It’s a Small Uber World After All
 

Chapter Ten
Vada Foster

Josie turned to watch the couple they had run into as they first entered this strange establishment, and at that same moment, the tall brunette also turned back and their eyes met for a moment. It was like looking in a mirror, the tall gunslinger thought. “Rebecca, do you think they could be the ones my Grandmother told us about?”

Rebecca also turned around to look more closely at the duo who were now making their way out of the restaurant. “I suppose they could be. She did say they would be ‘like us.’ I thought she meant women who... love other women,” she blushed slightly and averted her eyes, still a bit awkward with discussing something which only a few months ago had been completely unknown to her.

Josie grinned a bit at her partner’s discomfort. “Well, Sprite, they sure look like they were cut right out of the same cloth as us, so I would say that is what Grandmother meant. And they were holding hands, so I am pretty sure they are like us in more ways than one.”

“Then we’d better not let them get away.” She took Josie’s hand and the two women hurried toward the door, unaware of the looks and stares they were getting from the patrons who thought they must be part of the show in their quaint western wear.

************

When they burst into the light of day, both women stopped dead in their tracks, their mouths slowly dropping open as they got their first real look at the world of the future. Not only was it like walking out into a blast furnace, but machines that looked a bit like small locomotives hurled down the avenue in front of them at speeds no train had ever achieved, even running downhill with no brakes.  One of those juggernauts slowed and pulled into the asphalt covered field that surrounded the building they had just left, and Rebecca unconsciously stepped back a few paces as it drew closer to them. Josie’s hand fell to the gun on her hip; if the machine did not stop on its own, she would take out the driver before it reached them. But it made an amazingly sharp turn and continued down a path where other machines like it were sitting neatly between white painted lines. It was toward that area that the other couple of women were going, so Josie tugged at Rebecca’s hand and led her in that direction.

“Excuse me, Ma’am!” Josie called out, but it seemed the women were out of earshot, or chose to ignore her. They opened the doors of the machine that apparently belonged to them, and the small blonde was already inside. In another few moments they would be gone, if their machine was capable of the speed of the others they had seen. Josie drew her gun from its holster, and glancing around, she fired two shots into the air toward the strip of water that ran behind the big covered wagon shaped building.

“What the hell?” Karla had been about to slide behind the wheel when she heard what appeared to be gunshots.  She stood and looked over the roof of the car and saw the two women from the restaurant hurrying in their direction. The taller one was holstering a gun, which explained the source of the gunshots, but not the why. Olivia opened her door and was about to step out when Karla said sharply, “Stay in the car. That woman has a gun.”

Olivia paused for a moment, but she remembered the feeling she got from the two approaching women when the foursome collided in the restaurant, and she knew instinctively they meant no harm. “They’re not going to hurt us. I think she was just trying to get our attention.” She climbed out of the car and waited for the clones of herself and Karla to reach them. In the dimly lit building she had not been as sure of the resemblance as she was in the bright sunlight. If she did not know better, she would swear she was adopted, and the small blonde in the gingham dress was her twin sister.  And the tall drink of water with the guns looked enough like Karla to fool her own mother, she thought. She studied the woman in the black outfit, whose legs seemed to go on forever, and whispered to Karla, “Babe, we gotta get you some cowboy boots.”

“Ha ha,” Karla said dryly. But she had to agree, there was something very appealing about the androgynous look of the gunslinger. She started mentally noting the woman’s attire for her next Halloween costume. Crossing behind the car, she came to a stop beside her partner, and waited for the women to reach them. “What is it you want?” Karla’s tone was curter than she had intended, and it brought the blonde woman up short. The gunslinger drew her brows together in a frown at the tone, but before she could say anything, Olivia smiled and stepped between the two glowering brunettes.

“Pay no attention to her. She’s been huffy ever since I drugged her to get her on the airplane.”

“What’s an air plain?” Rebecca asked. From the sound of her voice, Olivia was certain she truly had no idea what an airplane was. Karla on the other hand was beginning to think they were being pursued by whackos, and was about to suggest subtly to Olivia that they leave these women to their delusions.

“You really don’t know?” Olivia asked. Rebecca shook her head. “It’s a...flying machine that takes people from one place to another. You can go from California to New York in less than five hours.”

