Make the Change?

The cape whips behind him in the wind as he zips by in a colorful blur. His giggles dance across the field as his furry companion chases close behind – yipping with joy found only in the bark of a puppy at play with their beloved child. His imagination running wild, he “flies” with abandon. A tiny hero and his trusty sidekick. Out to save the world from the evil supervillain of the day.

He’s only six, with a mop of unmanageable curly red hair, blazing blue eyes, and a shower of freckles dappled across his ever-smiling face. Still frolicking in that joyous childhood bubble where the good guy always wins, the bad guy is defeated, and everyone lives “Happily Ever After.”

His mother, however, has a firm grip on the reality that is, well… life. She watches him play, and dreams of what could have been. Imagines a better life for them both. One full of happiness. But the truth is, she is miserable. Trapped in a marriage that should have never been. With a man with the unique ability to see and consider only himself.

Things are not horrible. Her friends tell her how lucky she is. But they don’t see who he really is. No – he has never hit her. But he controls every move she makes. And keeps her trapped in a cage of his own design. They can’t see how beyond unhappy she really is – living in a loveless marriage and raising her son all by herself.

If only there was a way out. A way to find love and happiness again.

She glances up as she hears a rumble in the distance. A dust cloud billows behind a truck barreling down the dusty road. She is not expecting a soul… who could that be?

She stands and heads up to the house, curiosity peaking as she wonders who has made the trip out without calling first. Her breath catches as she realizes, it’s her father! It’s been many months since he last traveled out to see them. He always seems sad when he leaves. But here he is. She breaks into a run to greet him with a hug.

“What a surprise, Dad! It’s so good to see you!!!”

“Well, kiddo. I just couldn’t wait one more day without seeing my favorite grandson.”

She laughs and points up the hill. “He’s up there! Saving the world, once again! But your favorite daughter is thrilled to see you.”

“As much as I love that kid – I am actually here to see you. Let’s go make some coffee. We need to chat.” He says as he leads the way into the house.

She looks curiously at him. This is very uncharacteristic. He is typically all jokes and humor. But this… this sounds serious. She follows him inside and sets to work making a pot of strong coffee. Just like he has always liked it. She sets out the mugs, and waits for the brewing cycle to finish. As soon as the steaming mugs are ready, she joins him at the kitchen table. They have a lovely view out the picture window where they can watch Robby and the puppy running and battling the imaginary bad guy under the trees.

“Alright, Dad. What’s going on?” she asks as she gently sets the mug in front of him.

He sighs… a deep, heavy sound. Like he has been carrying a weight. For years.

“Darling, it is time. I have to tell you the family secret. But first. There are some things you should know.”

“Dad… we have a SECRET???” her shock goes beyond what she can even express. The family had always been so open and honest with each other. She cannot even imagine what they may have been hiding all these years.

“I know you are unhappy here. I know you have been unhappy for ages now. Robby has made life better… but still, things are not good. Jarod has made things really hard for you.”

She stares in silence into the inky blackness of her coffee cup. She had no idea her father saw her life so clearly. That he saw the pain she struggles so hard to hide. She cannot even begin to formulate a response.

“Catherine, there’s a way out of this. A way to fix it. All of it.”

“But Dad. I can’t just leave him. He’ll never allow me to do that.”

“No. I see that, Cat. But there is another solution. This is why I came today. It’s time. It’s time for me to tell you what you can do. What you have always had the power to do, but we had to wait for the right time to share it with you.”

“Dad. This makes no sense. What are you even talking about?”

He closes his eyes. And begins to speak. “Catherine. Our family is special. We have been given an amazing gift. A… super power, if you will. The power to CHANGE the past.”

“Ok. Wait. What?” She shakes her head in disbelief. This is it. He’s lost it. Now he is just talking crazy.

“I know this sounds like I have lost my mind. But hear me out here. Throughout our history, we have had this power. The ability to stop our lives, go back in time, and change things. Big things. Small things. ANY thing. But… we can travel back only once. So we have to choose carefully. Most of us never make that choice. Because you can never foresee what else will change when you make one minor adjustment in history. Our family stories have some tragic outcomes as a result of this gift and therefore many of us live as everyone else. Content with the way things have turned out. But a few of us – when we find ourselves with no other options – we make the choice to step back in time. And try again. Cat – I think you should try life again. Make a different choice. You KNOW what you should have done.”

