NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?

CHAPTER 83

I clean the front hallway first to avoid running into my past again. That decision is the coffee to my motivation. I run through all the offices – and bathrooms too – like a friendly hurricane, switching my smile on and off like Ruby's body. By eleven o'clock, the cafeteria triggers an alarm I can't ignore. The scent of meats and sauces drives me crazy enough to change into my street clothes before time. But it's for the best. Today I'm the first person there. So I'll get the best pick of everything. The food is hidden away in silver containers. I shift the covers off each one as I do the walk. There are two types of meat, baked chicken and fried fish. Another container has pumpkin shredded in buttered rice. It smells a bit wild. Next up is a potato salad drowning in kale; then black beans blended into a sauce. A few steps down reveals sliced beets and carrots. My stomach announces its readiness with a loud growl. I retrace my steps and repeat the walk. When I'm done, the box can barely close. Yes, this is heaven. I force it shut and head out front with a broad smile.

Pete and Desiree yank it from my face without trying. I clench the box of food tighter than necessary to avoid it falling. That glue appears to be contagious because my feet refuse to budge. Pete hears my silent cries and looks right at me. For a moment, he stares as though Desiree is invisible then pulls himself together and turns back to Miss Nosy.

"Ambassador Stokeley will see you personally," Miss Nosy announces all flustered. Then she flits about like bug spray did her in. "Walk with me. It's just over here."

Pete brushes past me as though I don't exist. As if that isn't enough, he grabs Desiree's hand for extra effect. She looks directly into my eyes and flashes her beauty queen smile. Always the sauna of warmth for her adoring audience, I bet. The glue dissolves. I manage to turn around in time to see them disappear into the ambassador's office, their grey and copper bodies so not a sight for sore eyes. Miss Nosy scowls at me on the way back to her desk. She clears a few pages away then reopens the files and takes them back out again. Now she slams herself down into her chair. Our eyes meet in silence. But we both have the same question in them. What on earth just happened?

A quick check on the hopefuls catches their faces hardening. All eyes are on the ambassador's door, patches standing out more prominently than ever. Or maybe not so much. As I peer closer, there's a change about them. Not all, of course. Just a few scattered hopefuls across the room. The smooth patches seem bruised somehow. Perhaps I never paid much attention to them before. Maybe this is how they've always been. But I dare not ask for clarification. Instead, I take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Help me to move again. Suddenly, my feet become mine again, almost as if they were waiting for my mind to release the thought.