Monday, September 29, 2008

Chapter 17


"Jon, no. Letting Richie take Romeo is not going to solve anything. In fact, I think it will just prolong whatever fantasy he is having about this 'daddy'. We need to solve this here at home and by ourselves."

Dot was adamant. She firmly believed that allowing Romeo to go would just be feeding into his 'problem' and it would just be counterproductive.

Jon followed her up the stairs trying to reason with her, but to no avail.

"I said no and that's final. We can't be relying on others to solve our problems for us. We don't even know if this is a problem. Even the doctor said that it's nothing unusual."

"Dot, there's no harm in letting Rich take him for one night. Maybe he thinks Rich has got someone with him and when he's see that it's not true, he might just drop it."

She glared at him as she opened the door to their son's room to find Richie standing there with Romeo's little backpack in one arm and Romeo in his other.

"Richie, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't think it's a good idea. I mean, it could have a reverse effect on him."

She took Romeo from him and put him back down on the bed. "Sweetheart, you need to stay home with Mommy and Daddy, okay? You can tell us about this 'daddy'."

Richie knew he had to think fast but his mind was a total blank. He hadn't anticipated this and was at a loss as to what to do next. He looked over at Jon and when all he got was a shrug from his friend, he thought he was beaten.

That's when they heard it.

It started out as a low moan which quickly grew into a high ear piercing shrill. Romeo had decided that he needed to take over the situation.

He fell backward on the bed kicking at the covers and screaming, "I wanna go with Uncle Mookie! I wanna go, I wanna go, I wanna go!" He raised up and threw himself back down on the bed several times, dislodging the pillows and the bed covers.

He then started throwing some more pillows around the room. Tears streamed down his little face, which was turning redder by the second.

"Romeo! Stop! You need to stop, honey." Dot tried to pick up the toddler in her arms to hug him to her.

He resisted every attempt by his mother to hold him, squirming wildly while kicking and screaming.

Finally, she was just too exhausted. Trying to calm him was impossible and Dot relented.

"Okay, buddy. Calm down, baby. You can go with Uncle Mookie, but just for tonight, okay? I want you back here by lunchtime tomorrow."

When Romeo's tantrum had subsided enough, he sniffed, "okay, Mommy," and he reached out to Richie again.

Following Jon and Dot down the stairs, Richie managed to whisper into Romeo's ear. "A little over dramatic, don't you think?"

**Well, it got the job done, didn't it?**

*****

The ride to the hotel didn't garner any more clues for Richie as he had hoped it would. He had tried to ask Romeo how he knew about his 'daddy' and what was so important, but the toddler basically ignored the questions, choosing instead to point out the different landmarks along the way.

This game of 'hide and seek' was getting to be a bit frustrating for Richie and he tried to make Romeo pay attention to his questioning. "Look, I need some answers. This whole thing is totally bizarre. How did you know your dad came here from the past, huh?" Getting no response, Richie bent lower to be at eye level with the toddler. "Romeo, I know you can hear me in there."

**So can the cab driver, Uncle Richie.**

Quickly sitting upright, Richie saw the driver eyeing him suspiciously through the rear view mirror and grinned sheepishly. "Uh, we're just playing a game."

The rest of the ride was spent in relative silence.

*****

The cab dropped them off in front of the hotel and Richie realized that Romeo had fallen asleep and carried the toddler up to his suite. Just great. We finally manage to get him here and he's sleeping.

He need not have worried, though, for as soon as he opened the door to his hotel room, the toddler was alert. Richie could see the flicker returning to his eyes as he scanned the suite and saw Jon lying lazily on the couch watching a movie.

"Hey, you came back pretty quick, Rich. I thought you were going to go over some of....." Jon bolted from the couch when he saw who Richie had in his arms.

"What the he...." Jon gaped. "Rich, don't tell me you just took that kid? Are you crazy?"

"Calm down. Jon and Dot both agreed that he could come and stay the night. Well, it took a little convincing, right buddy?" Richie smiled at Romeo, putting him down.

"But, but, bu.......why'd you bring him here?" Jon stared down at the child.

"Look, man. You're the one that wanted to come here to be closer to him. Now you are. So talk to him."

Jon gulped and rubbed his sweaty hands on his jeans before sitting back down. It was true that he felt he needed to be closer to Romeo but he had not anticipated being this close. Or this soon. He had not even thought about what he would say to him if they had come face to face.

"Hey there, Romeo," he began nervously. Shit! Why an I being nervous? He's just a little kid.

"Uh, I'm Jon. We met back in your dad's office remember?" He knew this was pretty lame judging by the look on Richie's face, but he had nothing else.

**Dad! We have no time for this. We need to talk.**

Jon jumped out of his chair. Like Richie, he got the same eerie feeling when he heard Romeo 'speak'.

**Please, Dad. This is exhausting and I don't know if I can hold on much longer. You need to listen to me.**

Jon took several deep breaths trying to calm himself. Feeling the initial shock recede, he sat back down on the couch. "Okay, Romeo. What is it that you need to tell me?"

"Oooh, chocolate cake! That's my favorite, Daddy. Can I have some?" Romeo ran over to the table where Jon's dessert sat untouched and licked his lips.

"Whaa.....?" Jon was dumbfounded.

"I think he 'left' for a while," Richie tried to explain.

"He? Who's 'he'? And he 'left'? What the hell are you talking about, Rich?"

"Jon.....language," Richie warned, nodding his head towards the toddler.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sorry." Jon walked over to where Romeo was eyeing the piece of cake and lifted him up onto the seat. He stuffed a napkin into the front of his shirt and gave him a clean fork. "Go for it, kid."

