Series Wednesday: Timetopia Page 12

                I wake up in the morning and Rev is packing a back pack. “There is a stream not too far from here. I want to go see it. I mean we can’t leave town any way.” She is being very shifty. “Do you want me to come with you?” She looks out the window. “If you want. But I am leaving in 5 minutes.” She hasn’t left my side since the day I met her. I am not sure why she is in such a rush to get there. I grab my shoes and throw some clothes on and follow her.

                We hike 5 miles to this stream and she isn’t the Rev I normally see all the time. She stands at this stream silently and very strong.  She starts to kick a tree and screams. I step back, she was frightening me. “Why did you do this!!!?” she throws a rock into the water. “What did I do?” I ask her. She looks at me like she forgot I was there. “Not you.” I look around. This place must mean something to her. “What happen here Rev?” she stands there with tears in her eyes. “This is where Richard asked me to marry him.” I looked around. Wait I thought she had never been to timetopia. “When was this?” I need to understand. “It was on a crazy trip we did. We drove from the Bronx to California. We were sick of driving and Richard decided we needed to be one with the land. So we hiked and here is where we stopped. He got on one knee right here by this tree and asked me to spend every day of the rest of our lives with him. I got up on this rock looked him in the eye and said yes, unless he went bald then I’m out. We both laughed and he said he would get hair plugs if that ever happened.”  California? Hair plugs? I’m not sure what a lot of these things are but I can see it is hurting Rev. I have never seen her so open hearted. I hug her, she pushes me away. “I’m not much of a hugger. But I get the sentiment.” She just stands there.  “Rev how did you drive through Timetopia before?” she stops being sad instantly. “Right, Timetopia.” She is standing very still now. I am waiting for a real answer. She knows more then what she is telling me. Is this the place she visited or not? How could she have drove to California a place I have never heard of in Timetopia? “Rev answer me.” She looks at me. “Ava I can’t.”  Now I am getting mad. “Why not? How did you drive to through Timetopia before?”  Her face get serious. “Ava you don’t understand. And I can’t be the one to tell you, I want to trust me.  But your grandmother is waiting for you with all the answer. I promise when we get to where we are supposed to. Most of your questions will be answered even some you haven’t even thought of yet.” I am done with this! I want answers why do I have to wait to get to my grandma’s house. None of this makes any sense. “No Rev. I have traveled across Timetopia I need some answers. I deserve at least some.”  She nods yes, but paces back and forth. “This isn’t my place. But I have never been any good at following orders. I wouldn’t be here if I was. If you need some of what I know to go on, maybe it is the right thing.”  I nod yes. She takes a deep breath. “Okay well you see…..” Rev disappears right in front of me.  Her back pack drops to the floor. I don’t understand.. How could this happen? I was looking right at her. This isn’t right. I feel like I can’t breathe. I look around and there is no one around me. “REV!” I scream. Did she get erased? If she did would it happen like this?

                I start to run back to the main road no signs of her. How could she just be gone? Wait this is just like my mom. She was there one second and gone the next. Okay stop think. I need a plan. What if Rev never comes back? I need to still make it to my grandma’s.  I hope she comes back. If I was going to make it to my grandma’s I need the map. I stop running and remember the map is in Rev back pack. So I turn around. I run back to the back pack. Why would I leave that behind? What was I thinking? So I run back the mile I just ran. I make it back to her back pack. Still no sign of Rev. I still see her foot prints of where she was standing and it’s like she was pulled right from the spot. I don’t understand. “Hello Ava.” I hear a man’s voice from behind me. I turn around slowly. I can’t believe who is standing in front of me.