Time And Again

Chapter 3

"Good morning Los Angeles, all of you WKJB-FM listeners out there! This is your wake-up call with the Wizard of the 8-track, the mad genius of pop, your main man MegaWatt getting you up and groovin' this AM. For you beach goers, it's gonna be a scorcher today, so stay hydrated! I hope you liked Madonna's Papa Don't Preach because she's keeping that baby! Now we're going to go Back In Time with Huey Lewis & The News."

Tell me, doctor, where are we going this time? Is this the fifties? Or nineteen ninety-nine? All I wanted to do was play my guitar and sing. Take me away. I don't mind. You better promise me I'll be back in time. Gotta get back in time... 

That crappy music is playing again. This time it's waking him up from a decent dream. His hand went to smack the clock. It's like some weird deja-vu. Upon awaking, he sat up in bed. His eyes focused and scanned the room. It's still the same. Nothing has changed with it. 

Once out of bed, he pulled out khaki shorts and a blue polo this time. Then he did his morning routine and went downstairs. He'll most likely change before going off to school. In his mind, he began thinking of all the classes he was going to take. Walking into the kitchen, he stopped short. In disbelief, he rubbed his eyes.

His mother is cooking at the stove, wearing the same thing she had on yesterday. Blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail, jeans, a white T-shirt, and pink house shoes on her feet. Turning around, she greeted him, "Hi, my boy!" That was when she moved to pinch his cheek and kiss it. But this time, he did not smile. He only stood there in silent frustration. The same heavy feeling sat in his stomach, like it did yesterday, today, or whatever day it is! 

When she said, "You need to get a move on. You have a dentist appointment at eleven-thirty," he began to get worried. Walking over to the calendar cupboard, he opened the door. Knowing how she always marks off the days that have passed, he stared unblinking at the stupid calendar with a black X. The black X doesn't lie. It's right there, staring him in the face. The same day, again! The words "What the hell" left his mouth.

Swiveling around on his heels, he put on the fake smile and the fake charm. "Excuse me, Mom. I need to go outside for a moment." He raced out the back door, leaving a confused-looking Laura in his wake. By the pool, he took a stupid flamingo float and kicked it repeatedly while yelling, "Bullshit! Bullshit! Bullshit!" Then he took a penguin float and punched it. 

After getting his anger out, he sat down on the pool chair, stewing. So this day is repeating on him again. He's living it over, but why? Why this day? He isn't sure, and right now, he really doesn't give a care. All he knows is he's angry. Like really angry! And he really hates that dopey penguin float. He told his mother it was dumb, but she didn't listen to him. Now the ridiculous thing sits there mocking him, with its idiotic grin like the penguin wants to say, "Your life is so shit you're forced to live the same day over again."

"Well, you're nothing, stupid penguin. You're not even real. You're just a lame float." In a swift move, his foot connected with the penguin's mouth, and into the pool it went, bobbing up and down. With that taken care of, he's got to figure this out. Yesterday he woke up inside this day. Today he woke up inside this day. And yet all he can think about is how angry he is and how he just wants to get out of this damn day.

Putting his fake smile back onto his face, he returned inside. His mother met him at the door. "Baby, did you drink too much last night? Did you suffer a kick to the head in your karate class? A kick you haven't told me about?"

Yes. He suffered a huge kick to the head. He had to have. There's no way, just no way, he could be living this day over again. "I don't know, but I feel like crap, so I'm going to sit down." Shrugging her hand off his shoulder, he moved to the kitchen table.