UnMeeting

Chapter III

Chapter III
Two May 10, 2010's

The lady mumbled a shy "Thanks" before sitting down. Dylan stayed standing since the next station is his stop.

He's all but forgotten about the shy lady as he braced himself against all the changes he knew he will be seeing as soon as he steps off the train.

His day went by just like that. Tiring and busy.

He opened the television the moment he got home. It's better to keep his brain preoccupied with mundane things like watching the news than think about all the changes he's seen today.

"There was an accident on the K Line this morning."

The news got his attention. That's the line he rides to the office everyday!

"There were two casualties. A 23 year old clerk named Shana J. and an unnamed homeless guy." He stared long and hard at the TV as the picture of the shy girl at the train station this morning came to focus.

"No."

He helped her get in the train and now she's dead. One of the train cars derailed and turned on its side. There were injuries and she was one of the two people who died. That was the first time watching the TV failed to ease his mind from the stress of work and rift-seeing.

He couldn't sleep that night. What did he just do?! Rifts! Rifts are caused by changes in time. Can he go back in time? Can he just change that one thing?

He printed a copy of that night's news from the internet and stared at it almost willing it to change before his eyes. When nothing happened, as he knew it would, he simply gave up.

Just as dawn was breaking, he fell asleep with a heavy, regretful heart.

With just a couple of hours of restless sleep, it was so hard for him to get up and prepare for work. Apparently, the train was fixed so quickly that when he got to the station, it was operating as usual with no sign of yesterday's accident.

When the train got to the fifth station, the station where he last the girl, he almost fainted as he saw her running just as she did yesterday to catch the doors.

In a panic, he looked around and out of instinct, his hands darted out to help the lady get inside in time to avoid getting caught between the train doors. Again. As he was doing so, he looked at the date on his phone.

It's May 10, 2010. Again. I made it!

That's all he could think of. He was given a chance to change the past! Or the future. Whichever way you want to look at it.

He glanced at the newspaper the man in front of him was reading and true enough, he's back to May 10, 2010.

"Hi! That's dangerous," was his answer to her shy mumble of thanks. She looked up at him and he smiled his brightest smile.

"If you really want to thank me, can you help me find this office address? I'm new here," was the quickest solution he can think of. He prayed that she's grateful enough to say yes but he's afraid she won't since she's obviously in a hurry.

She looked at the address on his phone.

"Uhm. This is on the next stop. I'll show you how to get there if you want."

"Thanks! Wouldn't you be late for work?" Stupid! Stupid Dylan! It was out of his lips before he could think.

"No, I am actually a bit early. I just panicked when I saw the doors slowly closing."

"Great! Thanks again!"