Edge Of Time

Ten

Ten

Genie and Carolyn were both ecstatic when told of the engagement.

"I am so proud of you, Marissa," Genie said, having slipped into Marissa's room later that night. Carolyn, of course, had no idea that her "cousin" from Atlanta was no real relation, so both time-travelers were careful with what they said in front of her. "It took me a full year to come to grips with being here forever, and you've only been here for a few months."

The older woman's revelation surprised Marissa. "You seem so happy and composed I didn't realize it had taken you so long to accept."

"Well, I wasn't always like this. Life is what we make it and it took me a year to realize I could be happy here."

Marissa nodded. "It took me right up to the moment I accepted him to realize that I could make my life here and be happy." She lifted the delicate white gown Genie had pulled from the back of the closet. "Are you sure you want me to wear this?"

"Of course!" Genie exclaimed, her eyes dancing. "I hope you don't mind, but I really have come to think of you as my niece. I wore that dress to marry Jim, Carolyn wore it to marry Alfred, and now it's yours to marry Craig."

Tears welled in Marissa's eyes at the unconditional kindness the other woman had shown her. "Thank you, Genie. Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You are very, very welcome, Marissa." The women embraced warmly. "Are you excited?"

Marissa nodded and beamed through sparkling eyes." I don't think I have ever been so happy. I had every intention of swearing off men, but Craig just wouldn't take no for an answer." For a moment her expression sobered and she turned to Genie with a question heavy on her heart. "But I still feel like I'm lying to him. He doesn't even know where I'm really from. I stop myself from making reference to things that to me are common knowledge or everyday sayings that he has never heard of, things that don't even exist yet. What if I slip up and say something stupid. What if he thinks I'm crazy?" Marissa rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. "I guess what I need to know is, did you ever tell Jim? And if so, how did he react?"

The older woman let out a long breath and her pale eyes clouded as though she had drifted faraway. "Oh, Marissa. I'm afraid that it is not a question I can fully answer for you. I didn't tell Jim until after we'd been married for almost 17 years. I was always afraid he wouldn't believe me or, like you said, think me mad."

"But didn't you feel as though you were being dishonest? Lying to him?"

Again Genie cocked her head, thoughtful. "No." She shook her head. "No I never did feel that I was lying. I told him about my family. Memories from my past, I just omitted details that would have put me through the door of an asylum." Pain clouded her pale eyes as she continued. "I told him a couple of years before the war started. I was hoping to get an early start on convincing him not to join the military." A wan smile crossed her lips. "I should have known better. He was a proud southerner. It took a long time for him to believe what I was telling him, if he ever really did, despite the future artifacts I showed him, but in the end it didn't matter what I knew or what I told him. He refused to accept that the south had lost and, in the end, he died anyway."