Chapter 15
The sun rose for the start of another day in Burkeville. It was Friday, June 11th.
Darin woke up at nine that morning and was excited about having another day in 1971 with seeing Sheryl. Plus this was his special day.
After Darin took a shower, he got dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a tee-shirt. He went out of his room, got in the Bel-Air, and drove off.
Darin drove off down Marshall Avenue and pulled into the parking lot of Jake’s Country Diner for breakfast.
He entered the diner and was immediately greeted by Gracie. “Welcome back,” she said with a smile. “Follow me,” she added and walked away to the booths along with the windows.
“So, did you get a job yet here in Burkeville?” she asked Darin while he sat down in the booth on the side were he could see the front door.
“A job?” said Darin, and he looked bewildered by her question.
“Yes, a job. You told me yesterday you were looking for a job here in Burkeville.”
“Oh, yes, I did. And no, I haven’t any interviews at the moment,” he said.
Gracie smiled. “Maybe one will come soon. So, would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, ma-am and I’ll have your French toast breakfast.”
Gracie smiled that she understood his order, turned around, and walked away toward the kitchen.
Darin stared out his window by his booth.
After a few seconds of gazing out the window, his eyes widened the second he saw that familiar 1957 Studebaker drive into the parking lot and park.
He saw Dr. Bowman get out of his Studebaker and walk to the entrance of the diner. He got a little nervous.
Gracie walked over and placed a cup of coffee in front of Darin. She heard the front door open and saw Dr. Bowman enter the diner.
“Over here, doctor,” she called out to Dr. Bowman and motioned for him to sit in the booth behind Darin.
Dr. Bowman walked over and sat down behind Darin. He sat to where Darin and Dr. Bowman could make eye contact.
“The usual, Gracie,” Dr. Bowman said from his booth.
Darin drank his coffee and avoided eye contact with Dr. Bowman. So he glanced out his booth window and watched the traffic drive up and down the street.
Gracie brought Dr. Bowman his cup of coffee, then she glanced at Darin. An idea popped in her head, and she leaned down and quietly said something to Dr. Bowman while she discreetly pointed at Darin.
Dr. Bowman motioned he would and then Gracie walked away with a smile. She appeared rough on the outside but inside she had a heart of gold and loved helping people.
Dr. Bowman grabbed his cup of coffee and got out of his booth.
Darin got startled when Dr. Bowman sat down at his booth.
“You startled me.”
“I’m sorry about that. I’m Doctor Ervin Bowman. I’m a Physics professor with the university here in town,” he said and extended out his hand across the table.
“I’m glad to meet you. I’m David Thomas,” he said, and his voice was a tad shaky, as he was nervous.
“Gracie here tells me you’re from Florida and looking for a job teaching history at the university.”
“Yes, sir, I am,” said Darin, surprised.
Dr. Bowman took a drink of his coffee while he glanced at Darin, making the time traveler even more nervous. Dr. Bowman was a tad suspicious of this long-haired stranger, yet he was also curious. “We are in dire need of a new history professor at the university, from what I’m hearing. So I’ll tell you what, why don’t you come down the university this afternoon for an interview? If I like what I hear, I’ll give Doctor Hector Boone, the Dean of the History Department, my recommendation. Then he’ll call you in for an interview,” said Dr. Bowman and he took another drink of his coffee.
Darin stared at Dr. Bowman for a few seconds in disbelief. “Ah, sure. That would be gracious of you,” he said.
“Great, come to my office at the university at the Science and Engineering building at two this afternoon. “I’m on the first floor, office one forty-five,” he said.
“First floor, office one forty-five,” said Darin playing dumb, as he perfectly knew where his office was located.
“Great, I’ll see you then,” said Dr. Bowman, and he got up with his cup of coffee and returned back to his booth.
Gracie brought Darin his plate of French toast then walked away and headed back to the kitchen.
Darin avoided eye contact with Dr. Bowman while he ate, but Dr. Bowman took discreet glances a Darin.
It wasn’t long before Dr. Bowman had his breakfast in front of him.
Darin and Dr. Bowman were quiet while they ate alone.
Ten minutes had passed, and Darin was finished with his breakfast and got up from his booth.
“I’ll see you at two,” he said to Dr. Bowman while he walked by his booth. Dr. Bowman gave Darin a little smile.
Darin headed over to the cash register and paid for his breakfast.
He left the diner, got back in his Bel-Air, and headed back to the motor court.
Once he got back in his room, he lit up a Marlboro and turned on the TV. The Beverly Hillbillies show just started.
He lay on the bed, smoked his Marlboro, and watched TV. While he watched Jed, Jethro, Ellie May, and Granny, he started to get nervous about this job interview but knew he couldn’t blow it off. Doing that would raise suspicions with him suddenly showing up in town. So in his mind, he surmised how the interview would go this afternoon.
It was noon, and Darin didn’t feel like watching TV anymore, as he wasn’t interested in Where the Heart Is show. He got up off the bed and turned off the TV. He still had two hours until his interview and wondered how he could kill some time. His eyes widened with an idea.
He headed to the door and left his room.
Once he got outside, he got inside the Bel-Air, started up the engine, and drove out of the motor court parking lot.
He turned on the radio while he drove west down Marshall Avenue and the song It Don’t Come Easy by Ringo Starr was playing.
Darin drove all the way west on Marshall then turned right on Primrose.
He drove north on Primrose then turned into the parking lot of the A&P.
After he parked his Bel-Air, he headed into the grocery store.
Once Darin stepped inside the A&P, he glanced over at the cashiers. He smiled when his hunch was correct. His mom June was working behind the register for Lane 4.
He walked off into the store.
Five minutes had passed, and Darin had a bag of Lays potato chips and a six-pack of Budweiser beer cans in hand.
