The Sands of Time

"I don't understand." Jane said, "What do you mean kinda and why did you get divorced. For that matter, when did you get married?"

"It's a long story Jane. I'm not real proud of myself but I'll tell you all about it when you get home. Anyway, I go to court in a month and then it'll be final."

"So what happened?" Jane asked in disbelief.

There was another long pause, longer than the first. Finally Leah said, "Well you see, I haven't slept with a man for years. Then I met this guy who I thought was terrific and we got married not long after we met. As far as I know he didn't have any affairs." Once again Leah paused and Jane felt it best to wait for her to continue when she was ready. "I ah, I ah, had a ah, I had an affair. I know, I know, everyone always thought I was fooling around all the time anyway." Leah paused and then continued "Well, it just wasn't true only I never tried to do anything to change that. Jane, what am I going to do?"

Jane was quite surprised by Leah's revelations but collected her thoughts quite quickly. "Leah, don't you have a Ph.D. in something?"

"Yes, in biochemistry. A lot of good that's going to do me." Leah said dejectedly.

"Leah, you know my forte is marketing. I can tell you for certain that the biotech companies need people like you." Jane stated authoritatively.

"But Jane, I've only got a few years experience. I haven't worked in over ten years!"

"Leah, it's time I went home. You sit tight and I'll be back in about a week. We'll get together and when we're done we'll both have jobs all right?"

"Well, okay, I'll try," Leah said sheepishly.

Jane decided to change the subject. She didn't want to get into it any more over the phone. In saying it was time to go home Jane realized the truth in what she had said. She felt good. Leah and Jane continued to talk for the next hour before hanging up.

In the morning Jane told Ellie that she could only work a couple more days and that she was leaving to go home. Word spread fast through Gopher Springs and by the time the noon meal at the diner was done Ellie assured Jane that every single person in the town had been through the diner. She said she'd never seen anything like it, even on her best morning's when lots of people came.

Jane was very flattered by this. She was also very flattered by what each of the people who came up to her had to say. Each had only the kindest of words for her. It seemed that each had a short story to tell of how Jane had been important to them. Jane thought over all that was said and never would have guessed that the small amounts of kindness she showed would be so greatly appreciated. She was leaving something behind but she was also taking something with her. Jane had come to appreciate a slower way of living life. In Gopher Springs, Texas you had to go slowly, life just wasn't arranged for speed there.

Early the next morning Jane drove slowly down the streets of Gopher Springs then turned back to the diner to say good-bye to Ellie one more time. Ellie had become her best friend there and she felt she owed her a lot. Ellie had given simplistic but well-timed advice. Jane found that within Ellie there was a wealth of good common sense. Jane appreciative and wanted to show it. Jane pulled up to the diner as she had many times before. It occurred to her at that point that she had never really eaten anywhere else the past months save an occasional invite to a private home. Jane sat there and thought about the education she had received while in Gopher Springs. It was very different from any she had known however she considered it equally as important as any she had ever gotten in her formal education.

Jane got out of the car and entered the diner. She got just inside the door and stopped. It slammed shut behind her. That brought Ellie out from the rear of the diner. She saw Jane and stopped. They stared at each other a few moments without moving and then moved slow to one another. Without a word being said they embraced and as if done by direction each started to tear and cry at the same moment. Finally Jane spoke.

"I love you Ellie," Jane said with the most sincerity as she had ever said those words.

"I love you too darlin'." Ellie said sniffing and wiping her eyes, "I'm gonna miss you somethin' terrible."

"I'm going to miss you too Ellie," Jane said, "but we can keep in touch through letters and phone calls."

"Yeah, 'spose we could do that." Ellie said but not really believing it.

"Ellie, I promise, I'll never forget you. You taught me so much," Jane said tearing more now than before. Jane placed four fifty-dollar bills in Ellie's hand and said, "Ellie this is a gift and don't you think of trying to give it back. I want you to have it and I want you to get yourself something you've really wanted and not feel guilty about spending the money.

"I can't take this money Jane," Ellie said, "it just isn't right." Ellie tried to hand the money back to Jane.

"Ellie, I want you to have that and I can afford to give it to you. Ellie, you enjoy it and you'll make me very happy," Jane said with a great deal of resolve.

Ellie looked at Jane momentarily silently and then hugged Jane again. The hug lasted a long time and then Ellie pushed back and took a step backwards. "You need to git on the road and git goin'," Ellie said, "so git yourself outta here."

Jane smiled broadly and said, "I'll do that Ellie. You take care of yourself. I love you Ellie. Bye." Jane said and turned to leave.

"I love you too Jane," Ellie said tearfully. "You take care of yourself too."

Jane opened the door and left. The door slammed and Jane walked through the dusty parking lot to her car. She stopped and stared at the dust on her car when she reached it. She thought how a coating of dust such of this would never happen at home but out here in West Texas it was so common. She wasn't sure if she'd miss it or not but the novelty of it had not worn off for her yet. She opened the door, got in, buckled up and started the car. A blast of hot air hit her from the air conditioner before it started to cool down. Jane backed out and drove slowly down the main street of the town. At the edge of town Jane got on the interstate and headed east.

