The Edge of a Moment

With squealing tires, the bus slowly came to a stop, its doors groaning open. Abby’s first steps after the long journey felt weak. Her shoes crunched in the snow as she looked around and slung her bag over her shoulder, her breath curling in the crisp December air.

The familiar sight of her childhood town, a quiet corner of North Carolina, had hardly changed in the years she’d been away. Christmas lights flickered in the windows of the small brick houses, and a gentle dusting of snow clung to the evergreens lining the main street. “Home.” She thought although it hadn’t been a home to her for years and it certainly lost that feeling long ago.

She was simply here to spend the holidays with her mother, celebrate her birthday, and finally take a deep breath after years of grueling studies. But as she adjusted the strap of her duffel bag, she collided with someone—hard.

The road was slick with fresh snow, and Abby’s boots failed to find purchase. She slipped, her arms flailing as gravity yanked her down. She hit the ground with a thud, snow seeping into her coat.

“Ow!” she muttered, wincing.

Before she could move, a pair of strong hands reached out to help her up.

“You okay?” The voice was warm, concerned.

Abby looked up. Irritation flickered through her—until her brain caught up to what just happened. She froze.

The man before her was impossibly familiar. His sharp blue eyes, the dimple in his cheek as he frowned—it was as if she were staring at one of the few old photographs she kept of her father. Luke. A man she never knew. Her father who left her and her mom so soon after Abby was born.

It couldn’t be.

This man looked no older than thirty. Her father, if he were alive, would be nearing sixty.

“Are you okay?” the man asked again, still with a firm grip on her shoulders as if she might collapse again if he let go.

Abby struggled to find words. “I… I think so.”

“Let me get you a coffee. That’ll help.”

Unable to object and with her thoughts spinning , she found herself following him into a small coffee shop she didn’t recognize. Was this new? Had she just never noticed it before? The place had an old-fashioned charm, with a jukebox humming softly in the corner and a menu written in looping cursive script.

“Hi, Luke. What can I get you today?” The girl behind the counter smiled warmly. He ordered two cups of steaming black coffee while Abby sat down at a small table by the big window. She looked outside at the snow-dusted street, the glowing Christmas decorations, the town she knew so well. Yet something felt… different. Familiar, but not quite right.

“I’m Luke, by the way,” the man introduced himself as he set the cups down. Yes, she heard that. But she wasn’t processing it.

Abby’s stomach twisted. “I’m Abby.”

“That’s a pretty name. Are you from here, Abby? Or just visiting?”

The small talk momentarily distracted her from the gnawing sense of unease. “A little bit of both, I guess. I was born here but moved away when I went to college.”

He nodded, sipping his coffee. Abby studied his face. The only pictures she had of her dad were old and grainy—not much to go on. But this man felt so eerily familiar. Maybe a long-lost brother? A cousin? Someone with an uncanny resemblance to her father?

Maybe this was the reason her dad disappeared so suddenly after she was born. Maybe he was the reason?

She cleared her throat, trying to form a coherent sentence. “So, what about you? Are you from around here?”

“Yeah, born and raised.”

“And what do you do?” Abby needed to know more.

“Nothing much to tell. I work odd jobs here and there, but I’m trying to find something more permanent. Maybe move to a bigger place next year.”

They each took another sip of coffee. Abby glanced around again. She didn’t recognize the people in the café. The décor seemed… off. More old-fashioned. Then something else struck her.

“I don’t recognize this place,” she muttered, almost to herself.

Luke heard her. “Really? It’s been here forever.”

“Maybe I just never paid much attention,” she said, forcing a small smile.

“You should. It’s a great place.” He laughed suddenly and pointed toward the jukebox in the back. “That’s where my wife and I shared our first kiss. We’re expecting a baby girl any day now.”

Abby blinked. “Oh.”

She couldn’t help but smile at the small anecdote. He even blushed slightly.

“Sorry. I don’t know why I just said that.” His voice lowered. Now it was his turn to study her. There was something about her. The same blue eyes as his, but her hair—light and wavy, falling in big waves around her shoulders.

“You remind me of her,” he said, realizing it.

Abby’s fingers tightened around her cup. “Oh?”

“My wife,” he said, his voice softer now. “Her hair, the way you move your face. You look like her.”

Abby swallowed hard but remained silent.

Luke chuckled awkwardly, shaking his head as if trying to get rid of the thought. “It’s strange, though. You feel… familiar. Have we met before?”

Abby forced a small smile. What do you say to that? With this feeling in her gut she couldn’t explain. “No, I don’t think so.”

He nodded slowly, like trying to fit together pieces of a puzzle that wouldn’t align. “Weird.”

Weird didn’t even begin to cover it.

Maybe his wife was the missing piece in all of this.

“What’s her name? Your wife?” Abby asked, her voice sharper than she intended. Part of her already knew but needed him to confirm it.

“Julie.” Luke leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on the table, as though he could read the answer in her face. “You know her? Are you related?”

Abby’s heartbeat thundered in her ears. This couldn’t be a coincidence.

His name was Luke. His wife’s name was Julie. They were expecting a baby girl.

Cold realization crept over her like a shadow.

Could this be the man who vanished when she was a baby? Could this actually be her father?

She opened her mouth, her breath quick and shallow. “No, I don’t think so.”

The café’s warmth faded. The clinking of cups, the murmur of voices, all drowned out by the rush of blood in her ears. Luke wasn’t moving. He stared at her, eyes searching, waiting.

And then, like a dam breaking, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I think she’s my mom.” Abby’s voice trembled. “I think you’re my dad. You disappeared almost twenty-five years ago. Right after I was born.”

Luke didn’t react at first. The weight of her words sank into the space between them, heavy and unmovable. Seconds passed like hours. She wanted to run but stayed glued to her seat opposite of him.

Then, he finally spoke.

“That’s not possible. I’m right here, I’m not missing. I come to this place all the time.” He shook his head, as if refusing to let the realization settle. “Besides, I would’ve been a kid. Six years old back then.”

“Back then?” The words caught in Abby’s throat. Back when?

Her fingers trembled as she gripped the edge of the table. She inhaled sharply, steadying herself before asking the question she suddenly dreaded.

“What year is it?”

Luke’s face was a storm of emotions—confusion, disbelief, something close to fear. “1999.”

Abby’s breath left her in a silent gasp. The world around her warped, twisted. The answer she had been looking for had been right in front of her all along.

She had stepped back in time.