Now it was Josie’s turn to begin to wonder if they had done the right thing in trying to hook up with these crazy women. She could not stifle the laugh that erupted from her at the thought of a machine that could actually transport people through the air. And cross the country in less than half a day?  Impossible! “Pull the other one,” she said. 

“I’m serious” She turned to her lover and said, “Karla, let’s take them by the airport and show them some planes coming and going. Seeing is believing. Oh, and I’m Olivia, by the way. And this is my partner, Karla.” She grasped Rebecca’s hand to shake it and was surprised by the firm grasp the little blonde had. She turned to Josie and held out her hand, but the tall gunslinger glanced at Karla and hesitated a moment before taking it in her own. “It’s okay, she won’t bite,” Olivia said with a laugh.

“Before we put them in the car and go running all over Florida with them, don’t you think we might want to find out what it is they think we can help them with?” Karla was feeling less apprehensive than she had been when they first met the oddly garbed women, but she was still not certain it was a good idea to let them get too close. She looked at the gunbelts draped around the black clad woman’s hips and swallowed audibly. Guns, for God’s sake!  Nobody wears guns unless they’re cops or criminals. And this woman did not look like any cop she had ever seen. A bit like Sharon Stone in that movie, maybe. The hair color was wrong, but Sharon had beautiful blue eyes too, didn’t she? What was the name of that movie? Not important. Focus.  She put her stern face back on.

“I’m Rebecca, and this is my...” she rolled the word around in her head for a minute before she continued her sentence, “partner, Josie.”

“Have we met before? Those names are awfully familiar,” Olivia said, but Rebecca shook her head.

“Not likely. You see, we don’t live in this...place. Or time.”

Karla had been trying to place the names as well; she was certain she had heard them before. Suddenly it came to her. “The Western Chronicles! I knew I had heard those names before. I get it; you’re dressing as characters from a book. I didn’t know Bardcon was supposed to be a dress up kind of shindig.” Josie and Rebecca looked at her with confused looks on their faces.

“There’s a book about us?” Josie asked, and at the same time, Rebecca said, “Bard con?”

“You had me going. I have to admit, the outfits are great, and the bit about the airplane...well, that was inspired.  Blanks in the guns, right?”  She reached out to remove a gun from its holster, and Josie’s hand was on her wrist before she even saw it move.  The outlaw did not say a word, but moved her head slowly from side to side. When Karla withdrew her hand, Josie relaxed and dropped her own hand away from her gun.

Olivia’s mind just registered what Rebecca had said. “You’re not from this ‘time’? What does that mean?”

“I’ll tell you what I can, but do you think we could get out of the sun? I’m afraid Josie’s going to get sun stroke in all this heat.”

“Sure, of course. Let’s get in the car and we can turn on the air conditioning.” Karla shot her a murderous look, but Olivia was not about to let these women get away without hearing their story. With a sigh, Karla walked to the driver’s side and climbed in, turning over the engine and cranking the air up to high. Olivia opened the back door and motioned for Josie to get in behind the front passenger seat, knowing that she would need more leg room than Rebecca. Josie hesitated, but then she climbed in with a shrug. If Karla could do it, she could do it. The cool air that hit her made her sink into the seat with a sigh. “Come on,” Olivia took Rebecca by the hand and led her to the other side of the car.  “It’s perfectly safe. Karla is a very good driver,” she assured her ‘twin.’ When Rebecca made no move to open the door, Olivia grasped the handle and pulled it open. By then the cool air had truly taken the edge off the heat in the car, and Rebecca fell gratefully into the seat.

“God, this feels wonderful!” she said enthusiastically. Josie’s head was resting on the head rest, her eyes closed in contentment.

“Mm hmm,” she murmured. It was like crawling into the ice house, only the seats were more comfortable. She could get used to this.

Olivia climbed in to the front seat and turned to look at the two women sprawled in the back seat. By all appearances, they had never experienced such a thing as air conditioning. She didn’t know why, but something about them made her want to trust them, despite the fact that what she had heard so far was more than outlandish. She smiled as she noticed Rebecca shyly grasp Josie’s hand and twine their fingers together. They made a beautiful couple; light and dark, yin and yang. Olivia reached for Karla’s hand, and bringing it to her lips, she kissed the palm of her hand. Karla smiled at her partner. “What was that for?”

