On the Island of Yesterday

I never in my wildest dreams ever thought my final moments in this life, I would be sitting behind the steering wheel of my Kia waiting for the police to corner me before opening fire with a barrage of deadly force.  Let’s just say I provoked this while being chased by a patrol unit. I opened fire with my own weapon.  The weapon I used after robbing the First and National Bank on Main. Sitting in my car, I hear every siren in this sinkhole city all responding to 10-22 and 10-31.  I am surrounded.  My final moments of my life have arrived.  I see two cop cars moving at a rapid speed cutting me off so I can’t access a getaway route.  

“Hello there.” A person appears in the passenger’s seat.  I nearly jumped out of my skin. “I see you are in a jam.” 

“What was your first clue?” I glance over and see he’s a pale sort of fellow wearing opaque sunglasses.

“I have a suggestion, Quenton.” He nods.

“How do you know my name?” My jaw drops to my chest.

“Police scanner.” He shakes his head.  “Do you want out?”

“Whadda think?” My voice is heavy with sarcasm. 

One of the advancing policeman has his weapon drawn so he won’t end up like the last guy.

“I don’t know.  That’s why I asked.” He shrugged.

“Yeah, if you can get me out of here, now would be the right time.” I saw the policeman pull the trigger.

I heard the gun being fired, but when I opened my eyes, I was on a tropical island far from the city where I pulled the heist. 

“Welcome Quenton, to the island of yesterday.” He sat on a lounge with a glass with a paper umbrella stuck in the glass.

“Who are you?” I felt the cold on my hand and glanced down.  I had one of those tiki drinks in my hand.

“My name is Vincent Bouglia.” He sipped his drink through a bar straw.

“Where the heck are we, Vincent?” I took a sip of mine.  Rum and coke with a twist of lime.  Smooth.  

“In a safe place, Quenton McCreedy.  There are no policemen shooting at you.” He smiled with a mouthful of crooked teeth.

“First thing I noticed.” I stirred my drink with the straw. 

“I did not have time for any formal introductions, because you seemed to be under duress.” He coughed.

“Yeah, you noticed.” My cheeks reddened a bit.

“What happened?” He inquired.

“Well, my gang initiated me to knock off a bank as part of my initiation.” I sniffed.

“Hmpt, sounds dangerous.” 

“It was.” I shrugged, “I used to be a strong-arm confidence man for Delaney.” I said with a false pride.  Carmen Delaney was one of the toughest hoods in the city, but he felt I had skimmed some of the money off the top when I was running numbers.  The truth of the matter was, he was correct, and I had to disappear for a few weeks. “I was dismissed from Delaney’s syndicate, and I had to move on to another outfit.  Which I did.  Jasper Harding’s Knot Hole Gang.  Jasper Harding’s just a two-bit outfit, but money is money.”

He seemed to be listening.  He paused before speaking, “So, it seems to me, whacha sayin’ is that you have a problem staying on the right side of the law?” 

“You could say that.” I ran my fingers through my well-oiled hair.

“I just did.” He arched an eyebrow. “Now just to let you know, I am in charge of this island, but we have some rules and I need you to sign a contract.”

“Hey, you got me out of a huge jam back there Vincent.” I acknowledged. 

“I run this island to give guys who have run a-foul of the law, one more chance to make things right.” He leaned back in his lounge as the waves ran over the pure white sand.  Palm trees swayed in the gentle ocean breeze. “Here you go.  Sign my contract, Quenton.” 

I glanced at the document he just handed me.  It was a standard contract like so many I had signed in the past.  I did, however, read it over very carefully until the final paragraph seemed to be a sort of double-speak.

“I don’t get this part.” I pointed to where the words seemed to jumble together.  I was shocked to see him remove his shades and put on some reading glasses I had not noticed were hanging around his chicken neck.

“I don’t understand the confusion.” He shook his head.

“The party of the third part hereby agrees to the foundations of the stipulations of the first part…C’mon that’s a bunch of gobble-de-gook.” 

“It simply protects our interests.” He handed me the document back.

“What interests?  Whose interests?”

“Those who work for me on this island.” 

“So Vincent, do I return to where I came from?” 

“Sure, sure, I thought that much was clear.” He stammered a bit.

“When?” 

“Why, the day after tomorrow.” He nodded.

“I apologize if I seem a little dense, but this whole set-up you got here is messing with my practicality.” I rubbed my eyes with my fingers.  I still could not believe I had escaped the situation I was in without a scratch.  Vincent had done me a huge favor, but now I was in a quagmire where nothing seemed to make sense to me. I had been a thug for most of my life.  You could say I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, but I was an apt apprentice to the syndicate.  I did make the mistake of thinking I could outsmart them, but as it turned out, I was just fooling myself.  I did not wish to get caught in the same trap with this guy.  

