Future History

Chapter 1: The Museum

Reports of an upcoming stork did not stop me from pulling on my tight, short business skirt. I could not afford to miss a single day at work, not with an empty fridge covered with over due bills and an eviction notice on the front door. It was not as if I disliked my work, I rather enjoyed it. The smell of the wood and old stone of the museum was welcoming. My only regret at working in the museum was my boss, a sex deprived man in his mid thirties, whose life was going down the drain. How did I know he was sex deprived? He told me, several times over the past month, that his wife did not feel up to the task of satisfying him. Meanwhile she was sleeping with a much younger man who satisfied her needs. He had yet to confirm his theory but I knew it was true, I had already caught her with her lover, who just so happened to have been my boyfriend of three months. I guess that was what I got for not sleeping with him. That little bit of unwanted knowledge I had over my boss made work awkward when he was around, which was a lot lately. Walking around the museum, speaking the same words over and over as I showed tourists and students around. All the while pointing out pieces on display of that island's history with an awkward stance. My boss kept his eyes out the office window watching his employees and guests, making me feel rather strange as I tired to avoid his eyes or conversation that would lead to what I knew. Today would be no different,  I will arrive, share morning greetings and wait for the students to arrive, while listening to him mope and groan about how his life was getting worst.

Perhaps I should introduce myself now. Kate Manigan is the name snd museum tour guide is the job, just in case you had not realised it yet. I am five foot three, seventy kilograms  and an extra two or three in the holidays. My hair is a brown with a mix of dark gold, straigh if combed and somewhat curly if not. My eyes are temperamental, sometimes they can be blue and sometimes green. I have soft features and long lashes that when in a nice mood showed my soft side. Honestly I always showed my soft side which was a downfall. People would look at me and see the sweet kind hearted girl with large breasts, that they can toy with to get what they want. I am twenty one years of age and look younger, I often get mistaken for a high school student and have been pulled over by the police many times because I do not look old enough to have my full licence.

Lights flickered around me, threatening to throw me into early morning darkness as well as reminding me of the bills. The silence of the small apartment was erupted with a loud ringing. In truth it was not that loud but I had not been expecting the darn phone to start ringing at four in the morning and almost made a hole in the ceiling. I let the phone ring until the answering machine picked up and sat there listening to my old self happily tell the caller to leave a message after the tone. A beep rung out, almost deafening  in the silence, before a voice followed that I was all too familiar with.
         "Kate?" Michael, my ex boyfriend said. I was some what surprised he actually said my name and not someone elses.
          "Kate I know you are awake, you always are at this time." Rolling my eyes, I poked my tongue out at the phone.
         "Look, Kate, I'm sorry 'kay? I know I shouldn't 'ave done what I did but I did. I'm not going to make excuses over the phone. I just want to see you so I can explain and hopefully make things right between us." The sudden urge to pick up the phone and yell at him overwhelmed me. Instead I grabbed my heavy bag, wrapped my red knitted scarf around my neck and headed to my front door. The answering machine would have to out up with his pleading until I deleted it later. Ignoring the latest eviction notice on my eggshell painted door, I left the building and found my car unvandalised just where I left it.

The drive to Harbor Bay was quick,  green lights greeted me the entire way, bringing a small smile to my face. At least something was going right today. The ferry that went out to the islands was waiting, three cars were already parked on the boat and crew members standing around waiting for the bell to ring. I drove up and onto the ramp, smiled to the crew member who waved me through and found a space to park. After shutting my engine off and unbuckling my sear bealt, I turned on a book light. Every morning I read text books while on the ferry. I had finished my study four months ago but chose to keep my mind fresh. It was a three hour trip across the stretch of water and I did not want to listen to the crew members.