Despite the chilly air, Teddy and I were warm and toasty under the covers. I wished I remembered things the way Teddy did. My hands glided down his hot, sweaty back. Squeezing his ass, I responded to his kisses. He broke away to kiss my neck, rocking me, his dick throbbing inside me. He sat up, bringing me with him. "Is this good?" he asked, letting the blankets fall off our bodies.

"Oh, yeah, it's good," I said.

Chilly air? What chilly air? The room was steamy. He slid his hands under my ass, propping me up on his lap, his dick still up there. I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my lips on his neck, muffling my sounds. He brought his lips back to mine, grasping clumps of my hair. His lips quivered, moaning and grunting.

After he finished, he rested his head on my shoulder, his heart beating fast against mine. "I don't belong here, Eric," he said. "I was born way too early."

"Or I was born too late."

"No, you were born in the right time," he said. "You'd never survive here. I wish I could be like you. Hmm... how did you say it? I wish I could be out of the cellar."

I fought back a laugh. "Out of the closet," I corrected him.

"Right. Out of the closet."

"When's your birthday, anyway?"

"January 12, 1913."

"So you'd be a hundred and ten years old. That's fucked up. I was born eighty years after you, but I'm eight years older than you right now. I'll be thirty-one on July 4th. I wonder why I was brought to 1935. Why not 1940 or 1950? And why were you brought to 2014? What's so special about that year?"

"I've been trying to figure that out, too. That's why we need to talk to that lady."

"Did you have a job in 2014?"

"I can't remember."

"Did you live with me and my family?"

"I can't remember that, either."

"But you remember television, cell phones, and me."

"And everyone had cars. I can't even drive."

Teddy gently guided me off him and lay beside me, his arm draped comfortably around my shoulders. "How did your sister die?"

"She had breast cancer."

"And your mother?"

"She had a lot of medical issues... like diabetes, obesity, asthma, COPD... there's a virus that's sort of like the flu and very contagious. Some people get really sick from it; others don't. I got it and I didn't even know I had it. My mom got it in the beginning and didn't make it."

"A pandemic like the Spanish flu?"

"Yeah... a virus that spread all over the world. Countries shut down, trying to prevent the spread. It sucked."

"Did your father get it, too?"

Erin and I rarely talked about our father's death. When I was nine, he fell off a ladder and injured his back. A doctor prescribed him Oxycontin to help deal with the pain. He developed an addiction and accidentally overdosed when I was thirteen. "No, he died long before the virus was a thing. He died of an accidental drug overdose."

"That's awful. I hope the druggist got fired." The opiate epidemic was too complicated to discuss, so I let Teddy believe the 'druggist' (i.e. pharmacist) gave him too much medication. Teddy always asked follow up questions. "What was the medication for?"

"Pain."

"Like aspirin?"

"No. Something much stronger... like heroin or morphine. I'd rather not talk about it."

"Sorry," he said, stroking my arm.

"It's okay," I said, rolling on top of him. "Enough talking. Did anyone ever tell you that you're a great kisser?"

"No."

"And you're an amazing lover. I wish I could take you back with me. Maybe I could fold you up and stick you in my suitcase."

"Do you think I could go back with you?"

"Would you really come with me and leave your family?"

"I don't belong here," he said. "You didn't come here to teach. You already do that back home."

"But I'm having a good time teaching here."

"I'm gonna beat the truth out of Jimmy," he said as I kissed his neck.

I planted kisses all over his chest and stomach. I didn't want to talk anymore.

"Don't you want answers?" he said. "I want to..." My tongue on his dick distracted him. "You're so good at this." He inhaled deeply as I took his dick in my mouth, reaching up his chest. "Please fold me up and stick me in your suitcase." He pushed my head down on him, causing me to gag. He apologized, but did it again. Just because I gagged didn't mean I didn't like doing it. Grasping a clump of my hair, he yanked my head back and kissed me hard on my lips. Our talking ended for the night and our love making resumed.

With a mere three hours of sleep, both me and Teddy could barely keep our eyes open at breakfast. "You two look terrible," Margaret said. "What did you do last night?"

"Grade papers," I said, bringing a cup of coffee to my lips. A strong cup of black coffee would give me the boost I needed for the day. Teddy rarely drank coffee, but he drank it this morning.

"Was Teddy bothering you again?" Mrs. McDonough asked.

"I can only work in my space," Teddy said.

"Then what do you do when you go to work every day?" she continued.

"I gather information." Teddy had an answer for everything. "I write better in my space."

Jimmy walked with me and Teddy again, his distrust obvious. His eyes shifted suspiciously back and forth between me and Teddy. After our disheveled appearances this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if he sensed the secrets we shared in the attic. No one would dare speak of it.

Whenever Teddy was strangely quiet, something was about to happen.

And I was right.

Teddy abruptly clutched the back of Jimmy's coat and hauled him towards a nearby alley, the smell of garbage heavy in the air. In 2023, heroin addicts loitered in this alley. There were no addicts today, only homeless individuals huddled together at the far end. Teddy, his temper flaring, hurled Jimmy against the brick building. Before Jimmy could react, he punched him, knocking him to the ground. I didn't expect Teddy to become this violent.

"Tell us who paid you," Teddy demanded as Jimmy staggered to his feet.

"Have you lost your mind?" Jimmy said, wiping the blood off his lip. "Why do you care about a weird lady who pays me to pick up weird people?"

