A Time to Remember

Lindy’s Sweet Shoppe was the mom and pop store that had been on Main Street since 1971. One of the magical things about it was that in 2025, it looked almost exactly as it had in the seventies. Pink and white stripes adorned the store in the form of balloons, streamers and wallpaper. One wall had loose candy that could be filled in bags and weighed. Another had rows and rows of chocolate bars. The counter had gum, hard candies and even a few penny candies (although they now cost thirty-five cents).

The centerpiece was a table with all the most elusive candy around, some in newly released retro wrappings.

And to the left of the counter was the bakery/ice cream section. Treats of all kinds filled the glass shelves and all were delicious according to the locals. By the bakery, there were round tables and metal round backed chairs and even two booths against the wall for the super lucky.

Anissa Smith, a regular of the shoppe, was one of the lucky ones that day. She’d grabbed a booth right before a mother with her young daughter got it. Feeling slightly guilty for taking a seat from a child, Anissa persuaded herself not to fret. Now they were taking a seat at one of the charming little tables.

“Mommy, this looks just like the one at home!” Anissa heard the child say. She looked no more than six years old.

“It does look like Brannigan’s, Missy, you’re right,” the mother answered as she looked around more closely.

Odd, pondered Anissa, I thought this type of shoppe was unique in this day and age.

Missy was wearing an old-fashioned green dress, complete with white tights and shiny, patent leather Mary Jane shoes. Her blond hair was tied up in a long, high ponytail with two large beads that resembled green marbles at the top.

Lindy’s had a strict no technology policy for those who chose to eat inside. Only emergencies were to bring out the cellphones, yet they made appearances every day by customers with non-urgent situations. From her vantage point alone, Anissa could see two tables using them. She found it refreshing when she heard the child in green ask her mother what they were. But her mother’s response elicited a slightly different reaction in her.

“How curious!” The mother was saying now. “I don’t know what those little devices are. I thought they were calculators at first, but they’re not.”

Anissa couldn’t help herself and stepped over to the table. She was intrigued.

“Umm, excuse me, Ma’am,” she was saying to the lady now, “but would you like to trade your table for my booth?” Seeing the look of happiness on the child’s face, Anissa knew she’d done right. Uncertain if her next question was proper, she added, “Ma’am, I hope I’m not being rude but…don’t you know what a cellphone is?”

The woman stood up from her chair, looking surprised. Anissa was noticing that she was also strangely clad in retro fashion, when her thoughts were interrupted, “I’m sorry…a what?”

Feeling her stomach sink, although unsure why, something told Anissa to drop the subject. She mumbled an apology and then simply offered them her booth once more.

Grateful, the woman thanked Anissa politely and took her daughter to the booth.

* * * * * * * * *

Kathy Lindy was getting ready to close up the family shop when a mother and daughter stepped through the door.

“Why, hello,” she smiled at the young child. And then to her mom, “I remember you from yesterday. It’s so nice to see you back so soon!”

“Thank you. My name is Susan McDonough. This is my daughter, Missy. Your place is the only one that reminds us of home,” Mrs. McDonough smiled and Kathy liked her right off.

“Well, that’s what we’re here for!” Kathy exclaimed, “We love bringing folks back to simpler times.”

Kathy Lindy noticed the clothing of the two customers for the first time. The mother - Susan - was wearing clogs and a wraparound skirt with printed flowers in a depressing brown color. The child was dressed in a collared button-down sweater with a blue skirt and knee socks. Both looked about fifty years behind the times. Kathy figured they liked this shoppe due to their apparent longing for the past. She was curious about the pair and decided to inquire a little. “I’m surprised I’ve never seen you here before. Ever since my Dad retired, I work a lot of hours. Do you live here in Connecticut?”

Susan explained that they were on a special little vacation - just the two of them. “We aren’t planning to move here or anything. We are from Connecticut, but we’re, uh…not exactly from this part.”

Kathy thought looked at their garments once more, “Did you get those lovely clothes from a thrift shop?”

Susan looked momentarily insulted and then told Kathy that they bought most of their clothes from Sears.

“Where’s there a Sears now? Didn’t they all go out of business a few years ago?”

Susan and Missy exchanged a look. What a precocious little girl, thought Kathy now. Both she and her mom seemed to know something that Kathy didn’t.

“Are you kidding? They’re everywhere. Want to come with me to one now?”

Kathy did want to; she’d love to see this woman materialize a store that had been closed for seven years. “If you’ll give me a few minutes to close up the store a few minutes early, I’m happy to go with you.”

Susan and Missy waited. When Kathy was finally finished cleaning and putting everything in place for the following day, she turned to them. “Okay, I’m ready!”

