What I Have Missed

He's doing it again, again and again. Today he is in a blue jumpsuit. There is no day without him observing the site. The scientist never misses even a single chance of keeping an eye on his masterpiece. Before going any further, the protagonist has the urge to introduce himself to the world, well... to his surrounding.

It began in the summer 2007. Bob, how he is called, was spending his break with Hilary, his beautiful but stubbornly aggresive wife. The spouse was accompanied by their adorable daughters named Jennifer and Alice, who turned out 18 and 17 years old respectively that year.

The happy family rented a resort by the beach to celebrate the couple's 30-year wedding anniversary. The spot has exactly four chambers, one for each. That night, Hilary was sobbing heavily when Bob finished taking a shower. He abruptly approached her and wondered why. She had no intention at all to tell him what had happened to her. But as far as Bob insisted and kept on insisting, his wife finally came clean. She complained, "We should've picked the mountains." Bob was startled as he had never been in his life. He knows perfectly that both agreed to have the beach resort instead. And there is no way she denied the fact that Jennifer suffered from acrophobia for years, which is the reason why the mountainous area was not a good idea. Bob did not think twice to leave Hilary alone. He stepped out of the room. Hilary did not seem to care.

The next morning, Alice was looking for her dad, but Bob was not there. On the far side of the island where the family was spending the time on, an exhibition of a famous scientist Rudolph Barley was held. The crowd gathered together to witness the genius' invention. The hilarious but assertive figure introduced his creation before the audience. He mentioned time travel. Indeed, it was his own time machine being presented to the public. He suggested that the machine was a new form of vacation destination. He explained how to operate the apparatus. Every bit of his speech caught the attention of almost everyone with a lot of clapping.

The man in a blue jumpsuit comes closer to the site. It's shown he is eager to try the machine. That's right. Bob has been stalking the Rudolph's garage where the time machine is installed in. He has done many attempts in vain until one day, when the scientist takes a happy nap. Bob sneaks into the garage and stands in front of the machine, which is being switched on. He stares at various buttons marked by any year one wishes to choose. It seems that Bob is capable of operating the device. Bob sits in a chair attached to the floor of the machine and presses one of the year buttons. Suddenly, the chair shakes rapidly while the machine starts to make loud sound. The sound of motor which runs it also spins. In the nick of time, Bob disappears. Rudolph, immediately, wakes up from his dream and feels suspicious about what is happening to the machine. But, he does not really notice someone or something, so he goes back to sleep.

Flashlights and crowds surround the limousine which has just arrived. The mass is looking forward to having the sight of the famous celebrity who is about to get out of the luxurious car. Then some ushers escort the star heading into the gala starting from the red carpet. It is a premiere of a new film titled "A Man with a Big Grin." The celebrity, Neil Rawlins, is one of the cast of the picture. It was released in 2017 as what it is shown in the poster.

Meanwhile, Bob wanders on a small path leading to a bigger exit. It is the large road near the cinema where the film is playing. Bob reaches the gala building, but now all the crowds are gone as they have lined up to the cinema entrance. He is astonished as he notices such a modern architecture. He still remembers watching a film yesterday, as what he thinks. And he has a sense that the construction has undergone dramatic changes. Then his eyes direct him into staring at the year written in the poster. He does not believe what he is reading; it is 2017. He needs to make sure what is going on by asking one of the passersby what year it is. It is confirmed that it is 2017. Now he is shocked tremendously because he has just realised that he is now in the period of time 10 years ahead. Bob is so confused that he can't think clearly. All he can do is think that it's impossible. But he talks to himself, "I did it. It works."

Eventually, the film is over and the crowds are off the cinema. Bob has been standing outside daydreaming for about an hour. When he is about to leave the area, the celebrity named Neil waves one of his fans. Bob looks at him closer and his jaw drops as he is looking at an older version of him. Then he hides behind the tree in front of the cinema. Neil gets in the limousine whereas Bob follows him taking a cab. Both Bob and Neil arrive at a mansion. Bob makes sure he keeps his distance from the mature man he is curious about. It got Bob thinking that it's impossible that the celebrity is himself in mid 50s as it's not Bob's house. He becomes relieved but he is facing a strange situation. A 27-year-old little lady welcomes her dad coming home. He's just realised she is Alice, who is now prettier.

Although the star goes by the name Neil Rawlins, Bob has never been that certain. Now he's got a plan of finding out more about his next life. As he now knows that Neil is a famous actor, he goes straight to an internet café. He begins searching for any articles about the star. He finds out that Neil Rawlins is a stage name of Bob. He says, "So I did change my name!" Bob feels overjoyed when he finds out one digital paper shows a headline saying "Neil is the Actor of the Century." Another rubric writes about Neil's happy marriage. The more he tries to figure out how Neil has been living his life, the more happiness is shown in Bob's face. Bob now feels grateful until he finally finds a publication with a big headline which contradicts what he has found so far. It says "The Big Deal of The Rawlins: The Recurring Scandals." The page lists top 10 controversies from 2008 to 2015. For seconds, he stands still. He is engulfed in disappointment and sorrow.

Shocked by the facts, Bob turns the page of the media. When he gets into the rubric about the scandals, he goes over one of the pieces of information. He reads that Hilary once slapped a paparazzi after she found an article about her misconduct getting drunk in a public with her female friends in 2010. Besides going over each headline in a glimpse, he peruses every single part, one of which is concerned with him getting caught shoplifting in several department stores. Such incident happened in late 2008, the first year Bob made a debut in the film industry; it led him to be sentenced for a year. His career then went on a hiatus for more or less seven years. While public mocked the Rawlins family uninterruptedly, there was a declaration written on the page saying that Hilary confirming such act was just a type of diversion. Bob cries uncontrollably this time. Everyone at the cybercafé is looking at him.

A big applause from the seats continue whenever Rudolph demonstrates the steps to control the machine. In the middle of his explanation, an audience asks, "How can we go back to the real time after using it?" The man is none other than Bob.