Jon and Richie sat down on the couch and just watched Romeo eating his chocolate cake. "I hope all that sugar is not going have him bouncing off the walls."

"We need him stay awake as long as possible, Rich. Tomorrow is Saturday. He can sleep in as long as he wants."

"I need to take him back home by lunch. When 'he' comes back, you'd better ask him all the right questions so that he can help you."

**That's not why I came here, Uncle Richie. Actually, I need Dad's help.**


Sunday, September 28, 2008

Chapter 16


Richie glanced up and down the hallway before he stopped and stared at the toddler. "Did I just hear what I thought I heard?"

**You did. Uncle Richie, I can't stay long, it's too tiring. Please, can you find a way to take me to my father?**

"How? Jon--your dad--is not going to just let me take you back to the hotel with me. He'll get suspicious."

**I don't know. But you have to think of something, it's urgent. Please.**

Richie stood there bewildered by what just happened. It was shocking enough when he had first heard Romeo over the phone, but somehow the distance and not seeing the source of the voice, put a cushion of disbelief around the incident. But this was real. Romeo was standing right in front of him pleading him to take him to see Jon.

**Uncle Richie? I can't stay.....I have to go. Please, think of something.**

He looked at the little boy and as he did, he saw something. Something in his eyes. It was a flicker of knowledge that slowly seemed to dim. It didn't completely disappear, but it was not as bright as when Romeo was 'talking' to him.

That was when he made up his mind. No matter how silly he felt or how crazy he thought this was, he would help Romeo. There was no use in rationalizing what was happening. All he needed to know was that it was and somehow Romeo was the key to helping Jon. But helping Jon to do what? Get back to his own time? Or something more compelling? He would never know unless he could get Romeo to wherever he needed to go, and that was to see his 'daddy'.

He picked up the toddler in his arms and headed back out towards the family room. "I'll think of something, little guy. But you need to help me, okay?"

Romeo nodded his understanding.

*****

Jon was watching The Phantom Menace when there was a knock at the door. Opening it, he stepped aside to let the young waitress roll in the cart laden with food. He noticed her trim yet curvaceous figure and something stirred inside him.

"Would you like to me set this up here in the dining area or out on the terrace, sir?"

Her golden brown hair was tied neatly in a low ponytail. When she looked up at him, he noticed her deep blue eyes, much like his own. As she looked at him, her dimpled smile faded and she brought her hands up to her mouth to cover a gasp.

"Oh! You look just like Jon Bon Jovi!"

Even though he knew the reaction she would have, it still flustered Jon and he had to fight to keep his composure and try to remember the line he was supposed to use. But before he could say anything, she spoke up again.

"But of course you couldn't be. You do look just like him when he was younger, though." Her logic suddenly was clouded as she looked at the bill she brought for him to sign. "You're staying here with Richie Sambora?"

Jon spoke for the first time since she came into the room. "Uh, yeah. Well, I'm an actor and I'm thinking of trying out for a part to play Jon when he was younger."

"They're going to make a movie of them?"

Shit! He was painting himself into a corner.

"Uh, no real plans yet. I just heard they might make a documentary or something. When Richie met me, he invited me to tag along for a while to get a feel of how the band works." There. Something plausible.

"Well, if you're serious about getting the part, you might want to think about getting your tattoos done, don't you think?" She walked up to stand in front of him and ran her hands across his shoulders and down the side of his arms. Her hands lingered over the spot where the tattoos would have been. Looking up into his eyes, she whispered, "I think tattoos are so sexy."

"What kinds of tattoos?"

She looked at him in surprise. "Are you kidding me? You want to play Jon Bon Jovi and you don't even know what kind of tattoos he has?"

Jon felt a bit chagrined and made a guess. "Well, I've been thinking about getting a Superman logo for a while. What do you think...er, Kristen," he ventured, reading her name off the tag she wore.

"Yeah, that's a start. Don't forget. You...he...didn't get the steer head one till a couple of years later."

"Steer head?" Jon made a mental note of that.

"Hey, how come you know so much about Bon Jovi? Aren't you a little young?"

"You're never too young to love Bon Jovi," she laughed. "Actually my mother is a big fan. I started looking through all her stuff and just fell in love with young Jon. I always wished I could go back in time so I could meet him. I guess meeting you is the next best thing."

Jon smiled. She was pretty, she was friendly and easy to talk to. He was also feeling lonely and a bit depressed. Richie was not taking this whole thing as seriously as Jon wanted him to. What if he can never go back? What if then, the only companion he would have is Richie?

"What time do you get off work, Kristen?"

"I have to work until two in the morning, but I'm free after that," she smiled up coyly at him.

"Call me when you're done?" he asked, signing the tab.

She winked at him and rolled the empty cart out the door and closed it behind her.

*****

Jon and Richie left the rest of the family midway through the movie and was in the studio going over a few of their new songs.

"What did Romeo want, Rich?"

This was the second time Richie almost dropped the guitar in Jon's studio.

"What do you mean?"

"Stop fucking with me, Sambora. I saw you talking to Romeo in the hallway."

Richie figured this would be as good a time as any so he put the guitar down and faced Jon.

"He was asking me to take him to see 'daddy'. I asked him what he meant, but he just kept asking to see him," he lied.

"What do you think it all means, Rich?" Jon's frustration was returning and could clearly see that there was no end in sight.

Richie sighed, "I don't know, Jon. But why don't you let me take him to the hotel for an overnight stay? Whoever he thinks is there, whatever he thinks is happening might just solve itself if he came with me."

"You're going to take my son?"

