Time Difference

I stretched my arms as I stepped out of the jet bridge and into the Beijing Capital Airport. Ah, home sweet home, I thought. After being an exchange student in a foreign country for a whole school year, it was nice to return to familiar ground. And, of course, with familiar ground comes familiar people. Unknown to my family, school had ended earlier than scheduled, so I took this as a perfect opportunity to come back and surprise them. I couldn’t wait to see my grandparents, parents, and little sister again. To play mahjong with my grandparents, to taste my mom’s homemade soup, to play soccer with my dad, and to be propelled to the floor by my sister’s bear hugs.

 As I walked through the airport, I began to feel a strange sensation build up inside. It felt like time around me was slowing down. It made me feel a bit dizzy. However, the feeling only lasted for a brief moment, so I chalked it up to be jet lag or just nerves and brushed it off. After doing the whole customs and baggage claim routine, I pulled out my phone to check time before realizing that my phone hadn’t auto adjusted from Cali time to Beijing time yet. Being me, lazy, however, I decided to just do the math in my head and fix my phone manually later. 10:08pm, Wednesday, May 27, 2020, it read. That means that it would be 1:08pm on a Thursday here. It was perfect, my little sister, Victoria, wouldn’t be home from school for another two hours or so depending on whether or not she decides to play with her friends. That gave me time to relax for a bit and maybe even grab a Starbucks before I set out for home. 

The two hours that consisted mostly of laughing at fail compilations passed fairly quickly. Recognizing that it was time for me to leave the airport, I gathered my belongings and headed out. Once outside the airport, I took out my phone to order a taxi. Shortly after I pressed the Order Taxi button, the icon for a Tesla Model 3 popped up. In confusion, I checked what setting I was on; I was sure I picked a normal car, not a luxury one. And I was right, I did pick the normal setting. Maybe it was a bug in the system? I thought before trying again. This time, it was a Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

“What’s with all the high class cars today?” I mumbled to myself as I cancelled the order and tried again. A Lexus RS. 

“What makes you think that I can afford this stuff?” I whispered aggressively to my phone. One more time. If it’s still some sort of wealthy car, just take it. After pressing the Order Taxi button for the last time, I saw an Audi RX icon turn up on my screen. Sighing dejectedly, I went through with the reservation.

When I got in the car, I asked the driver if there was some sort of problem with the system because I was pretty certain that I ordered a regular taxi. All I got from him was an eyebrow raise and a curt “this is a regular taxi”, which just added on to my confusion.

The ride consisted of nothing but a 30 minute long silence; no music, no talking. I’d be lying if I said the awkwardness wasn’t suffocating. One unbearably long drive later, we arrived.

“How much?” I asked, squeezing my eyes shut and bracing myself for a number that I knew would leave a significant dent in my wallet.

“53 RMB” My eyes shot open in surprise.

“5-53 RMB?” I confirmed in disbelief. The driver nodded nonchalantly. Thats, like, seven dollars. Though, I’m not arguing. I thought as I passed the cash to the driver. 

Taking my first step out of the car, I couldn’t help but smile. There, in front of me, stood my house. The one I grew up in. Everything was in its place. But why did looking at such a familiar scene suddenly feel so foreign? Everything looked the same, but I just felt like something was off; irregular. Was it just the excitement? Nonetheless, I prepared myself to knock on the door. After taking a few deep breaths, I lifted my hand and knocked three times. A few seconds passed before I heard a voice shout,

“I’ll get it!” my brows furrowed as the voice I heard was one I’d never heard before. They probably invited someone over. I concluded. I smiled as memories of how my parents loved to have people over filled my head; I couldn’t wait to see them again. I was snapped out of my thoughts as I heard the door swing open. My smile faltered, however, as the woman who answered the door wasn’t anyone I knew. Quickly, I averted my eyes as perplexity began to build up inside me. Was I at the wrong house? No, I’m pretty sure I’d know where I was raised.  When I looked back up, I was met with a pair of teary eyes that looked as if they’d seen a ghost. Slowly, the woman, who looked a bit younger than me, opened her mouth,

“M-Michelle?” she choked, her voice breaking. My eyes widened in surprise.

“Do...do I know you?” I questioned hesitantly. Maybe she was an old friend that I had forgotten? I suddenly grew concerned as I watched tears begin to stream down the woman’s face.

“Michelle it’s me!” she motioned to herself frantically,

“It’s me, Victoria!” My heart dropped.

“I’m sorry?” 

“Michelle it’s Victoria! Do you remember me?” I was frozen in place, stunned.

“How-” I began before looking around. Was I being filmed? Was this some sort of prank show?

“Is it really you, Michelle?” the woman pleaded as she brushed my face with her hands. I nodded in shock. The woman then began to break down and engulfed me in a tight bear hug. A hug that I knew all too well. It really was her, my little sister.

“We thought you were dead,” Victoria sobbed “we all thought you died!” I stayed silent in shock. A short moment consisting of the sound of Victoria’s whimpering passed before,

“Victoria...how long has it been?” which was the only thing I could muster as I held her gingerly. 

“Eight years. You’ve been gone for eight years” she wailed into my shoulder. That’s when everything hit me. Why everything felt the same yet so different. Why that “luxury” car ride seemed so cheap. Eight years had passed. That’s when I realized I was the one out of place.

When I pulled out my phone, I saw that it had adjusted to the time:

 3:57pm, Thursday, May 28, 2028.