“For going along with me on this. For trusting my instincts.  Ah, hell, just for being you.”

“It’s your show. I’m just along for the ride. What do you want me to do?”

“Drive us toward the airport. If by the time we get there we aren’t satisfied that...they are legit, we’ll let them out and they can take a taxi to where ever they want to go. Okay?”

“You got it, baby.” She dropped the car into gear and backed out of the slot. At the first sign of motion, Josie and Rebecca’s eyes flew open and they sat up straight in their seats. As the car changed directions and began to pick up speed, Rebecca’s grip on Josie’s hand grew tighter. 

Olivia noticed their growing unease. “It’s okay, really. Karla knows how to handle a car. You’ll be fine.” They seemed to relax somewhat, and began to watch the other vehicles and the scenery as they sped along the highway. “So, tell us what you mean about not being from this time?”

“We were in the Oklahoma Territory in 1891, and Josie took me to meet her grandmother, who is a medicine elder, and also an oracle, I guess you could say....”

************

The old woman sat across the camp fire from them, a pipe clamped between her teeth, the aromatic smoke blending with that from the fire. Rebecca studied her face; she could have been 50 or 150; the lines were etched so deeply into her weathered countenance. But her eyes sparkled with life and intelligence and a youthful enthusiasm that belied the passage of years. Josie and Rebecca were greeted at her door as if the old woman had been expecting them. And indeed, she had been. And the moment she saw the small blonde woman at her grand daughter’s side, she knew the vision she had seen many years ago was coming to pass. Now, sitting by the fire, the old woman took a deep breath and began to speak.

“Many summers ago, I saw a vision that my Sky Eyes would bring home another grand daughter to my camp fire. This grand daughter would have hair the color of summer wheat, and would hold the heart of my Sky Eyes next to her own. And this has come to pass. I must believe that the rest of my vision is also true.” Rebecca could not fathom how easily this woman had assessed their relationship, and accepted it and her into her family. After taking another long draw on her pipe, the woman continued. “I have seen the two of you on a vision quest that has taken you into a time far into the future, on the southern edge of this great land. Guides who, like yourselves, have come to this place for the same reason you have, will take you into their protection. They will show you the way to the convergence of many others who are like you. I cannot see the purpose of this meeting, but I believe it is important for you to be there.”

Josie and Rebecca looked at one another, both obviously confused. How could they possibly hope to go into the future? And even if they did, what would the odds be that they would be able to find the guides of whom the medicine elder spoke? The old woman reached into a pouch within the deer hide cape she wore and pulled out two very similar necklaces. Each of them held a small pouch bound with a strip of rawhide, as well as stones, bits of teeth, and other odds and ends that could not readily be identified in the limited light of the camp fire. The old woman studied each one for a moment, and then held one out to each of the women across from her.

“There are amulets and spices within these necklaces that will allow you to return home to your own time and place. A natural event will transport both of you there, when you are ready. Keep these on you at all times, so you will not be cast adrift in a time not your own. I only hope I am still among the living when you come back, to hear of your adventures in the world of the future...”

************

Josie took up the tale when Rebecca paused to drink from a bottle of water Olivia handed her. “We were holed up in a cave during a lightning storm. A bolt of lightning struck what must have been a natural chimney in the cave, and sent a charge right into the chamber where we were taking shelter. When we came to, the sounds of the storm were over, and we walked out of the cave...”

“And right into me, is that is?” Karla still sounded skeptical. Josie shrugged. She reached up to her neck and untied the bandana she wore, revealing the rawhide band that held the amulet her grandmother had given her. Rebecca loosened the top button on her dress and pulled out a similar necklace.

“Choose to believe it or not,” Josie said.

“I believe you,” Olivia said sincerely.

“Thank you,” Rebecca said. “If it means anything, I have to admit that, until we found ourselves here, I was a bit skeptical myself. But since Josie and I have been traveling together, I have learned to accept that what I might never have believed possible is in fact very possible.”