“I’m out of booze.” Vincent declared as he stood up and walked to a tiki bar I had not seen before.

“Me too.” I followed him to a bar that seemed to appear out of thin air like the Lost Dutchman.  He sat on an empty stool at the bar and I sat next to him.

“This island is paradise, isn’t it?” He put his skinny arms on the counter. 

“Seems so.” I agreed.

“Have you signed the contract?” He asked, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.

“Alright.” I signed at the bottom.  I could not see what on the contract would bite me in the kiester. As I signed, the bartender put a fresh drink in front of me.

“I’ve been on this island for years.” Vincent sighed.

“Wait a second.” I shook my head, “You said this is the island of yesterday.  How come you’re still here?”

“I signed a contract.” He took a sip of his drink.  

“So, I still don’t get it.” 

“What is there to get?  You are on an island that takes you back to yesterday. From here you can change the course of your life.” He nodded.

“How so?” 

“I thought that was obvious.” He chuckled, “Yesterday you were facing your extinction.  I intervened and plucked you out of your peril.” He peered over the rims of his glasses, “For which you never thanked me for.”

“I didn’t.” I stared into my glass, “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome.” He tilted his glass instead of using the bar straw.

“Alright what happens when I leave here?”

He sighed, “You go back to yesterday and start all over again.”

“But won’t it all turn out the same?” I leaned forward and put my elbows on the counter. 

“That my friend, is all up to you.” He glanced over at me. “What will you do differently that will prevent the outcome you were faced with?” He turned his head toward me, his hazel blue eyes seemed to sparkle. 

“I don’t know.”

“How about not robbing the bank?” 

“That's all I know.” I bowed my head.

“Are we not capable of changing the course of our lives?” He pursed his lips together.

“I suppose.” 

“Well, I have given you the means to do just that.” He presented a false smile to me that seemed to speak to me more than his words, telling me that there was another path. Another path to consider that will not lead me to my self destruction.

“When you return, you will return to yesterday.” His voice lowered to a growl, “You have no idea how many people would kill to be in your place.  Think of those whose fate was determined in a single moment.   Forever frozen in that moment when they encountered their outcome.”

I had nothing to say in return.  So, I just slid off my bar stool and walked to the beach as my mind processed everything Vincent had told me.

Yesterday.

What if I had a chance to do it all again?  What would I change? What would I add or take out?  I thought fate hated me.  All my life fate has worked against me.  The road I was traveling on was filled with boobytraps and hazards buried in the road.  You could not avoid all of the pitfalls, but over time you learned different strategies to cope with the outcome.

My father worked in the foundry of a steel mill.  Over time his cough kept getting worse until at fifty, he could barely breath.  I can never forget the whistling sound he made as he took a breath.  As he neared the end, each breath he took was a struggle which he eventually lost. At his funeral, some of his cronies came to pay their condolences.  A couple of them took me aside and told me that I could make a load of money if I joined the syndicate.  So, I did. What choice did I realistically have?  I was a high school drop out.  I had no skills except how to pick locks on cars and safes.

“I am supposed to teach you the tools of the trade.” Boogie Hopkins told me as we arrived at our destination.  We were supposed to break into Hyman’s Jewelry on First Street.  Boogie grabbed the bag with the tools inside.  Under the cloak of darkness, we stood at the front door. “He’s got an alarm.  What would you do?” 

Taking the wire cutters, I snipped the wires connecting the alarm. Using the force of his elbow, Boogie broke the glass.  The glass shattered and Boogie reached in to unlock the door.  I could not believe how easy it was to walk out with a load of cut diamonds. 

“Ya done good, kid.” Boogie slapped me on the shoulder.  From what I was told, he was one of the best B&E experts in the business.  Known as a calm, steady customer, Ernest did two tours in Vietnam and had a dark outlook on life, but he was my mentor and I was really lucky he was.  There were a couple of times we got into a tight spot and Boogie’s cool headedness got us out of it.  I miss him, though.  When the police cruisers were surrounding me, a single thought raced through my head, “What would Boogie Hopkins do?” 

Then this Vincent guy showed up and now here I am.  I look in all four directions, but all I see is the white sandy beach, an azure blue sky and palm trees line up like soldiers waiting to attack.

“You okay?” Vincent smelled of rum.

“Yeah.” I nodded.

“A lot of people come to the island and find that it is difficult to go back and figure out what they need to do to change the direction from the following day.” He shrugged, “I know what you’re going through, but look at this as an opportunity.”

“I just can’t see myself doing what my dad did.” I sighed, “I was there when he just couldn’t take another breath.  He was a good man.  He would be ashamed of me, you know.” 

