
"I thought you went to Tacoma last week." Candy said.
"I did. But it was after I got back from 1968. I had to hurry to make it back home with the supplies Jason ordered." Jeremy told her.
"Well, Jeremy. What is going on in 1968?" She asked.
Jeremy laughed. "You won't believe it, sweetheart. In 1968, there is a thing called television. Almost everyone has one in their house. They watch TV shows on them. TV is short for television. Different companies make tv shows. The people on the tv shows become sort of well known because a lot of people watch the shows. If a show is well liked then the people on the show are sort of popular."
"I guess you know this because you watch one of those televisions in 1968." Candy said. Her mind was spinning.
"Well, not exactly." Jeremy grinned.
"What do you mean not exactly and why are you grinning?" Candy was suspicious.
Jeremy took a deep breath. "I know most of this because I am on one of the tv shows."
"Jeremy Bolt! I think you are making up all of this! This sounds crazy. Tell me what your tv show is about." Candy demanded.
" Sure, Candy. This is really weird. The tv show I'm on is about us. Everyone here in Seattle. I don't know how they found out about us. I didn't tell them. One day when I walked through the tree door, I walked on the set of the show. It looks just like Seattle. I thought at first that I was back in town. The different episodes of the show are about things that have happened to us. There was an episode about you and the other girls coming here from across the country. Another episode was about when I got hurt bad and Jason brought the doctor. I don't know how they know these things." Jeremy said.
"Jeremy, since you don't live in 1968, how do they make this tv show when you are not there?" Candy wondered.
Jeremy smiled. "Somehow, they found a guy who looks and sounds just like me. Except this guy doesn't stutter. He went to a doctor or someone like a doctor to learn how to stutter. I told the guy maybe I should go to that person to learn how not to stutter."
"What is your twin's name?" Candy inquired.
"I never can remember. Billy, Barney, Buddy? Sherlock, Sherwin, Sherwood?" Jeremy tried to remember. "My twin says that the time travel might effect my memory. We talked about it. He's very smart and he's a real nice guy too."
"So you told him that you go back and forth between 1871 and 1968? Candy asked.
"I had too, Candy. We ran into each other one day in the dressing room. The poor guy was so shocked to see me that he called his mom to ask if he had a twin brother she hadn't told him about. After his mom told him, he didn't have a brother, he was okay about it. He said it was kinda groovy." Jeremy smiled.
Candy and Jeremy got dressed and went into the parlor. They sat down on the sofa.
Candy held Jeremy's hand. "Jeremy, did you have an accident at work that you didn't tell me about? Have you been having headaches?"
"You think I'm crazy, don't you? You promised to believe me. I haven't hit my head recently and I haven't had any headaches. I am telling you the truth, Candy. I swear it." Jeremy looked sad.
"I believe you, Jeremy. It's just so….odd." Candy told him. She gave him a kiss on his lips.
Jeremy kissed her back. "I know it's weird, Candy. And there's more."
Candy looked alarmed. "What?"
"He sings too. He said he made some phonograph records in the past and they sold pretty well. Now, he is hoping to have what they call hit records. I told him I would help out with the records if he wants me too. He said he would think about it and let me know." Jeremy answered.
"Sweetheart, what is a phonograph record?" asked Candy.
"It's round and it has a little hole in the middle. It has songs on it. You play it on a phonograph machine or a record player and listen to the songs." Jeremy explained.
"Okay. It certainly sounds like they have a lot more entertainment in 1968 than we do now." Candy replied.
They sat quietly for awhile.
"Jeremy, how do they make the tv show when you aren't in 1968?" Candy asked.
"The other guy plays me if I'm not there. They have people playing all of us. They look just like us." Jeremy replied. "If both of us show up, I play me so he can have a day off or work on the record he is planning to make. It takes awhile to make a record. Sometimes he ask me if I can work on the tv show on certain days. If Jason can spare me at the camp, I go. If not, I stay home and work." Jeremy told her. "Candy, you asked me that question earlier. Did you ask again to see if I would give the same answer?"
"Yes, I did. I'm worried about you, darling. I know you don't lie. But, Jeremy, this sounds so far fetched. Is your twin okay with you working whenever you can?" Candy responded.
"I know it sounds like a bunch of baloney, but I promise it's true. Candy, I'm not crazy. Yes, the other guy is okay about me working whenever I can. He understands that I have a job here and it comes first." Jeremy said.
"I believe you, Jeremy. You're not planning to tell anyone else are you?"
"No, I'm not gonna tell anyone else, Candy." Jeremy reassured her.
"Will you do something for me, sweetheart?" asked Candy.
"Yes, darling. What is it?" Jeremy inquired.
"Will you go see Dr. Wright?" answered Candy.
"Candy! You said you believe me! If you believe me, why should I go see the doctor?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow.
"It is just so unbelievable, Jeremy. I mean I believe that you believe it because you don't lie. You are a terrible liar, Jeremy. I just want you to be alright." Candy tried to explain.
"Candy, I am alright. Do you want to go to 1968 with me sometime?" He asked.
Candy looked surprised. "I hadn't thought of that. Can two people go at the same time?"
"I don't know of any reason why two people couldn't time travel at the same time." Jeremy answered.
"Well, I will think about it, okay? Candy replied.
"Alright. Let's make a deal. I don't have to talk to Dr. Wright about this until after you have time traveled with me. Agreed?" asked Jeremy.
"Yes, I agree, Jeremy. Do you know when you are going back?" Candy questioned.
"I'm going back next Wednesday. They are starting the Christmas episode next week. I told Billy,Bernie,Barney that I would be there. Jason has already given me that day off." Jeremy responded.
"Jeremy, how in the world do they know about us?" Candy wondered as she walked across the room.
"As I said earlier, I don't know. Maybe the story about you and the other girls gets handed down. You know, I told you that's what the first episode was about. They had our stuttering/nail biting conversation in the show." Jeremy told her.
"My goodness. That's getting sort of personal. Jeremy, songs have names. Do tv shows have names?" Candy wanted to know.
"Sure, tv shows have names. I think the name of this show is Seattle. But, I'm not sure."Jeremy responded."Are you ready to go home, sweetheart?"
"Yes, I'm ready. Just let me get my purse from the bedroom." Candy said.
Candy went in the bedroom. She picked up her purse from the dresser. She noticed a necklace on the dresser. Candy picked up the necklace. It was not hers.
Candy carried the necklace into the parlor.
"Jeremy, who's necklace is this?" She held it up for him to see.
Jeremy walked over to Candy. "Now don't let your imagination run wild. That's mine."
"Yours? Men don't wear necklaces." Candy said skeptically.
"Now they don't. But they wear them in 1968. But these aren't called necklaces. They are called Love Beads." Jeremy explained.
Jeremy took the Love Beads from Candy. He put them over his head. "See?" He smiled.
Candy smiled back. "I guess you got those from your twin."
"Yes, he has a lot of them. I asked him about them one day. He handed me these to try on. He said I could keep them. He's a real nice guy."
"And smart too." Candy said.
"Oh, yeah. Very smart." Jeremy said.
Jeremy and Candy started walking back to town. They walked arm in arm enjoying the scenery as they went along. The rain had just ended. The sun was coming out.
As they were going into town, Jeremy looked up.
"Candy, have you ever noticed that we have the bluest sky here in Seattle?" Jeremy asked.
"Yes, I have noticed that, Jeremy. And we have the greenest hills here in Seattle too." Candy replied.
They stopped walking and shared a sweet tender kiss.
The End