“Well, if all you say is true, you are about to see another “impossible” become possible,” Karla said, pulling the car to the side of the road. She pointed out the window to her right. “That’s the airport. See that great huge thing over there?”

“The one shaped like a silver bullet with...out-stretched wings?” Rebecca asked.

“That’s the one. Now watch it.” The plane in question was waiting at the top of the runway, apparently in line for departure.  Karla knew that it should not be more than a few minutes before it was airborne. Sure enough, the whine of the jet engines picked up and the wheels began to roll. “Here it goes...now!” The nose of the plane pointed skyward, and both Josie and Rebecca gasped as it took flight like a gigantic bird.

“Voila! Zee airplane!” Olivia said, laughing at the expressions still etched on their passengers’ faces. “And there are probably upwards of 200 people on board. By this time tomorrow, they could be in New York, London, New Zealand, well, about anywhere in the world, really.” Another plane came in for a landing and the time travelers from the old west watched fascinated as it went from such a great speed to a stop in only a few minutes.

“They’ll never believe this in Oklahoma in 1891,” Josie said, shaking her head.

“Speaking of Oklahoma, do you have any idea what the...what was that word? Oh, right, convergence...what that was supposed to be about?” Olivia had an idea, but she wanted to know a bit more about what Josie’s grandmother had said.

Josie shook her head. “Not really. I got the impression she did not know more than what she said. She did say she saw mostly women, and that many of those women bore a resemblance to me and Rebecca.”

“Oh, and she said it was in a great ballroom, with chandeliers but no candles. I could not imagine such a place,” Rebecca added.

“I know just the place,” Olivia said. “And we’ll be going there next weekend. You’re coming with us,” she said with a note of finality, in case Karla might be thinking of objecting. The tall brunette simply rolled her eyes and put the car in gear. If they were going to have these...guests for several days, they needed to make arrangements for them.

************

Josie sat on the bed in their hotel room using the remote to turn the TV on and off over and over. Karla had insisted that they have a room of their own, and asked Olivia to arrange for it in her name, since the room they were already in right next door was in Karla’s name. Olivia briefly explained some of the amenities the room had; mini-bar, TV with HBO, a small safe, a bathtub with a shower, and the biggest bed Josie had ever seen. But the most fascinating thing to them was the TV, where images of people appeared and disappeared as if by magic at the touch of a button. Rebecca got as close as she could to the little box, and peered into the edges of it, but could see nothing but a sheet of gray. “Never mind,” Josie said, tossing the remote onto the nightstand. “This is another of those amazing things that they take for granted in this time. We’ll ask Olivia to explain it to us.”

“How about we try out that bathtub? She said you can get hot water just by turning a knob. That sounds heavenly to me. Want to join me?”  She raised her eyebrow seductively, and began to unbutton her dress.

“Oh yeah,” Josie replied in a low sexy voice, causing goosebumps to jump out all over Rebecca’s body. The tall brunette began to peel off her own clothing. “Betcha I can beat you to the water,” she challenged.

Rebecca had already removed her dress, and she yanked her slip over her head quickly, then pulled off her shoes and stockings. Josie was still trying to get her boots off. “Hah!” Rebecca crowed as she vaulted into the small room a step ahead of her tall lover. Josie wrapped her arms around Rebecca’s waist and pulled her against her firm body.

“You win...again,” the tall gunslinger whispered into her ear.

“My winning streak started the day I met you,” the little blonde replied, turning in Josie’s arms, and kissing her lightly on the lips. Josie moaned as she felt Rebecca’s tongue begin to tease its way into her mouth.

“Oh, what you do to me, woman,” Josie said when Rebecca finally pulled away.

“And I want to keep doing it until we’re both old and toothless.”

“Deaf and blind,” Josie retorted.

“Freezing to death,” Rebecca countered, realizing that the air conditioning was a bit high, considering they were both naked. “Suppose you could figure out how to work that gadget so it’s a bit less arctic in here? I’ll get the water going.”

“I’ll try.” Olivia had showed her how the air conditioner worked, so she figured it should not be too difficult to adjust it. And she had showed Rebecca how to turn the water on, and which of the knobs was hot and which was cold. But she did not show her how to keep the water from running out of the little hole in the bottom of the tub. When Josie returned, she saw the small amount of water swirling around in the tub. “Shallow bath, isn’t it?”

