Page 30 of Harbinger of Destiny

Images of The Handmaid’s Tale suddenly popped into her head. What if it was like that? What if she would simply be a broodmare?

“There’s something I need to know.”

“Ask.”

She took a deep breath. “Will I be passed around to different men, so everybody gets a chance at having a child?” The thought made her shudder.

Joshua jerked back, shock on his face. He quickly shook his head. “No! Of course not! When it comes to relationships and marriages, 2085 is still very much the same as 2025. You’ll be with the person you love. And nobody expects you to pop out a baby every year. No. That’s not what this is about. Yes, the Institute for Time Travel hopes that the women from 2025 will bear at least two children, hopefully three or four, to give civilization the boost it needs. But it’s still your choice, and that of your partner.”

“Oh.” Relief flooded her.

“And there are still divorces. Couples still cheat on each other. But there are also happy marriages. My parents have a wonderful relationship. And nobody cares anymore about the color of your skin.”

“You mean there’s no more racism?” That astonished her.

“No. There were race riots in the early 2030s. After that, the nations of the world got together to eradicate the economic inequalities everywhere. Once those were dealt with, and everybody enjoyed the same standard of living, race didn’t matter anymore. Because it was never really about race, even in your time. It was always about the scarcity of resources and jobs, about financial and economic inequalities. Remove those, and you remove racism.”

“That easy?”

“It was never easy. It took decades; it took wars to get there. We only achieved it around the time I was born, in 2063.”

“It’s so much to take in.”

“I know it is. And I wouldn’t have sprung this on you so early, but why work yourself to the bone here and constantly worry about everything, when you have a better option? Think about it.”

She nodded. “I will.”

“All right. In the meantime, how about I get us some takeout?”

Amy nodded. “That sounds great.”

Joshua snatched his keys. “How does Thai sound? I found this great place on Montana.”

“I’d love that.”

Moments later, Joshua was gone, and she was alone with her thoughts. She looked at her meager possessions. Was there anything worth taking to the future with her if she indeed decided to go? She reached for the sketchpad. It was the only thing she wouldn’t want to leave behind. When she dug for her wallet in her backpack, her fingers wrapped around a set of keys. She pulled it out.

Crap! She still had Mr. Mercola’s keys for the coffee shop. She hadn’t seen him since the day when he’d asked her to lock up at night. She should return them, and though she had never liked him much, at least returning to the coffee shop meant she could say goodbye to Rosie.

She scribbled a quick note for Joshua, before she left and let the door fall shut behind her. In the hallway she suddenly realized that she’d already made her decision. She would travel to the future with Joshua.

It was only a short walk from Joshua’s apartment to the coffee shop. Before entering she glanced through the windows to make sure Mr. Mercola wasn’t around. It was late afternoon, and only a few patrons sat at the tables. Amy entered and heard the door chime to announce her arrival.

Rosie looked up and met her gaze. “Amy!” She lowered her voice and motioned her to approach. “Where the hell have you been? Mr. Mercola is gonna be here in about twenty minutes, and if you’re not working, he’s gonna flip. I’ve been covering for you.”

Amy felt her heart warm. Rosie had been the only person who’d ever been nice to her. “I’ve just come to return his keys.” She laid the keys on the counter. “And to say goodbye to you.”

“Goodbye? What? Why? Where are you going?”

“I met someone.” She smiled at Rosie. “He’s taking me away from here.”

“But, Amy, who is he? When did you meet him?” The words were fairly tumbling over her lips, and she saw the concern in Rosie’s face. Amy felt the need to alleviate her concerns.

“You won’t believe me if I tell you.”

“Now you’re making me worried.”

Amy sighed. She knew that she wasn’t supposed to tell anybody about the future. But there had to be exceptions, right? And she would only tell Rosie what she needed to know.