The Time-Traveling Umbrella

Chapter 16

He gazed keenly into the distance and looked as if he would quite like the wind to blow his hair back dramatically at that point, but the wind was busy fooling around with some leaves a little way off.

Natalie's bedroom glowed a muted yellow as she sat on her bed reading one of the history books she had 'borrowed' from Gull before his business was temporarily closed. The book sat in her lap and try as she might, Natalie could not keep her eyes open. Her eyes drooped as the words merged together in a fuzzy blur. It felt as if she had been reading the book for hours, and it might as well have been as there was no time keeping mechanism on the Nightingale.

Suddenly, that little tidbit hit Natalie a bit harder than she expected. Natalie had obviously pulled a few all-nighters studying for midterms and finals, but she always made sure to get to bed by 3 in the morning, but with no timekeeping system, she could have easily stayed awake into the next day, if there was a certain point in which tomorrow began. Days and weeks blurred together like the words in the history book throughout her time on the Nightingale. Natalie slept when she wanted and Meyer was always awake when she was, ready for their next adventure. Natalie never questioned it.

Deciding she wanted some answers, Natalie climbed up the ladder and made her way to the bridge. She found Meyer, unsurprisingly, staring out the window at dead space while piloting the ship. When he heard the doors open for Natalie, he turned to her, surprised that she would be up this late, if late was a time.

"Meyer," Natalie asked, "What's today?"

Meyer looked even more confused. "What's today?" he repeated slowly, as if he did not understand that combination of words.

"Yes, what's today?"

"I'm not exactly sure what you're askin'."

"Like the day of the week, what is today?" Natalie clarified.

"Uh, I ain't exactly sure," he admitted while scratching his head guiltily.

Now Natalie was the one confused. "How do you not know what today is? Don't you have a calendar? How does time even work in a universe that possesses time-travel and is stretched across the galaxy?"

"Gosh, you make it sound so damn complicated. Sit down, lemme explain." Natalie huffed for a moment at Meyer's patronizing attitude, but sad down nonetheless. "So, with all the different planets and suns and whatnot, there're different kinds of time-tellin' 'round the galaxy. Some people's days and years're longer than others, but we all manage. Everyone follows the Government's official calendar for important events like mandated birthdays and scheduled meetin's. Now that ain't too confusin', right?"

"I guess not," Natalie admitted, surprised at how simple it was. But there was another question that came to mind. "You said, 'mandated birthdays'. What does that mean?"

"Well, we all gots two birthdays: One with our home planet that gets celebrated every year as they go 'round their sun, and another with the Government which happens once a year as they go 'round their sun."

"Whose calendar do we follow?"

"Well, that depends on our planet, but I try to follow the Government's calendar since everybody knows that one."

"Oh. So you do know what today is," Natalie rather stated than asked.

"I don't personally know as I ain't seen the darn calendar in weeks."

"You lost it?"

"I did not lose it."

"Alright, then where is it?"

Meyer said nothing and turned back to performing his pilot duties.

"Just admit you lost it."

"I did not lose anything," he said as he flipped a switch and the Nightingale began speeding up.

"Where are we going?"

"To buy a calendar," Natalie thought she heard murmured from Meyer, but she decided to let him keep his dignity and walked out of the bridge with a spring in her step.

Three hours later the two time travelers found themselves inside the gift shop of a nearby museum. Meyer was trying his best to not look like he was searching for a calendar and Natalie was trying her best to not laugh at Meyer. Sadly, they both failed.

"I don't know why you can't just admit you lost it," Natalie mocked. She had decided that he did not actually deserve his dignity.

"I don't know what you're talkin' 'bout," Meyer muttered under his breath.

Natalie huffed exasperated and went over to the lady behind the cash register. "Hello, ma'am," the lady said.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what the date was?" Natalie asked in a chipper voice.

"Of course! Today is Friday, August 27th."

Natalie's train of thought stalled for a moment.

"Is everything alright, Miss?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Everything's alright." Natalie held the silence for a moment. "It's just that today's my birthday."

Natalie did not know how to feel about this. When she had left home back in 2013, it had been just days before her birthday. Now, an unknown amount of days, weeks, months had passed and somehow it was the 27th day of the eighth month again. The concept of birthdays added a bit more domesticity to the idea of living in the future.

"It's your what?" Meyer asked loudly from over Natalie's shoulder. Natalie jumped as she had not heard Meyer approach. He looked almost as shocked as she felt.

"Meyer! Don't scare me like that," Natalie chastised. Meyer didn't appear to hear her as he ran off in a different direction, calendar in tow.

Natalie stood there and accepted Meyer's strange antics. It would not do well to start wandering around as she did not know the layout of the store nor the location she was at. To pass the time, Natalie decided to look at post cards.

Meyer returned less than five minutes later holding not only a calendar. Tucked under his left arm, Meyer held a stuffed platypus with a red bow on top of its head. He shoved it at her.

"Happy birthday," he said awkwardly.

Natalie did not know how to react. Birthdays had never been a big deal in her life until recently when Nathaniel took her out to a male strip club to celebrate her 21st birthday. One of the many good things about gay friends of the opposite gender is that you can go to the same type a strip club together and not feel awkward.

Forgetting that she was with Meyer in a gift shop in the future and not at a male strip club, Natalie pulled herself back to the present, or was it the future? She accepted the stuffed platypus a bit apprehensively, unsure as to why Meyer had decided to get her a present, much less a platypus. "Um, thank you," she said cautiously, eyebrow raised in question. An uncomfortable silence arose until Natalie gave into the awkwardness. "Okay, I've got to ask: why a platypus?" she sighed.

Meyer startled for a moment before sputtering out, "Oh, well, you 'member our first date- I mean trip! Trip! Well, there were those duck-beaver hybrids or platypuses or whatever they're called and I just thought, 'Hey, maybe she'd like that.' So, I just-"

"Meyer," Natalie interrupted. Clearly his train of thought was going nowhere. Natalie leaned over and gently touched her lips to his cheek. "I love it. Let's go buy it, hmm?" Natalie turned her back on Meyer and walked toward the cashier, platypus in hand, smiling in pride at the blush she swore came across Meyer's cheeks.