It was seven-thirty that evening.
Harry settled in his favorite chair in the living room and started watching the Gunsmoke TV show. He sipped on his beer while the opening credits began.
Martha sat in her favorite chair and read an Ernst Hemmingway book with reading glasses.
Michael and Abby entered the living room.
"We're going to pick up Jennifer and head on out to Montgomery Wards. Abby needs some new clothes," he told his mom and dad.
"Have a nice time," Martha said while she glanced up over her glasses.
Harry gave them a little wave while his eyes were fixed on the Gunsmoke show with his beer in hand.
Michael and Abby walked to the front door.
He opened the door then Abby stepped outside.
Michael stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
While Michael and Abby walked through Jennifer's front yard, she spotted Jennifer's blue Corvair parked in her carport.
Michael walked Abby to Jennifer's front door. He knocked.
A few seconds passed, and her front door opened, and Jennifer appeared wearing a white blouse and black Capri pants.
"Jennifer, meet Abby Austin. The girl I told you about last night."
Jennifer looked at Abby. She did a double-take, as she could not believe how much Abby resembled her.
"So, Michael tells me you moved up here from Florida?" Jennifer said while she stepped out her front door with a purse strapped around her shoulder. She closed her front door behind her without locking it.
"Yes," Abby replied and looked at Jennifer in awe, as she felt Jennifer resembled her. She also noticed that Jennifer also did not use makeup. She also had a natural beauty about her.
Abby and Jennifer shook hands. While they shook, a strangely warm, tingling feeling went through their body. They both found that odd yet enjoyed the sensation.
Michael noticed that Jennifer was about two inches shorter than Abby.
The three of them walked off through Jennifer's front yard headed to Michael's Bel-Air parked in his driveway.
Michael told me you have an interview as a secretary tomorrow morning."
"Yes I do," Abby replied while it felt beautiful and weird to be talking to Jennifer recalling that old newspaper article.
"I'm also a secretary for Dean Higgins of the Engineering Department. And I heard that you're a part-time swimming instructor?"
"Yes, I am."
"I'm terrified of the water," Jennifer said and had a little body chill while she thought about the idea of swimming.
It was quiet while they walked through Michael's front yard and over to his car in the driveway.
Michael opened up the front passenger door carefully not to ding his dad's two-tone blue 1955 Bel-Air parked next to his car.
Jennifer got inside and scooted over to the middle of the front seat.
Abby looked at the rear door.
Michael motioned for her to get in the front seat.
Abby got in the front seat sitting next to Jennifer.
Michael closed the door and rushed around to the driver's side.
He got in, started up the car, and backed down the driveway.
It was quiet inside Michel's Bel-Air while he drove down Dorothy Avenue.
Michael turned his car left onto Woodland Avenue.
It was still quiet inside Michael's car while he drove down Woodland.
Abby decided to attempt to break the ice. "So, Jennifer. How long have you lived next to Michael?"
"Pretty much my whole life. I was born here in Barbourville, as were my parents," Jennifer replied.
"I was born in Miami, Florida. Mom died when I was a year old. I don't remember much about her. Then dad died in a car accident two years later. My grandparents raised me in Orlando. Then they both died two years ago," Abby said and looked sad.
"Oh, is that why you moved up here?" Jennifer asked and touched Abby's hand.
"No. My boyfriend and I had a little spat a year ago. So he left my apartment mad and drove off in the pouring rain. He got into an accident and didn't make it. So I decided to start my life over somewhere out of Florida. So here I am," Abby said and her eyes welled up a little.
"Mom died when I was four years old. Then dad had a heart attack three years ago and passed away in the hospital. I don't have any brothers or sisters," Jennifer said.
Abby recalled that morning when Michael died from his heart attack in 2010 while she glanced over at him. "Me neither. And no cousins," Abby said while she looked straight ahead at the windshield.
"The same for me," Jennifer said and started to feel like they both had something in common.