"Jon, don't you trust me with your kids?"

"Of course, I do. But this is just bizarre. I mean.....I don't know what I mean, Rich."

"Look, I can't promise that this will solve anything. But if that's what he's asking me to do, then I don't see any harm in letting him spend a night with me. Although, it's entirely up to you."

Jon drank his coffee and mulled over what Richie said for a good ten minutes before he spoke again.

"Fine. I'll go talk to Dot. Why don't you go and help him pack a few things."


Richie climbed up the stairs and knocked softly on Romeo's door. He opened it slowly and walked in to find the toddler packed and ready, sitting on the bed waiting for him.

**Thanks, Uncle Richie. I knew you would come through for me.**



Saturday, September 27, 2008

Chapter 15


The check-in process had gone without a hitch this time. Richie had just chucked it off to this being California and nothing was considered strange anymore, although they did get a few second looks.

Settling into spacious first class seats, Richie leaned back ready for a good long nap when Jon spoke up.

"Rich?"

"Yeah?"

"Tell me Schwarzenegger isn't the Governor. That's messed up."

Richie laughed. "It's not any weirder than Reagan being the President, you know."

"But Arnold was The Terminator."

Richie debated over this for a few seconds before he succumbed to the little devil on his shoulder. "Yeah, it's true. But people now see that it's a bit of a problem, though."

"Yeah? Why's that?"

"They can't seem to stop him from running around the state blasting away illegally parked cars."

"Fuck you, Sambora."


Richie was assured an undisturbed snooze for the rest of the flight.

*****

Checking in at the Four Seasons proved to be just as uneventful as the flight. The staff knew Richie and was discreet enough not to ask questions about his 'guest'. It was not the kind of guest that they may have had in mind, of course, but Richie didn't feel the need to clarify--besides, what could he tell them? The two of them even declined a porter's service since they only had their carry on bags.

Up in the luxurious suite, Jon wandered around transfixed by the elegant surroundings. Richie, having stayed here many times, was used to all the amenities but it was the first time for Jon.

"Wow."

Richie just stood by and watched Jon's reaction to all this.

"Do we really make that much money that you're able to afford staying in a place like this?"

"Yeah, thanks to you."

"Me?" Jon was a bit surprised.

"Yes, you were the one that held us together. Even after you fire....." Richie stopped, not knowing what kind of effect telling him about Doc's eminent departure would have on young Jon.

Jon stared at him. "I fired Doc? Why? I can't do anything without him. What happens to the band after that?"

Richie walked over and put his hand on Jon's shoulder. "Look, I told you. You kept us together. And you did it for all these years. I'm not going into detail, here, but just know that everything works out in the end, okay?"

Everything works out in the end. Jon hoped Richie was right.

"Listen, I'm going to shower and then head up to Jon's...your...well, I'm going to head up to the Jersey house. Jon's expecting me."

"What about me?"

"I don't want you stepping a foot out of this room. There's a TV to keep you occupied and you can order up some room service. Just sign the tab. It'll be fine."

Richie felt some trepidation about leaving Jon on his own and warned him, again, before heading out. "Remember, stay in the room."

*****

"Uncle Mookie coming, Daddy?"

"Yes, sport. He'll be here soon."

"Yay! But what about daddy?"

Sighing, Jon crouched down to meet his son's gaze. "No, I don't think 'daddy' is coming with him. Why don't you ask Uncle Mookie about him when he gets here?"

"Okay," Romeo agreed though he looked a little dejected, then ran back up to his room.


It was just past seven when Richie arrived at the house. Greeting Jon and Dot, he walked into the family room where Stephanie and two of her brothers were watching a movie.

"So, where's the little one?"

"He's up in his room. He was asking about 'daddy', again. I don't know, Rich. The doctor says it's nothing to worry about, but I just can't help it. It doesn't sound normal to me."

"Well, maybe it's not really 'daddy' he's asking for. Could be his pet name for something. Or maybe the name sounds like daddy," Richie offered lamely. He knew very well that Romeo meant exactly what he was saying.

"Yeah, maybe. Anyway, you must be hungry. Come on, let's have dinner then we can go over the songs, again."

*****

Jon looked through the entrees on the room service menu. He was a bit miffed at Richie's orders to stay in the room but he knew he had no other choice. He had very little money to do anything else.

He made his selection and decided to go the whole shebang and ordered a salad, soup and dessert. He also ordered wine to go with the meal but was a bit flummoxed when they asked him for his choice. "Uh, just bring whatever goes with my order." In his later years, he would become a bit of a connoisseur of wine, but he didn't know that yet.

He showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and no shirt. Settling himself on a big couch, he flipped through the channels looking for good movie or something interesting to watch. He found himself watching an entertainment news clip of an environmental project endorsed by several celebrities. His attention grew when they showed who was heading that project. It was himself.

*****

Dinner was loud and lively as usual at the Bongiovi house. The kids regarded Richie as family and he felt the same about them. He had been there since the day they were born and they could not think of him as anything else. They were his niece and nephews as far as he was concerned. His questions to them were fielded the same as if they had come from their parents for the most part, but the younger ones were very excited to tell him all about their day in school.

Jon kept his attention on his youngest to see if he would ask Richie about 'daddy', but he never did. This was both puzzling and frustrating for Jon. He felt as if he was the butt of some joke that these two were playing on him.

After the dinner, they decided on a movie and moved to the family room with their coffee and cookies.

Richie excused himself to go to the bathroom and when he came out, Romeo was standing right outside waiting for him.

**Uncle Richie, I really need to speak to my father. Will you take me to him?**



Sunday, September 14, 2008

Chapter 14


Richie was right about the funeral. Dozens of Jon's old classmates have come to pay their last respects.

