Linear Shift, Part 1

Chapter 6

Peter stepped back into the house, pondering the absurdity of the last thirty minutes of his life. Time travel, he wondered. Was it even possible? If it was, could he actually change the future? These questions would have to remain unanswered, for the moment at least. He dropped the unopened envelope onto the coffee table next to the bottle of scotch. Seeing the bottle, he decided another drink would help calm his mind.

With a refreshed drink in hand, he paced around the house. Peter often paced when his mind was working. Minnie use to tease him about "wearing a path in the carpet." What would she do? She was the adventurous type, and Peter thought she would most definitely go for it. But he was not his wife. Regardless of his failures since her death, he had to remain somewhat responsible for his kids.

The kids. What would they think? He knew he couldn't tell them about it, so how would he answer their questions? Questions about why he would be leaving for four months, maybe longer. On the bright side, Minnie's parents could be a part of their lives again. He had tried many times to get his in-laws involved with the kids' lives, but every time he picked up the phone to call them, he'd stopped halfway through dialing their number. He just couldn't swallow his pride long enough to ask for their help, let alone help from anyone else.

As he paced around the house, sipping his scotch, he heard the familiar click of the front door. He walked into the foyer and was surprised to see Brett.

"Brett? Everything okay? Why are you home early?" Peter glanced down at his wristwatch; it was just after one o'clock.

"The nurse sent me home. The school tried to call, but they said the phone had been disconnected. I'm having another migraine." Brett dropped his backpack next to the sofa and tossed the day's mail on the coffee table. "Can we call the doctor now? This is the third time this month that I've been sent home with a migraine. I think something's wrong."

"Sure thing, kiddo. I'll call and see if I can get an appointment for later this week. Why don't you head up and get in bed. I'll bring up some aspirin."

Brett just nodded and sluggishly climbed the stairs to his room.

Peter stood in the hall, staring up the stairs, wondering where he could get the money for another doctor visit. He finished his scotch in one swallow and headed to the bathroom to get Brett some aspirin.

Once Brett was seen to, Peter returned to the living room to tidy up a bit. He returned the bottle of scotch to the liquor cabinet and picked up the mail that Brett had brought in when he got home. It was the usual: bills and ads. He tossed them back onto the coffee table and opened the envelope from Applegate. Inside was a stack of hundred-dollar bills. Peter sank into a chair as he began to count them. He counted out twenty crisp hundred-dollar bills. Peter smiled and thought his week was taking a turn for the better.