“It’s running out that hole,” Rebecca grumbled.

“What about trying the shower? You flip that little thing up and water comes out of that...whatever that is.” Rebecca shrugged. They had nothing to lose. She pulled up on the lever and water came gushing out of the shower head. Unfortunately, it was cold, and when it hit her body, she jumped right out of the tub and into Josie’s arms. “What’s the matter?” Josie asked.

“C-cold water,” Rebecca replied, but by the time Josie put her hand under the stream to feel it, it had warmed up.

“Not now. Come on.” Josie climbed into the tub and helped Rebecca in.

************

Olivia rummaged through the drawers filled with what little clothes they had brought with them, holding up and then casting aside various items. “Too low cut,” she mumbled as she held up a sleeveless shirt which she knew would reveal a fair amount of cleavage. “Can’t see her going from that little house on the prairie outfit to this in one fell swoop.” The only thing she had not yet rejected was a tank top with the legend “Xena and Gabrielle are ‘doin it” on the front of it. She shrugged and set it out to give to Rebecca, who would only have to wear it until they could get someplace and buy her something more appropriate, she reasoned. She found the shorts that she had planned to wear with that tank top and some of her less risqué underwear, and put them in a stack on the bed. “Have you found something for Josie to wear?”

 Karla tossed panties, a bra, a royal blue shirt, and a pair of white shorts on the bed beside the clothes for Rebecca. “She’ll have to wear my sandals; I don’t have any clean socks, so I can’t let her wear my shoes. I can’t believe we’re doing this; Olivia, they could really and truly be complete fruitcakes, you know. And how are they supposed to pay for the room, the clothes we’re going to take them to buy; whatever? I’m not trying to sound uncharitable, but this could cost a lot.”

“I don’t know, Karla. But I’m not worried about it. I can put everything on my credit card, and if they have no money, I’ll pay it off. Things will work out though. I feel it. There’s a...kinship I feel with them. I wish I could explain it.” She dug around in the floor of the closet until she found her spare pair of sandals and added them to the growing mound on the bed.

Three faint raps sounded on the door that connected their room with the one next door. Rebecca had told them to let her know when they were through cleaning up, and she would provide some more modern clothes for them to change into. Olivia opened their door and saw Rebecca’s face peering around the doorjamb. Olivia gathered the clothes into a bundle, handed them to the little blonde, who almost dropped them while trying to keep the towel wrapped around herself and hold the clothes.

“Thank you so much!”

Before Rebecca could close the door on her side, Olivia said, “Give us another knock when you’re dressed. We’ll take you out and get some clothes more to your liking, and maybe a bite to eat. Okay?”

“Sounds good. We’ll be ready in a few minutes.” The door closed softly.

************

“I don’t know,” Josie grumbled. She stood in front of the full length mirror on the closet door and looked at the scant clothes she wore. “I’d rather wear my own clothes. There’s no way I can wear my guns with these...bloomers on.”

“Josie, I think you need to leave the guns off. I mean, we have seen a lot of people, and not a one of them was wearing guns.”

“They weren’t wearing much in the way of clothes, either, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go out in my long-johns.”

“Oh Josie, it’ll be fine. Everybody here seems to dress like this. And I trust Olivia and Karla to make sure we don’t end up with something too outlandish.” She stepped up next to Josie and looked at her own reflection in the mirror. “Who do you suppose Xena and Gabrielle are? And I wonder what it is that they’re doing?” Josie shrugged. She was sure their new friends would enlighten them on that subject as well, if it was something important.

“Well, I guess we might as well go over there. If we stay here much longer, I’ll talk myself out of going at all,” the tall brunette groused.

************

Karla opened the door when she heard the raps, and her mouth dropped open when the two western women walked into the room. She was reminded of the movie with Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler where they played two sets of twins born in the same hospital and then paired up with the wrong twin. It truly seemed as if she and Olivia had been reunited with long lost sisters. The phone rang before she could say anything, and she grabbed it. “Yes?  Yes, this is Karla James.” She listened for a moment, a curious look on her face. “Okay, send him up.”