As they watched from the safety of the car, Jon was amazed at the sheer number of people that have gathered for this old curmudgeon. "She must have written a lot of letters," he mused, to no one in particular. And touched a lot of hearts.

Jon had asked Richie to go in and offer their condolences to the family, and Richie had agreed even though he felt uncomfortable about it. He didn't know them and was sure that some of Jon's classmates would recognize him. Deep down, he was also not ready to face another funeral so soon.

"You're the friend of that young man that came to see mother the other day, aren't you?" Janet greeted Richie and thanked him for coming.

"Yes, he had been called away on an urgent business," Richie said, ignoring the stares from some of the mourners. "He asked me to come in his stead."

"Mother was quite fond of him, you know. Could you please tell Mr. Bongiovi thank you for the beautiful flowers when you see him again?"

"I will," he lied. He knew he couldn't do that, of course, for Jon would ask him what he was doing there.

"You're Richie Sambora, right?" Richie turned to find a couple with a young boy in tow. "The name's Sandeman, my wife and I went to school with Jon. How's he doing?"

"Uh, he's fine..." Richie knew this couldn't be good. "Were you friends with Jon?"

"Naw, we hung out in different crowds. Besides, we hardly saw him in school. It's just that, well, there's no one in our class who doesn't know who he is now."

"Yeah, I guess." Richie breathed a sigh of relief.



They stood at the grave site long after the crowd had left, looking down upon the flowers and wreaths that covered it.

Jon crouched down, resting his arms on his knees, "I was just getting to know you, Mrs. Ferguson."
What is the key ingredient?

*****


"Jon, if Richie is coming back tomorrow, I'll ask Grace to get his room ready. Do you know what time he'll be arriving?"

"No, but he said that he's going to be staying in a hotel."

"Why? He always stays here or at Joan's."

"I don't know. He said there's some things he needed to do. I'll bet he's bringing whoever his latest fling is and doesn't want to hear any shit from us."

Dorothea chuckled and shook her head but Jon was troubled about Richie's secrecy. There was something going on and the meaning of it was always just beyond his grasp. It frustrated him to no end, this feeling of confusion and adding to it the knowledge that his best friend was keeping something from him. It also didn't help that his son was starting to behave more and more strangely.

"Uncle Mookie and daddy coming back!" Romeo was excited.

This statement had Jon concerned. He had never mentioned that to his son and wondered how he knew this. "He probably just overheard you on the phone," Dot had suggested.

They had made an appointment with Dr. Rothschild for the following morning. Jon will have to remember to tell her about this. He hoped that the doctor would have some answers for them because Romeo was taking this imaginary friend thing a bit too far for his liking.

Unable to let it wash, he picked up the phone and dialed.

"Rich? Did you tell Romeo that you were coming here tomorrow?"

"I told him that we'd...er, I'd come back but I didn't say when," he replied hoping that Jon didn't catch that slip of tongue.

Jon did, but decided to not mention it. For now.

"How did he know that you're coming back tomorrow, then?"

"I don't know, Jon. Lucky guess? He's your son, ask him."

Jon was disconcerted by this. Richie was right, of course, but it didn't make him feel any better when he realized that he really didn't know his son.

"Look Jon, I'll come over as soon as I'm settled into the hotel and we'll talk, okay?"

"Yeah, fine."

*****

Jon was packing for the trip back to Jersey when Richie came in.

"Hey, did Romeo call you, again?"

"No."

"Then how did he know we were going back tomorrow?"

Jon considered this for a moment. "He knows a lot of things, Rich. Probably more than you and me."


*****

"I really don't think you have anything to worry about, Mr. and Mrs. Bongiovi." Dr. Rothschild looked through her patient's file and motioned them to sit down.

"Children his age have vivid imaginations. How vivid depends on each child, of course. How are his eating and sleeping habits?"

Noting that everything else about him was fine, Dr. Rothschild addressed them, again. "If you are concerned, I can recommend a child psychologist, but I would wait and see if any other incidents arise."

"You see, Mr. and Mrs. Bongiovi, more than sixty percent of young children create imaginary friends. And unless this interferes with their daily activities, it should not be a reason for concern. Studies have shown that children do understand that their imaginary friends are not real."

But I bet they don't call their friend 'daddy' and phone them long distance.

Agreeing to monitor their son, they left for home, both not quite convinced but desperately wanting to believe the doctor.

*****

Upon returning home, Romeo had disappeared into his room and Dot into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

They had spent the afternoon treating Romeo to a small shopping spree after lunch and was ready for a quiet evening.

Jon flipped through the channels and finding nothing worth watching on a Friday evening, decided to go up and see if could spend some time with his son. He was starting to feel a bit guilty about spending so much time away from his family with all the projects he had going. Maybe that's why Romeo is creating an imaginary 'daddy'. Damn! I'm so fucking stupid. Why didn't I see this before?

He found him in his room, quietly concentrating on a piece of paper he was folding. When he saw his dad, he quickly hid the paper in his pants pocket.

"Hey, whachya doing, son?"

"Nothing."

"Folding paper, again? You must really like origami."

"Okay." If you say so.


*****


Saturday, September 6, 2008

Chapter 13


Richie and Jon sat in stunned silence. There was no way they could have anticipated something like this. Of course, when Richie told Jon that there would be a call from Romeo later that day, neither knew what to expect.

"Did you hear that?" Richie mouthed the words to Jon.

Jon's look of fear mixed with astonishment answered his question.

"Rich? Are you there? What's going on, man?"