"Who's the weird lady?" Teddy asked, panting and fuming in anger, ready to attack him again.

"I dunno," he said.

"You're lying," Teddy said. "You look away when you lie. There was a taxi... I've been in it, so tell us what you do know."

"You've been in the taxi cab? When?"

"I have no idea," Teddy said. "I thought it was all a dream. Tell us who she is and where to find her. Just spit it out."

Teddy raised his fist as if he was about to hit him again. If I was Jimmy, I would have retaliated with a punch to his stomach or his nose, but Jimmy didn't fight back.

"You wanna know who she is? Fine, I'll tell ya," he said. "Her name is Edna. I don't even know her last name. She just pays me a few bucks to pick up a passenger. She'd been waiting for Eric for a long time. You were a big deal. I don't understand what's so special about you. You look like just an average guy... a little weird, but all the passengers are a little weird."

"Weird in what way?" I asked. By now, I was late for class, but I couldn't leave Teddy alone with Jimmy in case he really tried to kill him. Besides, I wanted to know about this lady as much as Teddy did.

"It's like you're from outer space or another world."

"Maybe I am," I said. "Where can we find Edna? You better tell us or Teddy's gonna kick your ass. If Teddy doesn't, then I will." Although I was remarkably composed, the heat of rage radiated from my body.

"Fine," Jimmy said. "I can't deal with this shit anymore. Give me a piece of paper. I didn't sign up for this. We needed money, so I took her up on her offer, and once she finds out I told you, she'll never use me again. Thanks a lot, Ted."

I dug out a paper and pencil from my briefcase and handed them to him. He scribbled on the paper and returned them to me. Teddy looked over my shoulder, reading the address aloud. "Central Street?" Teddy commented.

"Yeah... it's right downtown," Jimmy said.

"Let's go," Teddy said to me.

"I can't go right now. I have to get to work," I said. "I'm late. We'll go later."

"We have to wait until four?" Teddy said. "What if it's too late? We're running out of time."

"Whatever's going on with you two, keep me out of it," Jimmy said, walking away from us. "You better check that temper of yours, Ted, or it's gonna come back and bite you in the ass."

Jimmy abandoned us in the alley. "Jimmy's right," Teddy said. "I have a temper and it's gonna get me in trouble one day."

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting you to punch your brother in the face," I said. "At least you got what you wanted. It pays being the big brother, huh? And you're not so weak. You're one of the toughest guys I've known."

"I wish I could kiss you," Teddy whispered to me, accompanying me to school. "That was exciting, wasn't it?"

"You mean what you did to Jimmy?"

"Getting him to talk. That was fun. I'll never let him live it down."

"I bet you won't."

After school, I saw Teddy anxiously pacing back and forth outside my classroom. "I found the address and walked by it before coming here."

"Like a parking garage?" I asked, gathering up my books and papers. I stuffed them in my briefcase.

I thought Teddy meant a parking garage, but he really meant an auto repair shop. Teddy and I stood outside the shop, questioning whether or not Jimmy gave us the right address. The garage door was open, so Teddy and I wandered inside, scanning the vacant garage. The odor of oil and gas permeated the air. I picked up an empty gas container and sniffed it, confirming it was gas. An oil stain circled the middle of the concrete floor. Teddy found a door in the garage's corner and attempted to open it, but it was locked.

Right then, a woman caught our attention. An older woman, wearing a pair of denim dungarees with a cigarette dangling from her mouth charged toward us. Her short blond hair stuck up everywhere as if she'd just awakened from a nap. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Are you Edna?" I asked.

"Aw, shit, it's Eric Gagnon and Teddy McDonough. Jimmy caved, huh? I thought he could be trusted. That little bugger swore he'd keep his mouth shut, but damn, he's weak. Did one of you threaten to kill him if he didn't spill the beans? Of course you did. That one has a little temper." She pointed to Teddy. This lady asked questions without waiting for an answer. We had no clue who she was, and her clothes didn't match the style of the 1930s. I couldn't place her in any era.

Just when I thought I figured some things out...

Who was I kidding? I'd never figure things out.

"Are you Edna or aren't you?" Teddy asked.

"Edna Moran. Yep, that's me. There's no sense in lying to you."

"Where's the taxi cab?" Teddy asked.

"Not here," she said, bursting into hysterical laughter. The sound of her loud, booming laughter filled the room and, under different circumstances, I would have joined her. "Do you think the cab would park here with the door opened and unlocked? Well, since you found me, let's go in and have some coffee. I expect you have a lot of questions. Maybe I can answer a few."

Teddy stepped aside, allowing her to unlock the door. We followed her into a kitchen, the well-worn linoleum floor creaking beneath our feet. Our eyes were immediately drawn to the wall of ticking clocks of various sizes and styles. Each clock had a different time. I stood in front of one, noticing a month, day, and year on the inside in small print.

"I wish I had a keurig machine like you," Edna said to me. "Those things are damn convenient. You just stick a pod in it and you get instant coffee," she explained to Teddy. "Well, sit down, boys. I expect we'll be here awhile."

Teddy and I sat at the cluttered kitchen table. The stacks of paper towered over me. The dozens of tea cups on the counters made me uneasy. I hated a messy kitchen. I pushed the three overflowing ashtrays to the back of the table. "Who wants to go first?" she asked.

Now that we were there, we didn't know where to begin.

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