“What was that about?” Olivia enquired.

“They have a courier at the front desk with a package that he said I have to sign for personally. Did you tell anybody where we were staying?”

“Just Chase, but I can’t imagine what she would be sending to us. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” She walked slowly around Rebecca and then Josie, nodding her head in approval. “Perfect fit. It’s like those clothes were made for you. But we’re going to have to do something about those farmer’s tans. You’ll stand out like a sore thumb.” The only part of Josie and Rebecca that had any color at all were their faces and hands. They glanced at each other, and then looked down at their legs, which were indeed pretty white.

“Won’t they burn to a crisp if we take them out in the sun to get some color on their... er, white parts?” Karla asked.

“Oh, ye of little faith. I saw a Cop-A-Tan in a strip mall not more than a couple miles from here. We’ll put them in the Mystic Tan booth, and they’ll come out a golden brown that will last for about a week.”

“I wondered how you managed to keep that lovely tan all year round. I thought you must be out sunbathing in the nude every time I left the house.”

Olivia laughed. “I have to keep a few secrets from you. What fun would it be if we had no mysteries between us?”

Before she could reply, the doorbell rang and Karla went to answer. She came back into the room a few moments later with a paper wrapped package about the size of a shoebox. She tore off the wrapping to reveal a small wooden box that looked like an antique jewelry box. It was locked but looked as if it would not be too difficult to open. It was pretty heavy, and rattled when she shook it.

“Who’s it from?”

Karla looked at the carbon copy of the waybill inside the plastic envelope on the wrapping. “Becky... somebody, from Placerville, California. I can’t read that last name; it’s pretty faint, and a scrawl to boot.” She scowled. “I don’t know anybody in northern California. Wonder if this was delivered here by mistake?” She tossed the wrapping toward the wastebasket, and an envelope fell on the floor. Olivia picked it up.

“This might explain a bit more,” she said, as she lifted the flap on the envelope. It contained one sheet of paper and an old key, obviously the one that belonged with the box. Olivia began to read the note to herself.

“Read it aloud,” Karla asked, taking the key from Olivia and inserting it in the lock. But she was reluctant to turn the key until she knew more about what the box was for.

Karla,

This box was given to me by my grandmother with strict instructions that it be delivered to you on exactly May 22, 2003, at the Grand Floridian Hotel in Orlando. She said it would be clear to you when you opened it who sent it and why. Unfortunately, she died before she could tell me, so my curiosity is killing me! Please call me and tell me what this was all about when you get the chance.

“It’s signed Becky, and has her phone number on it.” She flipped the paper over, but there was nothing else. “That’s it. Open the box. Now my curiosity is killing me!”

Karla inserted the key and tried to turn it, but the old lock was jammed. She was about to find something heavy she could hit it with when Josie held out her hand for the box.

“Let me try,” she said, accepting both the box and the key. She shook the box as if to dislodge whatever might be blocking the keyhole and blew into it. When she inserted the key, it opened fairly easily. She handed it back to Karla, who took it without a word. The hinge creaked as the box opened to reveal several pouches of various materials, and hand written letters. Karla picked out the most yellowed page of all and unfolded the paper.

“Read it aloud,” Olivia said, almost reverently. Karla cleared her throat and read:

Karla, 

You told me that my lucky 20 dollar gold piece was worth a lot of money in 2003. I thought you could use that and some less worn coins to cover what you spent on us. I will add to this over time so you can have rare coins from several time periods.  This is my way of saying thank you for the hospitality and kindness you showed two strangers, one of them your friend.

Josie

Everyone in the room turned to Josie, who shrugged as if to say, it was the least I could do. Karla picked up a leather pouch and pulled the rawhide string that held it together. Ten 20 dollar gold pieces tumbled into her hand, all but one shiny and brand new looking. The mint dates on them varied from 1891 to 1905. The worn coin was indeed the same one Josie had offered her earlier that day, when they had stopped for ice cream before checking into the hotel. The coin had been given to her by her father in 1878, and she had carried it with her ever since. Karla would not even consider taking that coin. But obviously it planted the seed in Josie’s head to send something from the past that would be very valuable in the future.  Karla held the old coin out to Josie. “I think you’re going to want to take this back to Oklahoma with you,” she said with a wink.

