Page 112 of Right Place, Right Time
‘He doesn’t want to go back, though?’ Dotty asks anxiously.
‘No, he knows he’s much better off here.’
‘Oh, good. That’s such a relief.’
‘You’ve done so much good, Dotty,’ I tell her, determined she should know this. ‘It doesn’t seem fair you’ve been punished for doing so.’
Dotty smiles.
‘But now you’re here with us, Adam and I can help you to go back,’ I tell her keenly. ‘We know how to control the portal. We can help you to get to 1944.’
Dotty shakes her head. ‘No, I can’t do that, Eve.’
‘Why? You’ve done so much for others – it’s time you had something good done for you. You can go back, see your daughter again and pick up where you left off with Archie, except this time you can take with you the knowledge of how to control the portal. I can teach you. Think of what you’ll both be able to do.’
‘Stop!’ Dotty says. ‘I mustn’t know. You and Adam were always the chosen ones. It’s you who must go forward with this knowledge, not me.’
‘But why? I thought you’d jump at the chance to see your daughter again. I’d do anything to see my mother one more time.’ I swallow hard.
‘Oh, my dear.’ Dotty takes my hands in hers again. ‘I know you would. I’m so sorry for how everything turned out for you – really I am. But what you must understand is every choice we make in life has a consequence. Sometimes that consequence is good, sometimes it can be bad. If I were to go back with the knowledge of how to control this portal, not only could it change my life and the people who come after me, it could change the course of history too. The way it is is the way it’s supposed to be. You’ll learn that soon enough. There is a plan for us all. It’s helping people to stick to that plan that’s the difficult part.’ She smiles. ‘There’s a few of us, you know, doing what I do. This isourpath in life. You and Adam, you have your path mapped out too. And if I can let you into a little secret?Yoursis a very special path indeed.’
I don’t know what to say. I desperately want to help Dotty, but I can’t if she won’t let me. ‘Wait – the timelines!’ I say suddenly.
‘Timelines?’ Dotty asks.
‘Yes, if you open up a new branch on the tree, the original one still exists,’ I say, knowing I’m not explaining this very well. ‘You could start a new timeline and the old one would still be there, so nothing would change.’
Dotty smiles. ‘I know the theory you’re referring to. Unfortunately, that’s not exactly how that works,’ she says kindly. ‘It’s a lot more complex. One day you will understand, Eve.’
‘Are you absolutely sure we can’t help you?’ I ask her one more time. ‘It just seems like it would be such a wonderful thing to do for you, to reunite you with your daughter and give you back your life.’
‘I know. And I love you for wanting that for me.’ She reaches out and puts her hand on my cheek, in exactly the same way I did with Adam when I realised how I truly felt about him. ‘But sometimes it’s the most difficult choices you make in life that are the most important ones.’
Dotty strokes my cheek.
‘You’re good girl, Eve. No,’ she corrects herself, ‘you’re good woman. You and Adam are going to make a wonderful team. And when you’re both ready, you too will do great things together with this portal. Just like we always knew you would do.’
Dotty pulls out her watch again and glances at it. ‘And now I must go,’ she says, standing up. ‘I’ve a feeling after what’s happened today that my many times on this earth are now coming to an end. It’s time I found my peace.’
She heads towards the doors and I follow her. She takes one more look around the room. ‘Can I give you one last piece of advice, Eve?’
‘Of course.’
‘You’ve been given a great gift here, you and Adam. Use it well and use it wisely, won’t you?’
‘Of course we will.’
‘Because this is your time, Eve. Yours and Adam’s. And you have all the time in the world.’
Dotty reaches out and gives me a long hug, and I feel the same feelings of love, belonging and peace surging through me once more, only a hundred times stronger this time as she wraps her arms around me. ‘I’d wish you both all the luck in the world,’ she says as she finally pulls away, ‘but I don’t think you’ll need it. You two were destined for this moment and destined for each other. Always remember that.’
I follow Dotty into the tunnel and, using my phone torch, light her way to the end.
‘Wait,’ I say as she opens the external doors and is about to go through them again. ‘I have photos of your daughter on my phone here – not only that, but photos of your granddaughter and your other great-granddaughter too.’ I look down at my phone and begin scrolling through my photo app. ‘Would you like to see them all grown up?’
‘Eve, I don’t need photographs to see them,’ Dotty says quietly, her voice fading a little. ‘I know exactly what you and all my family look like. I always have.’
‘But how?’ I ask, still searching furiously for the photos.
