When Can I Take You

What Is and What Will Never Be

Some Time During

"What did you just say?"

"Follow me Jade. Let's talk." Althea smiled then walked passed me giving me a gentle pat on my shoulder her hand was warm and comforting it was just a pat and I instantly felt safe with her, it was that strong, but the connection is pure and platonic. The first time I felt that kind of connection to an Althea.

She walked straight to a different room, an office across the dance hall and I followed silently, taking notice of things around me. She sat behind the desk and motioned me to take a seat on the chair in front of her.

"How old are you Jade?" Althea asked

"In this timeline twenty-two. How about you?" I answered subtly looking around the office we are in.

"If I count the years right, I am eighty-five to be exact. But time here in this place stopped. I met my Jade when we were both twenty-five." She smiled looking on a frame on her desk facing her.

"Your Jade?"

"Ahuh, you might be a Jade too, but there's only one Jade for me. And I've been waiting for her here for God only knows how long now."

"You mean - -"

"Yes. I am 2015 Althea and I am waiting for 2015 Jade who happened to be caught up in some traffic." She humoured as she reached for the frame in front of her and turned it for me to see. There's a picture of a family on it, there's mid-thirties Althea and Jade with the twelve year old boy in front of them.

"My family. He's Paulo Gabriel our son." Althea said proudly and I took note of the name of the boy.

"We, I mean - - I'm here to save you." I stuttered and she smiled

"I know, I'm expecting you. But I don't need you to save me. I need you for some other thing."

"Why not? How did you know about me being here to save you? And what some other thing?"

"I don't need saving Jade, this has been the best lifetime for me. I found my Jade at the right time yes, there were challenges and we even waited for years before we achieved our happy ever after but it came, eventually. After 500 years of struggling to be with her. Now, I need you to find your own timeline Jade, the Althea on your timeline is waiting for you. I can't be with my wife if you don't find your way back."

"My way back?"

"Yes, you've been there on the right timeline before, but you got lost."

"How did you know?"

"You're here because of me and my wife and your Althea happened to be my granddaughter." Althea said and I feel my head throb violently along with the rapid painful beating of my heart and Althea started to blur.

"Jade? Jade honey?"

"Love? What happened?"

"You tell me what happened, one minute I was holding the letter and then you held my hands and in a blink of an eye you were gone with the letter. And then after almost an hour I was in the kitchen then I heard you grunt when I looked you're here on the couch."

"That's why."

"What do you mean?"

"2015 Althea talked to me."

"Really? How did she do that?"

"I don't know either, when I got there, we're in a dance studio and I thought I lost you because you disappeared, but then when I roamed around trying to look for you she's there waiting for me."