I wrote it.
Seriously? That’s neat. I was always into theatre growing up and when I went off to college, I originally wanted to write plays. Notmusicals about pigs necessarily, but I wouldn’t have ruled it out either. Alas, I’ve turned my creative talents to reporting about government woes. I thought it would pay better and I wanted a steady job.
As long as there are kids, there’s going to be a need for teachers. I love what I do, but the lure of a steady job appealed to me too, I have to admit, she replied.That and having summers off.
They still do that?
She blinked. That was the first time he had worded anything that sounded remotely like he believed the future thing. Cautiously she typed,Well, I know a lot of schoolsystems have gone to year-round school, but ours hasn’t yet. Our buildings are so old, they need a lot of work done, or no one would be able to concentrate in the heat of summer.
Who can? I know I can barely pay attention to my work when it’s a nice day out. I just sit and stare out the window and watch the traffic pass by until my boss asks me what I’m working on. It’s nice to have to go out on assignment just to have an excuse to be outside instead of in an office all day.
I try to make excuses to take the kids outside, too, she typed.For nature walks. We’ve been raising tadpoles and then releasing them at the pond near the school.
Wish I had a coolteacher like you. My teachers were all stuffy old men that didn’t want to be bothered to do anything active.
They continued to chat back and forth about their respective childhood school memories and best/worst teachers until Ella Ella realized it was almost midnight.
I’ve got to get up in the morning!
Sorry. I forget not everyone is a night owll ike me.
It’s not your fault. I just lost track of time.
That’s a good thing, right?
She smiled.I think so.
Great. Because I was having a good time, too. Want to chat again tomorrow?
She took a deep breath. Did she want to? Yes. Should she? She didn’t know. This was a screwy website, and while he seemed like a normal, sane individual, you never knew who you were really talking to online. He could be some creepy old guy with no teeth for all she really knew.
Screw it. She typed,Sure.Have fun inter viewing councilmen tomorrow.
Have fun with the play. Be sure to tell me if the pigs escape the big bad wolf and live to sing another day.
As she signed off, Ella noticed something strange about Herman’s messages. All of the messages were time and date-stamped, like a lot of email messages. Hers all had the proper date.
His were all dated the next day.
“Like he’s emailing from the future,” she scoffed out loud. Shaking her head and reminding herself of different time zones, she turned off her computer.
But not the nagging feeling in the back of her mind.
Five
Ella paced back and forth outside of the restaurant nervously. “This is crazy,” she hissed into her cell phone. “What am I doing here? I don’t know this guy.”
“You’ve been online chatting with this guy every night for the past two weeks,” Serena said on the other end. “You’re having dinner, not marrying him. Talking to someone online for two weeks is knowing them enough for dinner.”
“If he is who he says he is.”
“A journalist from the future?”
“Ha, ha. He’s never actually said he was from the future, you know.”
“He probably assumes you know that, since the website advertises it.”
“Be serious! You know what I mean. He could turn out to be a sex predator or something.”