Abby started having that strange déjà-vu feeling while she thought about Jennifer's life story.
Michael turned his car right onto Broadmoor Avenue.
Jennifer and Abby were chatty all the way down the street, so Michael turned on his radio.
He softly whistled to the 16 Candles song that played on the radio and tuned out the girl's conservation from his ears. But he was happy they were getting along just fine.
Michael turned left into the Montgomery Wards parking lot.
Jennifer and Abby were still chatty about all kinds of girl stuff. They were becoming the best of friends.
Michael parked his car in a parking spot.
"We're here," he told the girls who stopped talking.
Everybody got out of his car.
Abby looked at the Montgomery Ward store. It looked familiar. It dawned on here that that's where the 84 Lumber Store was located during 2010.
They walked to the front entrance of Montgomery Wards.
A little while later, Abby, Jennifer, and Michael headed to the ladies clothing section of the store.
Michael paced back and forth in the aisle by the clothes while Jennifer and Abby checked out the dresses. He wanted to stay out of their way but also would be clueless with decisions on what dress to buy.
Ten minutes later, and Abby and Jennifer picked out three dresses and three pairs of high heels, a pair of pajamas, and some panties and bras. For some strange reason, both girls had the exact tastes when it came to clothes.
Jennifer and Abby headed to the cashier located by dressing rooms.
Jennifer remembered something when she saw Michael pacing back and forth in the aisle. "You go to the cashier. Michael and I need to look at the lawnmowers. Mine is about to cut its last blade of grass. Meet us over there," Jennifer said then pointed to the area of the store where the Garden Center was located.
"Sure," Abby said.
"Great," Jennifer replied with a warm smile.
She rushed off to Michael.
Abby walked over to the cashier and placed the dresses, shoes, pajamas, panties, and bras on the counter.
The cashier started ringing up her items.
"That will be thirty-one dollars and forty-three cents," the cashier told Abby.
Abby reached into her purse, removed her two twenty-dollar bills, and handed them to the cashier.
The cashier placed them in the cash register and gave Abby her change.
Abby dropped the change in her purse while the cashier placed the clothes in a paper bag.
Abby grabbed the bag and headed off in the direction of the Garden Center.
Abby saw Michael and Jennifer checking out a red push mower while she walked up to them.
Jennifer glanced over at Abby and smiled. "Michael and I were thinking of stopping off at the diner for some coffee and pie,"
"That sounds good," Abby replied.
"We'll come by next week and get the mower," Michael told Jennifer.
"Let's get some dessert," he told the ladies.
The three of them headed out of the Garden Center.
They headed through the aisles to the front entrance of the store.
A little while later, Michael turned his Bel-Air left into the parking lot of the Barbourville Diner where the words "Barbourville Diner" was lit up in red neon lettering.
Later in the diner, Abby sat on one side of the booth while Michael and Jennifer sat on the other side of the booth.
Abby faced in the direction of people entering through the entrance in the middle of the diner.
Michael ordered coffee with cherry pie where Jennifer and Abby ordered their favorite coffee with apple pie a la mode.
"Dad started working at the General Motors plant the day it opened. It was a better job than working at the steel mill up in Hampton," Michael said then took a bite of his cherry pie.
"My dad and Michael's dad were also high school buddies. My dad also started working at the plant after it opened," Jennifer added then took a drink of coffee.
Abby looked at them and had another strange déjà-vu feeling. She shrugged it off and took a bite of her apple pie.
"Then in forty-three, the plant started production of Army trucks for the war," Michael added.
Abby glanced over at the entrance to the diner the second Kenneth, still twenty-seven years old, stepped inside the diner.
He took a look down his left, and his eyes lit up the second he spotted Abby's pretty face.
He rushed down the diner to her direction.
"Jennifer. You dyed your hair, and where're your glasses?" Kenneth asked while he approached the booth.
Abby looked up at Kenneth, and something about him seemed familiar.