"Uh, yeah, Jon. I'm still here." Richie snapped out of his reverie long enough to pick up the phone again. "So, what did Romeo want to talk to me about? I asked him how his first day of school was, but he didn't say anything," he asked, quickly regaining his composure.

"I don't know, Rich," sighed Jon, "he was bugging me to call his 'daddy' but when I handed him the phone, he didn't say a word. I guess it's some weird version of the imaginary friend, I suppose."

"Yeah, I guess."

"When are you coming back? We're not finished with the song, you know."

"Not sure. Maybe in a day or so. I'll call you."

"Okay, see you," then having a second thought he added, "I hope you don't bring back whatever it is you have."

"Wha...what do you mean by that?" Richie looked over to where Jon was sitting.

Laughing, Jon explained, "I don't know. It just seems like whenever you're near, I get these weird headaches and I'm starting to get one now." Hanging up the phone and went to find Romeo for his bath and bedtime.

Having confirmation from Jon that Romeo did not speak was not really a comforting thought. He looked at Jon, still sitting with a dazed look on his face.

"Did you hear that?" he asked, again, this time out loud.

Jon nodded, unable to form a coherent thought, his mind repeating his future son's words.

It wasn't so much as what they heard, but it was the way they heard it that shocked them. They heard him in their heads.

*****

Tucking his son in bed, Jon sat down and gently stroked his hair. "Hey, buddy, I'm your daddy, you know that, right?"

Romeo looked up at his father and nodded. "I know, Daddy. I love you."

Jon reached down and hugged him, placing a kiss on his little forehead. "I love you, too, son. So, who did you call at Uncle Mookie's house?"

"I call daddy."

Sighing, Jon decided that it was not worth the frustration and just played along with it. "Yeah? And what did you say to him?"

"I told him not to go home, yet."

"Really? And what did he say?"

"He said okay."

"Hmmm...and do you think he will listen to you?"

"Have to." And with that, Romeo turned to his side and closed his eyes.

*****

"Rich, we have to go back."

"Back? Back where?"

"To Jersey. We need to be closer to Romeo."

"Oh no, Jon. We're not going to risk that. We just can't. You know what almost happened the last time." Richie was adamant about keeping the two Jons apart. "Besides, Jon already suspects something is going on."

"But Romeo knew it was me then, Rich. And he knows now. I'm sure he knows something about about what is happening. Didn't you hear what he said?"

"I heard him ask to speak to you, that's all."

He stared at Richie. "Didn't you hear him ask me not to go back? That there was something he needed to tell me?"

"No."

Jon thought about this for a moment. "See? That proves it. There has to be some kind of connection for us to be able to hear him. We have to go back. We can go after Thursday."

"Why Thursday?"

"That's Mrs. Ferguson's funeral. I thought maybe we should attend since..."

"No! You're not going. What if some of your old classmates came and they saw you? They would recognize you right away."

"Rich, she was 'old bat Ferguson'. Who would come to her funeral anyway?"

"Maybe the ones who got her letters."

*****

"Jon, I'm starting to get a little worried about Romeo."

Dot had just returned from dropping the kids off at school after another hectic morning, and Romeo had asked if he could call his 'daddy' tonight, again.

"It's probably just a phase, Dot. You always say that about Steph and Jess, don't you?"

"That's not the same, Jon. What they're going through is a phase. You and I both went through that. Don't you remember?"

Jon couldn't deny that, but he didn't want to let on that he, too, was a bit worried. "I bet it's one of those imaginary friend things some kids go through."

"Those kids don't call their imaginary friends long distance."

Letting out a breath, he took her into his arms and hugged her close. "Look, if it will make you feel any better, why don't we go and talk to Dr. Rothschild and see what she has to say about that?"

Dot nodded, "okay, but if she recommends that we take him to a child psychologist, I don't want to hear any protests out of you. Agreed?"

"Agreed," he answered rather reluctantly. "Now, why don't we go upstairs and see if I can't work on those tense muscles of yours and get you to relax?" he waggled his brows at her.

"Jon!"

"What? The kids are at school and it's Grace's day off. It's just you and me, babe."

*****

Waking up nearly in the afternoon, after a restless night, Richie found Jon sitting outside on the patio sipping a Coke and gazing, unseeing, out towards the pool.

"Hey, what's going on in your mind?"

"Huh? No, just thinking."

"About what?"

"A lot of things. I've been here almost a week. When I first learned that I ended up twenty years in the future, I thought I would see people traveling to the moon for their vacation or something, you know?" Jon was absent-mindedly toying with his can of soda. "Then I see that things haven't changed all that much. Except you're old.....older," he smirked.

Richie chuckled at that and sat down beside him. "Yeah, well a lot of things have changed, Jon. They're just not so outright obvious."

"I guess. That lawnmower thing was a pretty good idea, though."

"Lawnmower thing?"

"Yeah, you know, at the park. Those people riding lawnmowers."

Richie bit back a laugh, trying to decide whether to tell him the truth or not. "Yeah, the government's gotta get some credit sometime." Jon's gonna kill me.....if he remembers.

"Is that all you're thinking about?" Richie knew there was something more.

"Romeo asked me not to go back yet."

"You already told me that. What else did he say?"

"That he couldn't stay very long, but that he needed to tell me something."

"And?"

"And he asked me again, if I would stay."

"Why didn't you answer him? You didn't say anything."

"I did. I said okay."

"I didn't hear you."

"I said okay."



Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Chapter 12


Jon sat in his office reading and re-reading the letter.

What does she mean 'it was nice to sit and chat with you'? I don't remember even seeing her after graduation. Did I? And what about 'maybe not now, but in later years'?