Vincent tilted his head toward me. 

“Guys in my neighborhood were either working stiffs or-” I bowed my head, “Criminals.” 

“It seems to me, life is all about choices.”

“It is.” I put my hands on my hips. “And all my choices are bad.”

“Are they?” He smiled, “I would not have taken you to this island if you were such a screw up.”

“You made a mistake then.” I shook my head.

“That’s where you are wrong.  I never make a mistake.” He pats me on the shoulder, “I brought you back to change your destiny.” 

“What if it doesn’t change?”

“At least you have a chance. It’s more than most of us get, eh?” He waved his hand.

The world began to swirl and the swirl turned to darkness.

There was a bright light that broke through the darkness.  A voice called out to me, “Mr. McCreedy?”

“Who?” I managed to say, but I knew I was not speaking coherently.  

“This is Doctor Jerrick.  Can you hear me?” The voice asks.

“Sweetie, are you alright?” A female voice asks through the lingering fog.  

“Who?” I try again.  

“It’s me, Cassandra, your wife.” The female voice echoes through the fog.

My wife?  Am I married?  Why don’t I remember?

“Seems to be coming out of the coma.” The male voice reports.

Coma?  What the heck is going on?  Why can’t I open my eyes?

“It may take a while before he completely recovers.” The male voice reports with confidence.

“I went away to the Island of Yesterday.” 

“What is he saying?” The male voice inquires. 

“I don’t know.” Female voice remarks, “Honey, I’m here.”

I feel a hand take my hand in hers. As I feel her hand, the fog begins to dissipate. My eyes focus on her face.  She is attractive with her turned up nose and her sad eyes.  

My wife? What has happened on my return voyage from the island?  

“His eyes are open.” She sounds relieved.

“Mr. McCreedy, this is Doctor Jerrick.” He shines a light in my eyes.  “You have been in a medically induced coma after your car accident.”

Car accident?  What is he talking about?  Hey doc, you’ve got the wrong guy.  I was not in a car accident.  She is not my wife.

“Honey, the driver that hit you was drunk.” She tells me as I lay in the bed groaning.  I am trying to explain that they have the wrong guy.  I must tell them.  I must tell them there has been a mistake.  Did Vincent send me by mistake?

“Mr. McCreedy, please just relax. If you don’t you may injure yourself.” A hand much larger than hers, puts his palm in the middle of my chest.  

The darkness returns as I drift in a weightless vacuum. I am warm and comfortable.

When I feel myself drifting back, I hear voices.  At first the voices seem distant, but as I walk through the darkness, the voices near.

“They say he woke up this afternoon.” I hear a woman’s voice.

“So, what happened?” Another woman’s voice

“Dr. Jerrick thought he needed to go back under the morphine.” 

So, that was it.  He used drugs to keep me quiet.

“Heard they put that bank robber in the morgue.” The first woman said.  Through the haze, I can see she is dressed in scrubs as she folds some linen.  The second woman is checking the medication cabinet.

“Such a shame.  I was hoping he’d recover.” 

Both women left my room.  I saw a locked door near the entrance of my room.  It was an easy lock to pick and when the door opened, I saw a line of scrubs on clothes hangers.  Fighting the dizziness, I grabbed some scrubs my size.

Who was the bank robber they were talking about?  I had to find out. I got to my feet.  My head was spinning as I took a few steps, but I fought off the effects and continued down the hall, moving like Dr. Frankenstein’s monster. 

There was a map of the building.  I checked and saw the morgue was in the basement of the hospital.  I took a ride on the elevator and found the morgue occupying the basement.  The only attendant was sitting in a chair behind a desk, sound asleep.

Without hesitation, I walked into the cool room.  I saw a table with a sheet pulled over whatever was on the table.  I pulled back the sheet and gasped out loud.  It was me lying on the table.  

It was my body.  I ran my hand through my hair. 

“What are you doing here?” The attendant asked as he entered the room.

“I...I…” I bowed my head. 

In the matter of minutes, I was back in my hospital bed, but not before I gazed into a mirror.  It was not my reflection.  Whose face was I wearing? 

“I’m Dr. Channing and I will have to report this to Dr. Jerrick.” He adjusted my IV and the darkness returned.

In the darkness I heard Vinbcent’s laugh.

“Hey Vincent, what did you do to me?” I felt as if I was about to cry. “I have a wife and I’ve been in a coma for the past two months from a car accident.  What’s the idea?  My body is lying under a sheet in the morgue. What the heck happened to me when I left the Island of Yesterday?  You tricked me.  You lied to me. I thought I’d come back as myself, Quenton McCreedy.” 

He stood there with a stupid smile on his face.  He shrugged, “You’re welcome.”