Michael's ears perked up when he heard that familiar voice. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kenneth. "Hey, buddy."
Kenneth looked a little confused for a second when he saw Jennifer sitting next to Michael on the other side of the booth. He looked back at Abby. "You're not Jennifer."
"Abby Austin, meet Kenneth Mueller," Michael said.
Abby's ears perked up when she heard Kenneth's name. She remembered him back in 2010 when he visited Michael's funeral viewing. She noticed that Kenneth still had those acne pot marks on his cheek but not the red bulbous nose.
Kenneth looked in awe at Abby, and he was instantly smitten. He gave Abby a little tap on her left shoulder to slide across the seat.
She slid across the seat to the window along with her pie and coffee.
"I swore she was Jennifer," he said while he sat down.
"We all did," Michael said.
"Amazing," Kenneth replied while he looked over at Abby, making her feel uncomfortable.
"Michael, while I'm here, the guys are ready for your bachelor party on Friday night."
Michael does not look thrilled about the idea of a bachelor's party.
"We'll start around nine," Kenneth said then he looked at Abby while she took another bite of pie. "So, what's your story?"
"She arrived in town on Sunday and moved up here from Orlando," Michael said.
"How did you meet Michael?" Kenneth asked while he stared at Abby, making her nervous.
"Sorry Abby, but sometimes he can't stop being a detective," Jennifer said then she took a drink of her coffee.
Abby started feeling an uneasy feeling with Kenneth.
"She fell in the rain down the street from my house. I took her to the hospital. She's staying at my house until she gets a place of her own."
"Fell in the rain? What were you doing walking out in the rain? I recall we had a bad storm Sunday night," Kenneth asked with his best integrator's stare.
"I arrived at the bus station Sunday night, and then got lost trying to find a hotel," Abby replied while she avoided eye contact with Kenneth.
"Got lost from the bus station," Kenneth said then looked up at the waitress that just walked up to their booth.
"Your usual?" the waitress asked.
"Yeah. Coffee and Shoofly pie," Kenneth said while he looked up at the waitress.
The waitress nodded, then walked away.
Kenneth returned his eyes to Abby.
"I got her an interview for a secretary's job at the college in the morning," Michael said to get Kenneth's prying eyes off of Abby, as he could sense it made her feel uncomfortable.
Kenneth looked at Michael.
"She's staying at our house in my room."
"In your room with you?" Kenneth said while he glanced at Jennifer for her reaction.
"No. I'm sleeping on the couch."
Jennifer sensed Abby felt uncomfortable. "Enough of the questioning," Jennifer said and gave Kenneth serious eyes that she meant it.
Kenneth motioned he would then he turned and looked at Abby. He extended his hand out as a friendly gesture. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Abby. And welcome to Barbourville."
Abby shook his hand. Kenneth quickly turned her hand and kissed the top of it.
Kenneth winked at Michael.
The waitress brought Kenneth his Shoofly pie and cup of coffee.
Abby looked at Michael with a look that she wanted to leave.
Michael saw them and motioned at Jennifer they should leave. Jennifer nodded in agreement.
"Well, Kenneth, we better get going," Michael said then got out of the booth.
Jennifer scooted across the seat and got out of the booth.
Abby looked at Kenneth, who blocked her way out of the booth.
Kenneth saw Michael and Jennifer standing by the booth. He got out of the booth and stood by Jennifer. He watched while Abby scooted across the seat and got out of the bench.
"I'll see you later," Michael said.
Kenneth nodded, but he kept his eyes on Jennifer and Abby.
He stood by the booth and watched while Abby, Jennifer, and Michael headed to the diner entrance.
He sat back down in the booth and took a bite of his Shoofly pie while he kept an eye on the entrance.
Abby, Jennifer, and Michael walked out of the diner.
"I think Kenneth likes you," Michael said while they walked to his Bel-Air.
Abby glanced over her right shoulder and saw Kenneth at the booth staring at them from the window. She still felt uneasy about him.