Karla handed the next letter to Olivia after glancing at the salutation. “It’s addressed to you,” she said. Her hands were shaking as she took the paper and began to read:

Olivia,

I wanted to give you something special, as Josie gave Karla her coin, to let you know how much we appreciated all you did for us.  I had this necklace made and wrapped in a box one hundred years to the day before we met.  Nice round number, don’t you think? And of course, I continued the tradition of including some rare coins I have been able to find.  As I write this now, I know that in a hundred years I will see you open it, and it amazes me still. How it will get to you I don’t know, but knowing that it will makes me smile.   Take good care, my friend.

Rebecca

Rebecca listened to the words she had written a hundred years before, and marveled at the miracles they had been blessed with. To have come into a future time was miracle enough, but to return to their own time and stand here today with the proof that the entire experience was not simply a dream that they both shared, left her truly speechless.  Olivia withdrew a cloth bag from the box, and within it she found more gold coins, as well as several solid silver ones. There was also a blue velvet jewelry box, and opening it, she gasped at the beautiful necklace on a golden chain. It was the letters “OK” in gold with small diamond chips imbedded in it.

“Oh, Rebecca, it’s beautiful. I love it!” she exclaimed, drawing the other blonde into her arms and hugging her tightly. Tears formed in her eyes and dropped onto Rebecca’s shoulder.

Rebecca wrapped her arms around Olivia and hugged her just as tightly. “I’m glad you do. Let me help you put it on.” She relaxed her hold, and Olivia stepped away from her, holding out the necklace to her. Rebecca studied it as if to memorize the look of it for future reference. Then she fastened it around her friend’s neck. Olivia went to the mirror to admire it.

Karla set the wooden box on the table and walked to where Rebecca stood. She drew the smaller woman into a hug and whispered into her ear, “Thank you so much. I can’t tell you how much this means to her; I can tell just by the look on her face.” Rebecca smiled, a bit embarrassed by all the attention. It was not as if she had done something; well, she had, but not something that she could remember, because for her, it had not happened yet. Even though it was more than a hundred years ago. She was getting a headache just contemplating the mystery of it all when Josie reached into the box and pulled out the remaining packet, wrapped in brown paper. She held it out to Karla, who shook her head and smiled at her “twin.”

“You open this one,” Karla said.

Josie nodded, and carefully began to remove the string from the paper-wrapped bundle. It contained several stacks of paper money; two dollar bills, silver certificates, and other bills which must have been fairly rare. The mint dates on these were from early 1900 up to 1950. They all appeared to be uncirculated. Once again, their worth in today’s market was not something Karla could begin to guess, but she had no doubt it was a lot more than Josie and Rebecca would owe for the hotel and other odds and ends.

Josie opened the note that was included with the currency and began to read:

Dear Karla and Olivia,

My mother told me, from the time I was little, of her time in the future with the two of you, and with Josie, the love of her life. Because my trust in her was complete, I never doubted that what she said was true.  I dutifully watched for rare and unusual currency to include in what must certainly be one of the oldest time capsules in history. I wish I could be there to meet you both, and to see my mother and my beloved Josie one more time as they were when I was a child.  Please tell mother and Josie that I loved them every day of my life, and am grateful for the upbringing they gave me.

I have never been to Florida, nor to Disneyworld; it does not even exist yet, but through your words, Josie, I have an image in my mind of that magical place, and of the four of you enjoying it together. Olivia and Karla, thank you for being their guides in what I know was a sometimes frightening place for two people from a much simpler time. 

My best regards to all of you,

Ann Cameron-Smith

Josie’s voice was barely a whisper as she read the words aloud, and she had to stop and take a drink of water before she could continue. Tears streamed down her face, but she made no effort to stop crying, for every one in the room was in the same condition. Rebecca threw herself into Josie’s arms and simply sobbed for several minutes before she was able to catch a breath and speak. “We’re going to have a daughter,” she croaked.

Josie nodded. “And grandchildren and great grandchildren, it seems. Becky is... named for you.” A fresh spate of tears spilled down her cheeks.

