A Story of Their Lives

Chapter 3

"Is something wrong?" I asked when they opened the door again. "Did something malfunction?"

"No, everything is fine, don't worry," the nurse replied. He was different. I looked straight ahead and saw my sister. She looked older and she was pregnant.

"Jesus. That took literally one second," I said, trying to contain my shock. The nurse laughed. Most of their clients reacted similarly the first time.

After changing back into my old clothes and going through all the legal procedures, I finally got to catch up with my sister. She was not my younger sister anymore: Alice was two years older than me. A part of me was in disbelief and was ready for someone to tell me that it was all a prank.

"I met Nathan around a month after you went into the freeze," she said while driving me home. "You will see, he is the best. We had our wedding in Hawaii last year and now... It's going to be a boy!"

She looked happier than ever. Also, she felt more mature and confident. The last time we met, which was half an hour ago in my head, she still used internet slang I didn't understand and spent most of her money on random stuff at the Swimming Lion store.

"They promoted me at work and now I lead a team of five marketing assistants. Nathan and I are planning to buy an apartment building to rent it out. I am so excited for you to meet him."

"I'm really happy for you," I said. It felt surreal but I was very happy for her, albeit there was some sadness for missing everything she lived through. I wasn't there for any of these events, and neither were our parents. She was all alone, and I only realized then how much it must have sucked to not be able to invite your family to the wedding. "I am very sorry I missed all of that."

Alice smiled and looked at me briefly. I could see she was quite upset but she moved on. Forgiving someone over such an important event – that was not something Alice I knew that morning would do. And she seemed to have everything worked out: the career, the family, the house, the finances. Our parents would be proud. Or, rather, they were going to be proud.

Nathan was home, making dinner. He smiled and welcomed me into my parents' house. My new brother-in-law was tall, had light brown hair and green eyes, and seemed to be a very kind-hearted and thoughtful person at first glance. Alice was right about him – they were perfect for each other. The year before that they renovated the house, brought in some cosy lighting, and now they genuinely looked like an idyllic family.

"So, did I miss anything crazy?" I asked when we sat around the table, eating roasted chicken, cooked according to Nathan's secret family recipe.

"Apart from me getting married and then pregnant?" Alice laughed. "Um... there was a huge forest fire in the Amazon Forest. We landed another crew on Mars. Phones got a bit better. We had a pandemic scare, but it all worked out fine in the end. Other than that, I can't remember anything notable happening."

I looked at their electronics at home. Phones got a bit thinner and smarter but overall, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary.

"Not going to lie, I am a bit disappointed," I sighed.

"Did you expect to wake up and see futuristic skyscrapers and flying cars? That would require way more than five years of sleep, I'm afraid."

I looked at her wondering whether five years was indeed too little. She was focused on getting another portion of mashed potatoes, not realizing the regret she planted in my head.

A week later, I returned to my old job. The offices looked exactly the same, most of my teammates were still there. I brought a chocolate cake, and we had a little celebration of my return, during which I was having the same conversations again and again with different co-workers.

"Yes, it really lasted a second for me."

"Yes, I am still twenty-six."

"No, I was not shocked to see the new world."

"No, I don't have any regrets so far."

"Oh, I am staying with my sister now. In our parents' house. Until I find my own place. It's temporary."

"Yes, they're still in the freeze. They'll wake up in three years."

The monitor was showing me good old Excel. I made a sip from the mug that had the company logo on it. Our team leader had just sent an email about a teambuilding dinner, asking us to prepare two truths and one lie for the event. How delightful it was to be back.