He sat mulling over her words, staring at the letter. What had bothered him the most, however, was the writing on the envelope and at the bottom of the page. The handwriting looked like his own, but how could that be?

His eyes traveled around the surface of his large mahogany desk. He prided in the fact that he knew where everything was, even though it may look like a paper jungle to anyone else. 'Organized chaos' was what he called it. When his eyes came to rest upon one of his folders, he noticed that some of the papers were sticking out from the file.

Who was touching my 'Katrina" folder?

The strange sensation started again. The letter, the missing contents, her words and most of all, the handwriting. He recognized the sensation.

An urgency.

Picking up the phone, he dialed.

"Rich?"

*****

Morning was not a good time for Richie. Especially not before most of it had passed.

"Jon, this better be good."

"Rich, what the fuck is going on?"

Oh, this was good, alright. In fact, it was so good that it had Richie jumping up and walking aimlessly around in a circle before settling back on his bed.

"Wha.....what do you mean?"

"I got a mail today with Mrs. Ferguson's letter in it. It also had a newspaper clipping of her obituary."

Richie could feel his stomach starting to twist into a painful cramp. I'm gonna kill...

"Rich? You there?"

He had to think fast. "Who's Mrs. Ferguson?"

"Rich, the postmark was from California. The envelope was written in my handwriting. Now, I'm going to ask you one more time, what the fuck is going on?"

"What the fuck makes you think I had anything to do with it, Jon? I don't know any Mrs. Ferguson. And besides, I'm not the only person who lives in California, you know."

Jon ignored him. "The letter says something about a formula. Do you know anything about that?"

"No. Look Jon, it could be one of your stalker fans playing with you. I told you, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine." Jon was not convinced but he decided to let it go for now.

"By the way, are you going be home later tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Because Romeo wants to speak to his 'daddy'."

*****

"Get up, you little prick! What the hell did you do?"

Richie threw open the covers and dragged a half asleep Jon out of bed. Pushing him against a wall, he held him by his throat with one hand while pointing at him angrily with the other.

"Did you send that letter to Jersey?"

Jon's silence was answer enough for him.

"That's it, buddy. I've had it with you. You're on your own."

With that, he stormed out of Jon's bedroom, slamming the door for extra emphasis.

*****

Jon found Richie in the kitchen drinking his coffee and flipping through the day's newspaper.

"Rich...I..."

Richie ignored him.

Sighing, Jon helped himself to a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"I had to do it, Rich."

More silence ensued before Richie finally asked, "why?"

"Because he needed to see."

"What do you mean 'he'? You're him. Wouldn't you already know this?"

"He...I...lose that part of myself over the years."

"How would you know?

"I just feel it."

When Richie looked at Jon, he saw an understanding there that was indeed missing in the other. What it was, exactly, he didn't know, only that it was there.

"Rich, I can't do this by myself. I'm trying not to piss you off but there are some things I have to...need to do. Don't walk out on me now. Please."

Richie was quiet for a long time weighing the consequences. "Okay. But you're taking responsibility for whatever happens."

When he saw Jon's relieved grin, he added, "And I'm taking credit if things go right."


*****

"Hey, buddy, how was school today? I told you you would have fun, didn't I?"

"Look at what I draw, Daddy!"

"That's really good, son! Is that an airplane?"

Romeo scowled and snatched the paper back from his father. "No! That's a dog!"

Jon winced at his faux pas. When in doubt, always wait until they tell you what it is.

The hours leading up to dinner switched between Romeo's request to call 'daddy' and his demand to watch Aladdin, again.

This constant shift of attention had Jon wondering if Romeo was just going through some weird phase. He had never experienced this with any of the other kids and he was starting wonder if it was because they never went through it, or because he was hardly around to witness it.

Dinner was a lively affair as usual, with the younger kids retelling their day and the older ones' alternating replies of "nothing" and "I don't know" in answer to their parents' questions.

When his siblings finally went to their rooms to finish their homework, Romeo, again, asked to call his 'daddy'.

Dot had heard this for the first time and was rather bewildered by his request. "What is he talking about, Jon?"

Jon just shrugged. "I caught him calling Rich the other day. He said he was talking to 'daddy'. I don't know what's going through his mind, but he won't let up."

"So you're going to let him call?"

"Yeah, what harm could it do? Besides, I'm curious to see what happens."

Romeo followed his father into the office. Jon dialed Richie's number and waited. "Hey, Rich. I've got Romeo here."

He handed the phone to his toddler and sat down with great interest to listen, but was confused when after a few minutes of silence, Romeo smiled and handed the phone back to him.


*****

"Hey, Romeo. How are you buddy? Did you enjoy your first day of school?"

**Uncle Richie? Could I please speak to my father? Hurry, I can only stay for a few minutes**



Monday, September 1, 2008

Chapter 11


"That's the park, Rich. See? Look at all those people riding around on their lawnmowers."

Richie looked to where Jon was pointing and had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. There were several people on the bike path enjoying the day on their Segways. He realized that while these changes and new inventions were gradual for him, for Jon to see them after a twenty year leap forward must be confounding. Still, he could not resist having a bit of fun at Jon's expense.

"They're doing community service for petty crimes."

"Really? But what are they doing?"

"The city is saving tax payers' money by having the offenders mow the grass at the parks."

"Huh. Who would have thought that the government would actually think about saving money for us."

Now that Richie thought about it, it wasn't such a bad idea.


*****

"Ferguson. Her name is Mrs. Ferguson." Jon was trying to get the woman at the reception desk to call her down to the lobby.

