Page 10 of Twice
“Watch me,” I said.
Watch me?I had never uttered those words before. I was the kind of kid who didn’t want other people looking at him.Watch me?I walked steadily to the front door.
“Still dare me?” I said, looking back.
“You won’t do it,” Stewie insisted.
I took a deep breath, planted my feet, and banged. Then I banged again. Knowing she wasn’t home, I shot a glance at my disbelieving friends, then screamed, “Come out, Witch! Show your ugly face!”
That did it. Sandy, Stewie, and Paul bolted down the street, just as I had the day before. As I watched them run, I was flushed with a new sensation, one that would shape my life going forward. Knowing what’s going to happen before it happens is more than a unique power. It’s godlike.
And that is how I felt.
?
Now, at this point, Boss, you probably have questions, the kind that always come with time travel stories. What happens if you step on a butterfly, that sort of thing? Let meclear things up right here. I’m not a comic book hero. I can’t wave my hand and go frolicking with dinosaurs or zap myself onto the deck of theTitanic.
Unless it happened to me, I have no way of revisiting it. I can select any moment in my own life and change it once. But after it’s changed, I’m stuck with that new version going forward.
I’m more of a duplicator, really, a reshaper of my own existence. If you interacted with me, then I can change that experience, and you’ll have no recollection of our previous encounter.
But I will.
That’s the price I pay.
Nassau
LaPorta laughed out loud.
“What?” Alfie said, glancing up from the notebook.
“For a guy who stole a couple million bucks, you sure feel sorry for yourself.”
“You think this is a joke?”
LaPorta nodded sarcastically. “Yes. I. do.”
“Can I ask you a question, then?”
“I can’t wait.”
“Why do you think I wrote all this down?”
“I don’t know, Alfred ‘Alfie’ Logan. Because you’re crazy? Because criminals often exhibit weird behavior?”
“And if I told you this notebook will prove I’m not a criminal?”
“I thought you said it was a love story. You should make up your mind.”
LaPorta glanced at his watch. It was almost noon. He popped another Life Saver into his mouth.
“Giving up smoking?” Alfie asked.
“How’d you know? Wait. Don’t tell me. You traveled back in time and saw me light up.”
Alfie sighed. “You’re not taking me seriously.”
LaPorta rolled the candy slowly over his tongue. Hedidwish it were a cigarette.