He walked over to the registers and stopped. He hesitated and got really nervous when he saw Lane 4.
He walked off to Lane 6, and when he got there, he changed his mind. He walked over to Lane 4, where his mom waited with a warm smile to serve him.
“Hello,” said June when Darin placed his bag of chips and six-pack on the conveyer belt.
“Hello,” said Darin and stared in awe at his mom. He couldn’t believe how young she looked. But when he was a teenager, she looked older. She’s my age. He thought in his head.
June looked at Darin, and there was familiar with this old hippy. She stared at him for a few seconds. Darin? She said in her mind. She shrugged off that feeling, as she knew there was no way this old man was her son. He was off in Ocean City, New Jersey with his friends.
While June rang up the two items, Darin remained quiet. She, of course, took discreet glances at him and that feeling that that old hippy was Darin hit her. But she knew this old man wasn’t her son. After all, he was around her age. “That’ll be one dollar and sixty cents,” she said, looking at her register.
Darin removed two one-dollar bills from his wallet and handed it over to June.
She took the bills and gave him the change.
A young bag boy came over and placed Darin’s chips and beer into a paper bag.
“Thank you for shopping at A&P,” said June and gave Darin a warm smile.
“You’re welcome,” he said then quickly grabbed his paper bag and walked away from her lane.
June turned to her left and watched Darin leave the store. She couldn’t believe how much that old hippy resembled her son. She shrugged it off and waited on her next customer.
Darin stopped in the parking lot and glanced back at the store. He couldn’t believe he saw his young mom again. He smiled while he walked back to the Bel-Air.
Darin got in the car, started it up, and drove out of the lot.
He drove back to the motor court and went back in his room. He immediately lit up a Marlboro and lay on the bed, thinking about seeing his mom.
Darin paced back and forth in his motor court room. He got nervous about his upcoming interview with Dr. Bowman.
One thirty rolled around, and Darin left the motor court and drove over to the university.
He parked the Bel-Air in the Visitor’s lot and headed off to the Science and Engineering building.
Darin walked off to Dr. Bowman’s office and soon stood outside Office 145. He took a deep breath to calm down his nerves and opened the office door and went inside.
Darin’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Jimmy Newton sitting by Dr. Bowman’s desk.
“Welcome,” Dr. Bowman said while he stood up from his desk at the same time, Jimmy stood up from his chair. “Mister Thomas, I would like you to meet a colleague of mine, Jimmy Newton. He teaches history at our local high school.”
Jimmy walked over with a warm smile and extended out his hand. Darin shook it.
Jimmy had this strange feeling he knew this old hippy while their palms touched.
“I’m David Thomas,” said Darin and couldn’t believe his eyes that he stood in front of his old high school history teacher that he admired.
“Do I know you?” said Jimmy while he looked at Darin.
“No, sir. I just arrived in town on Thursday. I came up from Tamps, Florida,” said Darin, and his hands started to sweat from being nervous.
“Please have a seat Mister Thomas,” said Dr. Bowman while he motioned for Darin to sit down at the other empty chair.
Darin sat down in the chair next to Jimmy, who made him uneasy with his interrogating eyes.
“Where did you graduate from college?” said Dr. Bowman.
“Florida State.”
“Good school,” said Jimmy while Dr. Bowman jotted down that fact on a piece of paper.
“Where did you last teach?” said Dr. Bowman.
“Ah, I, taught, I, ah, taught,” said Darin and his mind started to freeze up with trying to find a right answer. “I taught at Florida State also,” he said as that was the best answer he could come up with at the moment.
Dr. Bowman jotted down that information, and Darin noticed.
They were done after asking ten grueling minutes of questions related to history and Darin did great.
“That’s all, Mister Thomas. I’ll let you know of Dean Boone’s response after my recommendation,” said Dr. Bowman while he stood up from his desk.
Jimmy stood up along with Darin.
“How can I reach you?” said Dr. Bowman.
“I’m staying at the Burkeville Motor Court off Marshall,” said Darin.
Jimmy extended out his hand. Darin shook it.
Dr. Bowman extended out his hand. Darin shook it.
“Thank you,” said Darin and walked off to the door.
Dr. Bowman and Jimmy watched while Darin left his office.
“What do you think?” Dr. Bowman asked Jimmy the office door was closed.
“That’s Darin Archer. He’s older, but I know that he’s Darin Archer,” said Jimmy.
“That means he used my time machine,” said Dr. Bowman. “But why did he come back to this time?”
“To observes us again? For historical purposes?” said Jimmy.
“You’re talking Burkeville, Pennsylvania. Who would want to observe us for historical purposes?” said Dr. Bowman then he pondered a reason for a few seconds. His eyes widened. “He must have come back to stop something from happening. Something horrible. But what?”
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“Yes, the daughter of the mayor and rumor is they’re tight,” said Jimmy.
Dr. Bowman thought about this for a few more seconds. “Then he’s here to stop something horrible to happen with his girlfriend,” he said and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that had to be the reason.
“What should we do?” said Jimmy.
“Nothing. We sit back and wait. I don’t want to interfere with his plans. Especially if he’s trying to prevent some horrible accident from happening,” said Dr. Bowman.
Darin got back in his Bel-Air at the Visitor’s parking lot at the university.
He got back behind the wheel and started up the engine. He stared at the campus and wondered if he made a huge mistake. “It’s too late now,” he said when putting the car in reverse, back out of the stall and drove off through the lot.
He stopped at the stop sign at the university entrance and Brightwood Avenue. He turned on the radio and Get Ready by Rare Earth played.
He turned right onto Brightwood and headed north.
He drove straight to Jake’s Country Diner for an early dinner. He had somewhere to be later this evening.
After he went back to the motor court, he used the laundry room and washed his clothes.