Free TIME AND TIME AGAIN The sequel to 3037 by Peggy Holloway Page B

another time fro m 3:00 p .m. and end up at nighttime?”
    “That’s a good question.  Not only is time not linear but it is warped in places, like in between the cylinders.  When we go in between the cylinders, we cheat time in a way and that’s the best I can exp lain it.
    “I have always thought that there was a parallel universe and that, based on the decisions we make at any given time, we could end up in another universe and never kn ow it.  I was wrong.  There is more than one parallel universe, in fact there are thousands.
    “Tomorrow we may have to do something even more difficult than we did today.”
    She was silent for awhile and Joe and I looked at each other.  I was feeling apprehensive.   I swallowed hard, “Even more difficult?”
    “The cylinders we were in between are just the simplest of the time/space possibilities.  There are many more connecting cylinders. If we have to move in between two other cylinders, we could get separated.  That’s the main thing that scares me.
    “If we get separated, not only may we l ose our chance to find Josie , w e may never find each other again.”
    “What are you saying, Irene?” I asked and I knew my voice must sound panicky.
    “I’m asking you to make a choice.  The three of us are together now.  Josie is lost to us, for now.  When I said you may have to do something even harder than you did today, that’s what I meant.  It is a difficult choice.  The choice itself is what I was talking about.”
    “Damn you, Irene,” I said.  “Why didn’t you tell us this up front?  Why did you wait until we got our hopes up and then throw this at us?”
    “I’m sorry, Ashley.  I know you’re mad but I had hoped we could find the right time/space pair so that we could get Josie and we wouldn’t have to consider the other thing.”
    I tossed and turned and didn’t get any sleep.  Making love with Joe didn’t even relax me enough to sleep.  I didn’t want to lose both Joe and Irene in an effort to find and rescue Josie .  I was being asked to choose between Joe, my husband, my soul mate, my best friend and my daughter.  I couldn’t do it and neither could Joe.
    He sat up in bed at three o’clock in a panic.  “I can’ do this, Ashley.  I can’t choose.  This is the most unfair thing I’ve ever been faced with.  I love you so much but I love my daughter too.  Who do I love the most?  Is that what I’m being asked to decide?  I won’t do it. Ashley.  Honey, forgive me but I can’t go.”
    He put his head on my breast and shook as he cried and I soon joined him.  We must have worn ourselves out and slept because the next thing I knew it was morning and someone was knocking on our door.  It was Irene and behind her was a room service waiter with a push cart full of food.
    We were still angry with Irene and no one spoke much while we ate.  The coffee was delicious and I had three cups even though my nerves were already on edge.
    I wiped my mouth and threw down my napkin.  No, I didn’t fold it.  People in the South don’t fold their napkin.  Why would you fold something that needs to be washed?  All these mundane things were going through my head and then I realized they were sitting there looking at me like they wanted me to respond to something they had said.
    “What?”
    “Ashley, Irene asked you if your decision was the same as mine.”
    “It is,” I almost shouted.  “I will not play God and choose who will be rescued and who will not.
    Irene got a huge smile on her face.  I had seen her smile like this before, where her whole face and body seemed to light up with happiness.  I thought it was inappropriate at this point in time and I told her so.  I was still mad at her.
    She didn’t comment on my anger but said, “If you two are through eating, I have something to show you.”
    She waited while we both dressed and we followed her out of the hotel, down Bourbon Street, and outside of town.  We walked for