A Twist Of Time

a bonus chapter

I try to close my eyes and hold on to the ring, trying to sleep and drift back into 1944. I was desperate to come back and find out what happened next, since it was like history left me on a cliffhanger and I couldn't get off of it.

"Come on," I whisper to the golden ring. It gleams in all its glory thanks to the sun, but it didn't work. I keep whispering the same two words to the object until I let go of it and let it drop to the floor, where it rolled around for a moment before it landed on the wooden floorboards. This made me sigh in realization that I, Valerie Helfon, was officialy insane for thinking that it actually happened; the whole thing with Sergio. I was probably just mistaken for someone else by the aged Margaux and Jane in the Malacañan.

I close my eyes, giving up and staring at the ceiling in agony. I guess I had to live with the cliffhanger forever.

As I drifted off to sleep, the same familiar spiral of dreams came rushing back to me and suddenly, I was back in the palace, in front of President Osmeña himself. I gasp in excitement and hug him, a few tears running down my cheeks in happiness.

"God, I thought I lost you," I whisper. He hugs back and kisses my forehead.

"You didn't. And you never will."

I pulled away softly and looked him in the eye, but my eyesight was still blurry thanks to my tears. "You got me so worried. I actually dreaded my generation for once."

He laughs. "Don't be. You already know when I die and how and where. You can just visit me before grim reaper comes to get me."

"Don't say that," I reply, nudging him playfully.

"It's true. How did you get back?"

"Magic, I guess?" I say. "Or is this all a dream because I'm desperate?"

"I can guarantee you that it's not," he whispers. He pinches my arm and I pull back, shocked. "See? I'm here. I'm alive."

"I can tell. Did you miss me?"

He thinks for a moment. "A bit."

"How dare you?"

"I'm kidding. Of course I missed you. You're my wife, after all."

"Wife?" I reiterate, confused.

"Yes, wife. You got the ring, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"That means I love you. Do you know what the words engraved in that ring meant?"

I look at my left hand and see the ring on my ring finger when I thought I dropped it. I take it off and read the words.

"Nunc scio quid sit amor," he says, taking my right hand and intertwining it with his, "means 'now I know what love is' in Latin. Do you want to know why I put that there?"

I blush and look down, not wanting to make it obvious that I actually had a heart that beats loudly everytime he did that. The love thing. Whatever you call it.

"Why?" I ask.

"It's because those were the words running through my mind when I first saw you."

"Cheesy," I reply. He looks at me questioningly. "It means something that's romantic in the modern day slangs. I forgot you didn't know that."

"Don't worry." He laughs. "I'll know soon. You'll be staying here with me for a very long time. Is that okay?"

"I'd love that."