The next afternoon, while I was in the kitchen at Eric's house refilling an ice bag for Pete, I received a text from an unfamiliar number.
I racked my dusty old brain and remembered that I dropped my purse at the train bridge. You gave me a note and asked me to read it when I got back, and I put it in there. I went back the next day to find my purse but it was gone. That might be the explanation you're looking for.
I'm sorry that whatever you were hoping for didn't work out.
Let me know if there's anything else I can help with.
Pete was resting on the couch in the living room, propped up with pillows. I could tell he was feeling worse than the day before, but he was trying to hide it. He was quiet and closed his eyes for several minutes at a time without actually falling asleep. Every time he coughed or tried to speak he winced and clutched his side.
Eric was at basketball practice and the rest of his family was gone, too. I wished I could do something more to make Pete feel better, but understood that it would take time. I was grateful just to have him there, and if Liz hadn't left her purse behind when we traveled to 1969, he might not have been there at all.
Later in the afternoon, Eric and his family started to arrive home. Eric went straight to his room and Owen did his best to make polite conversation with us. Dr. Navarro invited me to stay for dinner and it was looking like the table was going to be crowded. Eric's cousin, Jessica, and Nora came over, and Dr. Anderson was actually home. Eric's grandma, Teresa, arrived home wearing a blazer and carrying a professional-looking leather satchel and I found out she was not only Nora's babysitter, but also a part-time microbiology professor at the community college.
This was going to be a lot.
Once everyone was arranged around the long dining room table, Dr. Navarro recited the recap Eric had given her to explain why Pete was recouperating there. He was Vanessa's friend who went to Northern, and a recent victim of a house fire who needed a place to stay for a while. Everyone welcomed him and gave their condolences before diving into what must have been their regular dinnertime conversation topics.
"Any good names today?" Emma asked her parents.
"Just the usual for me," Dr. Navarro reported, "lots of Caydens, Jaydens, Aidens of various spellings. Sophias and Emmas. Nothing too terrible."
"Emma: still going strong," she said proudly. "I was one of the first Emmas, though."
"Jane Austen's Emma came like two-hundred years before you," I pointed out.
"But I was at the forefront of the current Emma wave. A trendsetter from the moment I was born."
"Oh, I had some good ones today," Dr. Anderson said, "Twins. Both named after a substance. You have to guess."
"Jack and Daniel!" Dr. Navarro guessed enthusiastically. "Or Margarita and Tequila!"
"Skyy and...Smirnoff?" Emma asked.
"He said a substance," Teresa reminded everyone, "not necessarily alcohol. My guess is Mary Jane and...Poppy."
"Those names are actually cute though," Jessica said, then she turned to explain to Pete, "You would not believe the ridiculous names people give their kids."
"Indica and Sativa," Dr. Anderson announced. Everyone at the table looked confused except for Owen who snickered. "They're two species of cannabis."
"Those parents must really love weed," Owen said.
"And their children will live with that for the rest of their lives," Dr. Navarro sighed as she shook her head.
"Are you both teachers?" Pete asked.
YOU ARE READING
The Rockmore House
Paranormal*A sequel to The Palmer Pool* Vanessa Brooks, now a high-school senior, hopes to put her time-traveling days behind her, until an opportunity arises to return the favor of a fellow time-traveler stuck in the past. ****** As Vanessa Brooks begins he...