Walking towards the door, Kathy looked back to see that neither Susan nor Missy were following her. In fact, they were walking towards the small cluster of tables.

Missy pointed to the wall. “This way,” she said almost mechanically, as if in a trance. What an odd child.

Kathy suddenly felt the urge to follow the girl and her mother as the two walked closer and closer to the pink-and-white striped wall. “Come and see,” Susan smiled pleasantly and Kathy made a snap decision to do just that. Missy felt along the wall with her right hand, as if seeking something out. Closing her eyes, she continued with circular motions against the wall until something made way. To Kathy’s astonishment, the wall seemed to melt back in one particular spot. It opened like some sort of portal, but didn’t have an intimidating feel at all. Just the opposite, the new pathway felt welcoming.

* * * * * * * * *

As was the daily habit, Anissa Smith came back to Lindy’s Sweet Shoppe the following day. To her surprise, the elderly Jonny Lindy was working the register.

She smiled and greeted the senior Mr. Lindy. “Hi Jonny. Did Kathy finally decide to take a break? She works herself to the bone.”

“I guess she must have,” answered Kathy’s dad, looking a little concerned. “She called me from a pay phone this morning, if you can believe that. And told me she was taking the day off.” He looked at Anissa, perplexed, “Can you imagine my responsible daughter behaving that way?”

“It’s surprising, but I’m sure she didn’t mean to put you out,” Anissa reassured Jonny. “I’m happy that your daughter’s getting a break. How do you feel about coming out of retirement to work a candy counter?”

Jonny beamed at the twenty-something girl whom he’d known since she was yea high. “You can’t take the candy out of the Lindy family. You can’t even take candy from a Lindy baby.” He laughed at his own joke, coughing as he did so. “T’was strange, though,” the man continued now, “Hearing an operator ask for change on a pay phone. Brought back vivid memories of my own youth.”

“I’ll bet it did! Pay phones seem so cool. I saw one at the library, although that one doesn’t work, just there as a relic of the past.”

“So funny how times change. That’s why we’ve worked so hard to keep this shoppe as close to its original state as possible. It takes more work than you may realize.” Mr. Lindy looked pointedly at Anissa.

Suddenly they heard a banging sound against the wall. Nobody was in that area yet, as it was morning and the shoppe had recently opened. Jonny looked concerned and Anissa went silent. The noise occurred again and Jonny started over to see what was happening. Just then, to Anissa’s utter astonishment, Kathy Lindy strolled through the wall dressed in 1970s attire.

“Kathy!” her father was shook.

“Hi Dad! Sorry, but I had a little trouble finding the portal opening at first.”

“The…portal…” Jonny’s jaw dropped to the floor and Anissa joined the two as they all looked into the amazing, glowing gateway.

“I’ll bet you didn’t know we had something like this in our store, Dad!” Kathy grinned in her new seventies clothing. Despite the burnt orange and brown colors, Anissa was noticing that Kathy’s outfit was really quite pretty.

But this time it was Kathy’s jaw that dropped when Jonny told both women that he already knew about the portal. “I was afraid for you to try it, Kath. Afraid you might not want to come back and…maybe not even know where you were. Where did you go? I’m so glad you’re alright!”

Kathy explained that the portal allowed for time-travel. “It took me back to the seventies, Dad. I don’t know how to get to other time periods besides that, or if we can, but this took me through a living room wall in a family’s home…fifty years ago. We went to Sears and I got these really far out clothes!” Hearing her own vintage slang, Kathy apologized, “Sorry guys. It’s so easy to pick up nineteen seventies lingo when you were just there.”

A moment later, Susan and Missy came through the portal. Anissa recognized them immediately. So did Kathy. And so did her father.

“Susan! Missy!” cried Jonny Lindy now, “You came back!” Jonny turned to Kathy and explained, “I haven’t seen Missy since she was two.”

Seeing the questioning look on his daughter’s face, Mr. Lindy explained, “Kathy, you’d better sit down. Obeying silently, Kathy sat at one of the booths and her father took a deep breath. “This is your half sister, Susan. And her daughter, Missy, is my granddaughter, your niece.”

The color drained from Kathy’s face, “How can this be?” she looked as though she might faint.

“Kathy,” said Jonny now, “I never wanted you to use the portal, but I’ve used it. I guess that’s makes me a hypocrite. But I wanted to explore and see where it would go. It took me back to 1971, to a shop much like this one. But that shop had a secret, too. There was an opening in that wall, as well. Being built in the late 1940s, it took me to that time. And I met the first woman I’d fallen for since your mother.” A tear rolled down Jonny’s cheek, but he forced himself to continue, “Laurine wanted to get married, so we went to a justice of the peace. She had Susie, er, Susan, soon after.”

“Where was I when you were married to some woman from another era?” Kathy demanded. Her anger was very apparent.