The three got inside Michael's Bel-Air.
He started it up, backed out of the parking spot, and drove off heading to Shady Hill Avenue.
A little while later, Michael pulled his car back in his driveway and parked next to his dad's Bel-Air.
He got out and rushed over to the passenger side of the car. He immediately opened up the passenger door.
Abby and Jennifer got out.
Jennifer looked at Abby with a warm smile. "I'm so glad I finally got a chance to meet you," she said then gave Abby a little hug.
While they hugged, Abby got a strange warm tingling feeling like she and Jennifer were somehow connected.
Jennifer separated from Abby. "I'll see you later," she said then turned her eyes to Michael.
Michael gave her a kiss on the lips.
After they kissed, Jennifer looked at Abby and gave her a little good-bye wave.
She turned around and rushed off through Michael's yard to her house.
Michael walked to the rear of his car and opened the trunk. He reached inside and grabbed Abby's shopping bag from Montgomery Wards.
He closed the trunk.
Michael had her shopping bag while they walked to his front door.
Michael and Abby entered the living room where Martha already had the couch made up in a bed for Michael.
"Mom's always on top of things," he said the second he saw couch.
"Well, goodnight, Abby," Michael said, then had this strange urge to kiss her. He blushed a little feeling guilty about his urge. He handed her the shopping bag.
Abby took the bag. "Goodnight," she said, and she also had this strange urge to kiss him. She blushed a little feeling guilty about her urge.
Abby turned around and headed to the hallway.
Michael watched her and could not figure out why he felt like he has known her all his life. He shrugged off that feeling and looked at the couch where he saw his folded up pajamas.
Back in Michael's bedroom, Abby walked over to the closet where the door was opened. She saw Michael's clothes pushed over to the left side of the closet, and there were empty hangars on the right side. She knew those hangars were meant for her.
She walked over to the closet with her shopping bag and started hanging up the dresses she bought. When we got everything hung, she left her panties and bras in the bag. She removed her pajamas out of the bag, then tucked them under her left armpit.
On the floor, she saw a box with all those toy airplanes she saw in that photo from the album. She picked up the B-17 airplane out of the box. She held it up in the air and flew it around a little pretending this was how Michael played as a boy. She placed it back in the box.
She looked at another box to the left and saw a Gilbert Erector set in the box with numerous steel cars, trucks and busses.
She figured he tucked them away since he grew up.
Abby turned her eyes out of the closet. She saw a portable electric phonograph on top of the dresser with a small stack of 45 records by it in their paper jackets.
She walked over to the dresser and looked at the phonograph and small stack of records.
She picked up the record on top and looked at it. It was 16 Candles by The Crests.
Abby started humming part of that song while she looked at the record. She placed it to the side then picked up another record.
It was Kansas City by Wilbert Harrison.
Abby started humming part of that song while she looked at the record. She also loved the version The Beatles recorded. She placed it to the side then picked up another record.
It was The Twist by Chubby Checker.
Abby started humming and moving her hips in a twisting motion while she looked at the record. She placed it to the side then picked up another record.
It was Angel Baby by Rosie and The Originals.
Abby could not resist. She opened up the phonograph lid then removed the record from its jacket.
She placed the record on the turntable and turned in on.
She moved the needle to the beginning of the record then immediately turned down the volume. She did not want to wake up Martha from her bedroom across the hallway.
She softly sang out the lyrics to Angel Baby while she started undressing.
A little while later, Abby had the records back in a stack and the phonograph lid closed.
She lay in the under the bed covers in her pajamas and stared at the ceiling.
She had another strange déjà-vu feeling while she glanced around his bedroom. But she also had a good feeling about Michael.
Her eyes widened a little and wondered if that time machine would return on Saturday. For a second she was worried it wouldn't then again she thought that living in 1961 would not be that bad.
She closed her eyes and wondered what tomorrow would bring.