"Yes, I heard you. But we have three Fergusons here. We're popular with the Irish community, you know. What's her first name?" They were interrupting her reading and she was getting a bit irritated.

Jon realized that he didn't know her first name. Never even bothered to find out. She had always been 'old bat Ferguson' and he couldn't very well ask for her by that name.

"I don't know her first name, but she used to be a high school teacher in New Jersey."

"Oh, the one that likes to fold things. Room 314," she said dryly and promptly went back to her book.

They found the elevator and made their way up to the third floor. Her room was the last one down the hall and when they entered it, they found Janet packing and tidying up things.

"You're the young man that mother was talking to last evening, aren't you?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm Jon. Is Mrs. Ferguson here?"

"No, dear. I'm afraid mother passed away in her sleep last night."

There was a long stunned silence.

Richie was the first to speak, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Seeing Jon's shocked look, Janet came up to him and placed her hand gently on his arm. "She's at peace now. She was 98, you know. She'd lived a good, long life, doing what she loved which was teaching."

"Oh, and she left something for you." Janet went to her purse and pulled out an envelope. It was addressed to 'John Bongiovi' in frail cursive letters. "Mother always wrote a letter to her students after she had met them again. I guess she knew that you would return."


*****

They drove home in silence, both pensive in their own thoughts.

In the kitchen, they sat down with their coffees and Jon opened the envelope and pulled out the letter.

He read it and re-read it and turned the letter over to check the back of it.

"What are you looking for?"

"It says that she left me a formula, but there's nothing else here."

"Check the envelope, again."

When he did, something dropped to the table with a clink and he picked it up and looked at it.

It was a St. Christopher.

For your safe journey back, she had written.


*****

The next morning, Richie woke to find Jon in the living room with the letter in his hand. He obviously hadn't even changed clothes or much less, slept.

"You okay, bro?"

"Yeah, I've been just thinking."

"All night? About what?"

"About how you never know people. I mean, we used to call her names, all of us. We thought she was just an old hag trying to cram her lessons down our throats, you know?"

Richie took the letter Jon offered to him and sat down to read it. When he finished, he looked up at Jon. "Don't beat yourself up over it. You were just a stupid kid. Hell, we all did that."

"I know, but I wish I knew then, what I know now. She really cared about us, that we learned something, I mean. And we were just selfish pricks."

Realizing that Jon needed to work this out himself, Richie got up and headed to the kitchen. "Want some breakfast?"

Over bacon and eggs, they discussed the letter and the missing formula.

"What do you think was on the formula?"

"I don't know, Rich, but she was talking about equations and wormholes and stuff. I think I've just missed my chance to go back home."

"Jon, you know she was not lucid half the time. Maybe she just forgot to put it in or she was just talking nonsense."

"No, I think she knew what she was talking about. I wish I had it."

Richie snorted at this. "And if you did have it, what would you have done with it? You wouldn't even understand it."

Jon considered this for a moment. "I was thinking of showing it to someone on the 'web' thing."

"Have you been playing on my computer?"

"Yeah, just a little," Jon admitted. "I was reading about that time travel thing that was on there."

"Just be careful not to go poking around too much before you read things you shouldn't. You already know more than is safe."

"Okay......... Rich?"

"Yeah?"

"Where does the page go when you scroll down it?"


*****

Tuesday was hectic being the first day of school and Jon and Dot were at their wit's end trying to get the kids ready. Romeo seemed to be having the 'first day of preschool' jitters and was making life difficult for Jon.

"School is going to be lots of fun, buddy. You liked it when you went with Mommy to see it, right?"

"No! I stay home!"

"You're going to make lots of friends at school. Don't you want to play with them?"

"No! I wanna call daddy!"

There it was, again. Jon felt helpless not understanding what Romeo meant. At the same time, deep inside, a strange sensation told him that it all made sense.

"Okay, son, I'll tell you what. You go to school and when you come home, you can call 'daddy', okay?"

Romeo seemed satisfied by this as he sniffled, "okay."


*****

Upon returning home after dropping the kids off, Dot picked up the mail and shuffled through the bills when she came across a letter for Jon.

"Hon, there's one here for you. Looks like a fan letter."

"How did they get our address?"

"I don't know, but there's no return address. You might as well open it."

Jon looked at the envelope and saw a California postmark. This handwriting looks familiar.

When he opened it and pulled out the contents, he found a letter and a newspaper clipping.

It was an obituary notice.

He looked at the letter:

Dear Mr. Bongiovi,

It was such a pleasure to be able to sit and chat with you. You are a fine young man and you've proven to be a person I can proudly call one of my students. Maybe not now, but in your later years, of course. I had hopes and dreams for you, all of you, and it gives me great pleasure when that hope is fulfilled.

Oh, I do know what you young people thought of me and even knew the monikers that you have given me. But none of that takes away from the joy of seeing you learn. Even though you may not realize it, Mr. Bongiovi, you have learned. That is all I wanted for my 'children'. If my annoying presence has made some impact in your lives, then I consider my work done.

I have included the formula you needed and a St. Christopher, for your safe journey back.

Live well and cherish those around you.

Warmest regards,

Marilou Ferguson



"Jon? What's wrong?"

"I never knew her first name was Marilou."



At the bottom of the page, there was a note written in the same familiar handwriting of the envelope:

Sorry, there was no formula. I'm keeping the St. Christopher. I need it more than you.



Chapter 10


"Do you know what
E = mc 2 is, Mr. Bongiovi?" Mrs. Ferguson had led them to an empty table on the lawn of the nursing home.