“That’s not all,” Olivia said softly. She held a newspaper clipping in her hand dated June of 1963 announcing the wedding of Josephine Cameron-Smith to Edwin Stanley McLeod. “I’ll bet she’s Becky’s mother. Both of them named for both of you. What a fantastic legacy.”

************

The high emotions of the previous day took their toll on all the women. They did finally manage to compose themselves enough to go out shopping, and to get Rebecca to climb into the Mystic Tan booth, which took a lot of cajoling. When she stepped out, no longer luminous white and apparently none the worse for the experience, Josie agreed to take her turn. And Friday was the day of Karla’s mother’s wedding, so they dropped Josie and Rebecca at Disneyworld, promising to call on the cell phone Karla pressed into Josie’s hand, to let them know when to meet them at the main gate.

“But I’m starving,” Rebecca said. “We have no idea when they’ll be back, or how long it will be before we get to eat.” They had been tramping all over the park since early in the morning, enjoying watching the people on the rides as much as the rides themselves. Josie flatly refused to go on the rides where people screamed and came out of their little cars soaking wet. That just could not be fun. And her legs were too long to drive the little cars, but Rebecca was able to squeeze in behind the wheel. Josie sat beside her in the passenger seat and pouted.

“Okay, can’t have you fainting from hunger in all this heat.” She looked around and spotted a food service place a hundred yards or so from where they stood. “Why don’t you go get something?  I’m going to sit down over here for a while and give my poor feet a break.” The new shoes she had gotten had begun to rub the back of her heel, and she knew it would be blistered if she did not do something about it.

As she walked toward a bench that blessedly had some space on it, she noticed a face in the crowd that was familiar. She was surprised that Karla had not called to let them know they were there, but she figured it probably had something to do with the phone not working. She pulled it off her waistband and checked.  Everything on that phone seemed to be in order. She waved to try to get her attention, but Karla was looking in another direction, so Josie turned to follow her. She called her name again when she was close enough that she was certain Karla could hear, but still got no response. Finally, she caught up with her and put her hand on her shoulder. “Karla, wait up. My feet are killing me so I can’t walk as fast as you can.”

Without turning, the other woman snarled,” My name’s not Karla, and if you have any plans for that hand in the future, I suggest you take...” She had begun to turn as she spat out the words, and when she spotted Josie she stopped abruptly and blinked a couple of times. “Well, I’ll be damned. Katherine told me she had seen someone that looked a lot like me a couple times in the park. Is Karla your twin sister?”

“No, she’s...well, we’re not related. It’s hard to explain. Are you in town for Bard Con also?”

“No, we’re here for our anniversary. And Katherine went to get something to drink. They call me Dean, by the way.”

“I’m Josie. And I’ll bet Katherine is a little blonde with green eyes about so high,” she held her hand up to about her chin level.

Dean scowled, “Yeah, she is, but how did you know that?”

“Because she’s walking this way with Rebecca, who’s my little blonde with green eyes about so high.”

                                    ************************************

“Wow!  This is just incredible!” the bard commented to her partner.  “Absolutely fantastic!  I mean... I knew there were stories, but I never knew there were *stories*.  Do you realize how unique and varied these women are, especially considering they all share the same humble beginnings?  This is so fascinating to see it all come to life.”  Energy simply exuded from her pores, and the warrior could feel the smaller woman trembling with excitement.  She smiled at her indulgently while the blonde woman continued to watch and gush a while longer.

“And you do realize we haven’t even seen everyone yet, right?  I know we haven’t seen the two women who met in prison, or the archeologists.  There should be more law enforcement wandering around somewhere....”

“And don’t forget the writers, poets and designers, love” the bard cut in, ticking them off on her fingers.  “Nurses, doctors, executives, secretaries....”  She stopped and looked up at her taller companion.  “This really is amazing.  They cover every conceivable walk of life.”

“And death too, Little One.  Don’t forget, we’ve seen ghosts here.”

“Um hmm....  I wonder what happened to them anyway.”

“I dunno, love, but I bet we’ll fond out before it is all over.”

****************

To be continued in Chapter 11 ....

Return to Orlando BardCon 2003