Jane had driven two hours but had been unable to think of much of anything but Gopher Springs. That little town had seemed like a Shangri-La to her. The more she thought about it the more she wanted to return. Now at about 110 miles from Gopher Springs Jane got off the next exit of the interstate, went under the highway, and got back on the Interstate west. Jane drove 100 miles an hour all the way back to Gopher Springs. She was a little surprised, though happy, that the state police in Midland didn't see her pass through. It took Jane a little over an hour to get to the Gopher Springs exit. As she traveled down the main street it was empty as it always was. It took her only a minute to get to the diner. Jane jumped out of her car and walked quickly into the diner the door slamming behind her.

A woman emerged from the rear, looked at Jane standing at the door and said, "May I help you miss?"

Jane was very confused by seeing someone other than Ellie. "May I speak with Ellie?"

"Ain't no Ellie here." The woman said.

"But I just saw her here a few hours ago."

"I been here since five and there ain't been no Ellie in here." The woman remarked showing her impatience.

" I worked for her. We hugged right where I'm standing not three hours ago," Jane persisted.

"Now listen miss," the woman said with an apparent annoyance in her voice, "I ain't never seen you before and I don't know no Ellie.

Jane felt very confused by what the woman had just said to her. She looked for the calendar Ellie always had hung next to the door that went to the rear. It read June 1991. Jane thought to herself that was two years ago. Jane's mind raced trying to figure out what was going on.

"Miss, if you don't want anything yer gonna hafta excuse me, I got work to do," the woman responded now very annoyed.

Jane left the diner and walked slowly back to her car. She got in, started the engine and then turned on the radio. She used the seek option of the radio to find a radio station. It was on the AM side that she found a Midland station. It being the start of a new hour she heard the station announce the news. What she heard startled her. She heard reports about the troop return from Kuwait and how the oil fires and oil spills were causing pollution down the Saudi coast. This affirmed for her that she was indeed living in June 1991, June 3 to be exact. It occurred to Jane that she was now going to get to relive her life all over again. As Jane drove home this theme of reliving her life and how she would do it kept running through her mind.

She wondered if she had to relive every portion of her life just as she remembered it happening or could she change some things. She could come to no conclusion. She got home and still, she could not figure out what happened.

Jane walked into her house. She saw Gary in the living room and was a bit startled and then reminded herself that it is 1991. She now knew that everything would not go the same for it was on this day that she had been home waiting for Gary. She remembered she was scantily clad. As the evening progressed she noticed they were having the same conversations and coming to the same conclusions. She allowed that she was not resisting what her mind told her to do from memory however she still believed she could change things should she desire. She focused in on the rape. That individual incident concerned her more than any other. She had decided to follow things just as she new they had happened without changing them but this particular incident bothered her. Fortunately Jane had time before she would have to make a decision on it. This evening she would have to deal with Ike, not that she really minded it, but that having going through this once she was not certain she could say the same words and do the same things. In the end she decided that as long as she came close it would be all right.

That evening did go as Jane had remembered it. She and Ike did again find themselves locked outside. Only this time Jane put more into her kisses and more into her admonishment of both of them that they could not continue. As that fateful next morning approached Jane became increasingly concerned with what to do. Jane was entirely pre-occupied with the coming day's event. She knew that her pre-occupation cause many minor changes in what happened between Gary and herself. It didn't matter. Her actions to come were far more important.

Jane was at home sitting in front of her Christmas tree and enjoying a brandy. The holiday weekend was upon her and she intended on enjoying it. Gary was gone but she didn't miss him. The doorbell rang and Jane answered the door. There, standing in front of her was Leah.

"A very Merry Christmas to you Jane," Leah said.

"Merry Christmas to you as well, Leah," Jane said. Jane stepped forward and hugged Leah tightly. "I owe you a lot Leah. Without you I wouldn't be enjoying this Christmas here half as much as I am now. Hell, without you, I might not be here enjoying Christmas at all, you know?"

"I know Jane. It still seems incredible to me that you asked me to go to work with you that Saturday. You know I cursed you for getting me out of bed at that ungodly hour but I guess if I hadn't been there with you no one would have been able to run for help when that guy attacked you he might have hurt and raped you."

"Yeah, I know, he came damn close as it was," Jane same with a smile, "Thank God that cruiser was passing by just as you ran out on the street. I was scared shitless but once I got the police I just felt everything would be all right."

"And it was Leah, thanks to you. I owe you my life.

Hey, who better to owe your life to than your best friend huh?" Jane said cheerily.

Leah smiled and for one of the few times in her life she was unable to find words to say. Even Jane noticed this and laughed silently to herself.

"Whatever happened to that guy?" Leah asked.

"Oh, he was convicted on five counts of rape, seems he had a number of victims along with eight or night counts of aggravated assault and battery and child molestation just to name a few of his accomplishments. He went to jail but only lasted a few months before he was killed in a fight with another prisoner.

"You know Jane," Leah offered, "sometimes it seems that some things are just meant to happen, you know what I mean?"

Jane chuckled to herself and said, "I certainly do."