"It has something to do with Einstein, right?" Jon asked, taking a seat that she was motioning to, ignoring an uncomfortable vibration in his leg.

"Yes, yes, it is his equation for mass-energy equivalence. He was a smart man. Yes, a very smart man." She was folding the blanket that covered her legs. "He was most famous for that, but he also published a lot of other equations, he did. One of them was the equation for his theory of general relativity."

"How is that different?"

"Well, young man, the first is his theory on how mass is associated with energy, but general relativity encompasses gravitational time dilation where time travels at different rates according to the gravitational pull of a certain region, you see."

"Uh huh, I see." Jon actually had no idea what she was talking about.

He was also getting distracted by the annoying vibration centering around his upper thigh. He fidgeted as it started getting dangerously close to his groin, and stopped only when he saw Mrs. Ferguson eyeing him suspiciously.


"Well, there is also the theory that his equation is the basis for warped time space which causes wormholes."

"I know what wormholes are!" Jon jumped up from his chair, excited to finally hear a word he understood. This had also stopped the vibrations that were beginning to worry him.

Mrs. Ferguson studied him through her thick glasses. "You do, do you? Well, that is quite a surprise, quite a surprise." She picked up her blanket, again. "Young man, would you be a dear and help me fold this thing?"

He took the perfectly folded blanket and re-folded it rather haphazardly and gave it back to her.

"No, no, no! Look at it. It is not aligned correctly. The corners are all mismatched and the central design is not in the right place. Oh dear, oh dear, I shall have to do it all over again, all over again. Oh dear."

"Mrs. Ferguson?" Jon was watching her meticulously folding the blanket. The vibrations had started, again, making him fidget, again.

"Hmmm? Yes, young man?"

"About the wormholes?"

"What about them?"

"You were saying how they make time travel possible."

"Was I? Oh yes, yes, yes. But I think Albert was missing a key ingredient in his equation, I do." She looked down at her blanket and sighed, "physicists are so devoid of human emotions, don't you think, young man? So devoid."

"What is the human emo...."

"There you are! I was beginning to worry when you didn't come back to your room, mother."

Jon looked up to see an elderly woman approaching them.

"I hope mother was not bending your ear, young man. Are you a former student of hers?"

"Yes, she was going to tell about wormh..."

"Look, Clarissa, see how perfectly this nice young man folded my blanket for me? Why is it that you can never take the time to do that for me? Never take the time."

"My name is Janet, mother. I think it's time for you to get some rest." She released the brakes on the wheelchair and turned it around.

"But..."

"I'm sorry, young man. Mother needs her rest. Perhaps you can come back tomorrow when she is more...'rested'."

And with that, Janet wheeled her mother back into the nursing home.

Jon got up to go as the weird sensation started again. This phenomenon freaked him and he ran home at top speed.


*****

Jon burst through the front door, with a panicked look on his face. "Rich! I think I'm dematerializing or something!"

He found Richie in the kitchen with the phone to his ear. He put the phone down as soon as he saw Jon. "Where the hell were you? I thought you were in some kind of trouble."

"I am! Something's happening, Rich. I was talking to Mrs. Ferguson and my leg started vibrating. When I sat down, it moved up close to...well, you know, and it went on and off all the time I was there. What's happening to me, Rich?"

His eyes were wild with fear.


Richie crossed his arms and glared at him. "Do you feel it now?"

"No, I think it stopped. Why would it stop now?"

"Because I hung up the phone, you idiot. Where did you put the cell phone I gave you?"

Jon stared at him for a few seconds before pulling out the phone from his front pocket.

Richie snatched it from him. 'It's on vibrate."


*****


Jon was in his walk-in closet opening drawers and shuffling through its contents. Not finding what he was looking for, he moved on from one drawer to the next. He then went over to the chest of drawers in the bedroom when Dot walked in.

"What are you looking for?"

"Do you remember someone giving me a St. Christopher a long time ago?"

"No, not really, but you do get a lot of gifts, Jon."

"Yeah, but this one was special. It came with a letter and some sort of weird writing on another piece of paper. I need to see it."

"Why?"

"I.....I don't know. I just thought about it after all these years and now I want to see it. I can't seem to find it anywhere."

"Who was it from?"

"I can't remember. I don't remember much about it, actually. Just that it was special."

"Well, it'll probably turn up when you're not looking for it."

"Yeah, I guess."

*****


"Rich, I need to go see Mrs. Ferguson again, tomorrow."

"Why? I thought you couldn't stand the old biddy."

"Yeah, well it's different after you talked to her." Jon pondered over how much to tell Richie. "She seems to know a lot about time travel. She might be able to help me go back."

Richie stared at his friend, "do you remember how she was at the store? She thought she was still in Jersey. What information could she possibly give you? She's not all there, Jon."

"I know. She seems to have this thing about folding stuff neatly and she can't even remember her own daughter's name. But she's not like that all the time, not when she's talking about Einstein and shit."

Seeing how serious Jon was and determining that there would be no harm in going, Richie nodded, "alright, we'll go tomorrow. Where does she live?"

"In the nursing home near that park where the people are riding their lawnmowers."


*****


"Steph, can you call the kids to dinner, please?"

The children came to the table one by one as Dot and Jon brought out the dishes.

"Where's Romeo?"

Stephanie shrugged. "He was in the family room folding paper. I told him to come to dinner, but he just kept on folding."

"Folding paper?" Sighing, Jon headed off to get his son.



Romeo stared at the piece of paper. He had folded and refolded it several times and still was not satisfied. His tiny hands smoothed out the creased page and he looked at the writing on it. He didn't understand any of it, but somehow he knew it was important. Yes, yes, very important.