She sits in silence. Processing.

This all sounds way too good to be true. A way out. A way to try again. Make more than a new start. A whole new life.

But then her eyes catch a flash of color up the hill.

That little boy. He is her life. What if the choice to change the rest of it… takes him? Is it worth that sacrifice? If only she could be sure that she would still end up with him.

Her father follows her gaze. And her thoughts.

“There is no way to know. Not for sure. It’s a risk that you’d have to be willing to take.”

They chat for the rest of the evening. The earlier conversation lingering in her mind. Sneaking into her thoughts and pushing her toward the idea of happiness. Robby joins them, with the puppy in tow, as the sun fades and the shadows crawl across the landscape. As the time for Jarod to come home inches closer, her father stands and bids them farewell. He has no desire to see or speak to her husband of close to 20 years. He has nothing left to say to him. As he hugs her goodbye, he once again encourages her to make the choice. “Choose joy, Cat. I feel in my soul it is the right choice for you. And remember - I love you. No matter what you choose.”

Her night is spent as it usually is. She gets Robby fed and bathed. Reads him a story and sings a few songs. Then he drifts off to sleep, the pup curled at his feet.

 As she climbs into bed later that night, she feels the weight of unbearable sadness crush her chest. She cannot live like this any longer. Her heart feels crushed by the knowledge that this is her life. And will be forever – unless she listens to her father’s advice and takes a leap of faith. Into the past. To perhaps correct a mistake she had never forgiven herself for. Her eyes flutter closed, and she sees his face in her mind. The man she loves. The one she’s never forgotten…

Her eyes open to the sun streaming in the open window. She’s a bit disoriented. That dream was… very strange. But so real. She laughs softly to herself. What a ridiculous notion. To think she would have married someone like… that. And then to think her family had the power to time travel.

She wraps her cozy robe snugly around herself and heads downstairs to make a pot of coffee.

She finds her father sitting at her kitchen table, already enjoying a cup he had brewed when he arrived, no doubt. He often arrived early on the weekends and made himself at home. She loves how comfortable he is in their home. She wouldn’t have it any other way, really.

But this morning, he gives her an odd, knowing smile. “Good morning, Cat. How are you this fine Saturday morning? You… feeling alright?”

“Sure, Dad! Feeling great! Wait… why are you looking at me that way? What’s going on?”

“Oh… nothing. Really. Just asking.”

She rolls her eyes at him as she answers, “Alright then. Breakfast?”

He nods in the affirmative and she begins to prepare their usual Saturday morning meal. Nothing fancy. Just bacon, eggs, and some toast.

“Is our littlest superhero up and about already?” she asks as she cooks.

“He is. I saw him and his furry sidekick up the hill when I drove in.”

“Excellent. I’ll go call him inside as soon as these eggs are ready. I wonder where his father has gotten off to?” But as she plates the eggs and prepares to go to the door to call her son for breakfast, she hears a ridiculous commotion just outside. Barking. Squealing. Banging. Giggles. What in the WORLD???

“MOM!!!! Mom - LOOK!!!! I got him! I captured the evil villain and saved the city!” Robby races into the kitchen, cape flying, little dog bouncing around his feet, yipping happily. And behind him, his dad limps theatrically as he follows him inside. They look so much alike, it makes her heart swell to see them together.

Robby insists on keeping his soft, black hair the same short style as his dad. And their eyes are the exact same mixture of dark, swirling brown with a little green mixed in around the edges. They smile with the same smile and both have adorable crooked smirks when they are amused. He wants nothing more than to be JUST LIKE his dad. And Catherine has no problem with that. Neal is the most perfect father she could have ever asked for, and he loves her well. Every day.

Her happiness knows no bounds.

As Neal kisses her forehead and grabs a bite of bacon off the plate, she catches her father’s eye. He has a look she has never seen before. Robby and his dad race to wash up before breakfast and her father whispers in her ear, as she takes a seat.

“Isn’t this better? Aren’t you glad you made the change?”

And the truth hits her. She remembers it all.

Everything from before. And now her whole new life.

It wasn’t a dream.

They really did have the ability to travel through time and make things better. And she did it. She made that choice. Took the risk. And now – here she is. Happy. Finally.

AND… she got to keep her son. Only with the dad he should have had to begin with.

This is love. And it is beautiful.