“You have every right to be upset, Kath,” he said now. “Remember the five months you spent with your grandparents?” Kathy nodded silently. “You were ten years old and very independent. I checked in on you every day via telephone. The night you went to the hospital with a ruptured appendix, I knew I had to come back. You were so sick and so scared. And so I went through the gateway to the old store in the seventies. And then went through that portal back to here.”

“Why didn’t you ever call me? Why just check in with Grandma and Grandpa?” Kathy was looking more sad than angry now.

“This is the most shameful part, Kath. I don’t even want to say it. But I can’t be a coward any longer. I at least owe you that much.”

Kathy looked expectantly at her father. He continued, “I was literally torn between two worlds. I had you in the future, or I guess I mean the present. And I had Laurine with a baby on the way in the present, or I suppose that would be the past. I wanted to be a family, but Laurine wanted to stay in her own timeline. You had so many friends, Kathy. Loved your grandparents so much and were settled in your own life. I would never take you from all that, but was still selfish enough to start a love affair with Laurine. She was just so special… but I was selfish. I know that, Kath.”

“You’re right. You were selfish, Dad. But at least you came home to me. And the situation was…more than a little complicated.” Kathy seemed as though she couldn’t fathom what was happening, even after her own short journey to the past. This was even more to take in.

Her father continued, “I visited your mother. And Susan, after she was born. But when the second store closed, the one with the portal to the forties, I could no longer make those visits. But there was eventually a house built where that store was and I was able to drop in that way. You wouldn’t believe it, but it was Susie’s house! By then, Susie had grown up and had a baby of her own,” he looked over lovingly at his grandchild, “little Missy here.”

Susan spoke for the first time since her second arrival, “Dad stopped visiting us four years ago, Kathy. He called and told us of his ill health, that it was real touch and go for awhile. He explained that he didn’t want to exert himself and visit until he felt stronger. He had also told me about you - long ago - so I knew who you were. And I was terrified to go through that portal, but…I wanted to see Dad and meet my big sister. Or am I the big sister since I was born in an earlier year? In any case, Missy insisted on coming, too. That was our vacation I was telling you about. Once this one sets her mind to something, that’s it. She’s like a little adult in some ways”, Susan smiled at her young child.

“May I call you Auntie Kathy?” Missy asked excitedly now that the cat was out of the bag. Her mother shushed her and gave her a warning look.

“No, Susan, it’s fine. In fact, it’s more than fine.” Then turning to Missy, “Yes, little Missy, you may calm me Auntie Kathy. In fact, I think that sounds nice.” Turning back to Susan, Kathy said, “I never had a little girl of my own and am happy to be an aunt. I’m also happy to be a sister and happy to be able to travel in a whole new way. How many people get the chance to experience time travel!”

Anissa had been standing there feeling awkward during what was obviously a family moment, but she was transfixed by the time-traveling portal. Susan turned to look at her now and thanked her for offering her seat the other day. “In today’s world,” she began, “Little things like that really matter. And,” she added with a chuckle, “I learned what a cellphone is!”

“What time period do you like better?” Anissa asked her curiously. “This one with all our technology or your own?”

“Wellll,” Susan paused as if not wanting to offend anyone. “I like the Information Age that you live in, but it’s a little too fast and impersonal for me. It makes me a little sad to see that Missy’s future will be so…” she fought for the right word, “…contactless, I guess. People here don’t interact the way they do in my own time.”

“Well, you have a portal now to keep time traveling if you want to,” Anissa pointed out.

“You know, I’ve been researching that,” Susan said slowly. “Since there is so much information here, I may spend a little more time Goggling it.”

Missy, ever the precocious child, giggled, “That’s Googling, Mommy!”

“Oh, right. Googling.”

“You want to find more ways to travel to different times?” her newfound sister asked.

“I really do. There’s so much about this world that we don’t know. Even in your technologically advanced time. We still don’t know. And I’d like to learn more. It’s fascinating.”

Missy started jumping up and down, “Me too! I wanna learn!”

Everyone laughed.

Taking Missy by the hand, Kathy showed her the old-fashioned candy. “We have better candy at home,” Missy said. Then, “Hey, maybe I could bring you some! You could sell it here and really make people remember how it was!”

Jonny looked impressed. “That’s not a bad idea, young lady,” he told his granddaughter. “Right before you arrived, I was telling our friend Anissa here that keeping this store old-fashioned was pretty difficult. But I think your idea will make it much easier.”

The family closed the store for the morning and discussed future (and past!) plans. Their new life may have been a confusing one, but it was more exciting and optimistic than most.

As Susan took Missy back through the portal for her ballet lesson in 1975, Kathy smiled at her father. Both knew they would be back.