So name a time period and we’ll go. For an hour or so.
Any time?
Any time.
Ella sighed. Why not go all out?Then I want to go swing dancing. I learned how to dance about five years ago. I want to go to the Cotton Club. But more importantly, I want to go hear Duke Ellington perform “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing”.
Sounds great. Let’s go.
Right now?
You doing anything else today?
And before she knew it, Ella was standing outside in the massive amounts of snow, in a fake fur coat and slinky silk dress, shivering while people attempted to shoveltheir driveways and kids playing in the snow gave her weird looks.
She waved merrily at one of the kids giving her a questioning look and in an eye blink Herman was standing there in front of her, dressed in a suit and fedora.
She gasped and stumbled back. “How did you do that?”
He held up his wristwatch. “Time travel , remember?”
She looked around, seeing no car he could have come from. Indeed, the snow surrounding him was clear of footprints. She shivered again, and not from the cold.
“You look lovely, but you’re not going to be able to swing dance in that.”
“It was the only thing in my closet that looks remotely like something out of the 1930s. If I have to sit and listen to Duke Ellington, I’ll do that too.”
“Are you ready?” He took a matching watch out of his pocket and checked the time.
“Does it hurt?” she asked as he slipped the watch on her.
“It’s extremely cold in one sharp instant. And then you blink, and you’re there. Now, according to our guidelines, I have to tell you that you cannot say or do anything that is going to seriously impact the future. You talk with as few people as possible. Think of it as bird watching or going on safari. You watch the people interacting and try to stay out of their way.”
She nodded and he took her hand, then pressed a button on the watch. And in an eye blink, a terrible coldness settled over her.
The next thing she knew, they were standing in the back of a crowded room, the gorgeous sounds of jazz and people laughing mixing with the haze of cigarette smoke that filled the room.
“Oh, my God.” Ella looked around. Everywhere people were dressed like something out of one of her grandparents’ picture albums. “We’re in the Cotton Club.” She pushed past the crowd to get a good view of the band performing in the crowded club and gasped. “Oh, my God!” She pointed to the stage. “It’s Duke Ellington!”
Herman was smiling. “I can see that.”
“They’re playing ‘Sophisticated Lady’!”
“I can hear that.”
“Oh, my God!” She threw her arms around him and hugged him. “This is the best date I’ve ever been on!”
He laughed. “Does this mean you believe me?”
“Either this is realor I’m hallucinating with you.”
“It’s real, all right. Now – ” he held out an arm to her “ – want to dance?”
They spent the next forty-five minutes dancing to every song Ella’s dress would allow and sitting out at a table nearby for the others, enjoying the music and just basking in the presence of the band.
“Our time’s about to run out,” Herman said to her.
“Oh, no!” Ella said with dismay. “And he hasn’t played it yet.”
