The Mandela Effect

Ch. 29

 "Any word," Mark says after peeking his head into Jon's office.

Jon turns in his chair and looks towards the door.

"Nothing yet," Jon answers.

Mark fully enters the room and Jon rotates in his chair towards the door. He's looking over some books with his sleeves rolled up and his collar unbuttoned.

"It's late," Mark argues, "Maybe it's off?"

Jon checks his watch, "It's not that late."

Mark falls into one of the chairs on the far side of the desk from Jon, "It's late for me I guess. I'm never on campus after 7, if I can help it."

"If you can help it?" Jon chuckles.

'Well," Mark smirks, "sometimes my students need some extra help."

"Pfft!" Jon exclaims, "and I'm the one on probation."

Mark leans forward, "you didn't hear it from me."

Both men laugh.

Jon rubs his eyes and runs his hands over his head, "I need a coffee or something. Is anything open?"

"Maybe the cafeteria in the Student Union?" Mark asks.

"I'd rather drink whatever is left in the coffee pot in the other room," Jon dismisses him.

"Starbucks over in Norris," Mark proffers.

"That's a better option," Jon considers, "Yea."

Jon stands and rolls his sleeves down. Mark stands as well.

"Are you sure about caffeine this late?" Mark asks, "you're not a young man anymore."

Jon looks up from his cuffs towards Mark, "Says the man bragging about having co-eds in his office late at night?"

"Co-eds?" Mark chuckles, "I'm merely giving aid and comfort to my students."

Jon grabs his coat off the chair and puts it on.

"Riiiight," Jon says, "Well, I don't know what I'm in store for tonight. I need to keep my energy up and my wits about me."

Jon walks around the desk, following Mark who is heading towards the door.

"My bet," Mark says grabbing the door handle, "is that you end up staring at the ceiling at 3am hopped up on your venti macchiato."

Mark turns the handle and opens the door. At that moment Jon's cell phone and office phone rang at the same time.

Mark freezes and turns to Jon.

"Are you sure he doesn't have a device on you," Mark asks.

"I know," Jon answers, "It's weird right? Which one should I answer?"

"Office," Mark says, "let him know you followed directions."

"Good thinking," Jon rushes back around the desk and picks up the handset, "Hello?"

"Are you ready?" T asks on the other end of the line. The familiar pops and hisses of interference present on the line.

"I guess," Jon answers, "seeing as I don't know what any of this is."

"Do you need anything?" T asks.

"I was going to get a coffee," Jon says, "but I'm alright."

Mark looks at him strangely and mouths, 'What?'

"You can get one on the way," T continues.

"On the way?" Jon asks.

"Yea," T says simply.

"I don't have a car today," Jon reveals.

"You won't be driving," T explains.

"Ok?" Jon answers.

"In six minutes," T continues, "a car will pull up outside the building. Get into it."

"Where am I going?" Jon asks.

"I'll see you soon," T says, and with that, the line went dead.

Jon replaced the handset. He looks up at Mark.

"I have to go," Jon says, coming back around the desk.

"What?" Mark asks, "Where?"

"I don't know," Jon says, "but I'm going."

Jon rushes past Mark, grabbing his keys from the table next to the door, and exits.

"Lock up on your way out," Jon calls from outside the office.

Five minutes and forty seconds later, Jon exits the building and hurries out to the street. He looks left and right, trying to figure out which car he should be heading towards.

Mark steps out of the building behind him and calls, "Be safe Jon! Good luck."

Jon turns towards him and waves. He says to himself, 'I hope I won't need it.'

A black Hyundai Elantra, sporting an Uber sign, pulls up to the curb. The driver rolls down the front passenger window and leans over.

"Jon?" the driver asks.

"Yea," Jon says, turning back to the car, "that's me."

Jon opens the rear passenger door and climbs in. The car pulls away from the curb and merges into traffic.