Chapter (9) Future Echoes And Present Truths.

Chapter (9)

Future Echoes  And Present Truths.

 

As Trent lay half scrunched under the rough blanket on the couch he thought he could smell fresh coffee. The night before he'd told Maggie to let herself in but not to wake him too early as he had a special job to do tonight.  The pungent aroma of the coffee had filled the little office and was stimulating his nostrils. He knew he drank too much of it but next to bourbon it was his favourite drink. As he moved laboriously onto his back Trent tried to stretch a little, his feet hung over the far end of the couch. Trents' head was asking the same questions it had asked every morning for the past three years, or was it five. Where was I? What time was it? Did it matter? He suddenly realised that, yes, it did matter. Still half-asleep Trent looked up at the ceiling, he decided they would need to get some whitewash for it. Maggie quietly continued to make the morning coffee, he turned his head to face her, she looked nice.

“Good morning Mags. That smells good, what time is it?” Trent spoke in a deepening strain as he stretched his arms out above his head.

“Good morning Mr Trent. It's twenty before eight, I hope it wasn't me that woke you up. I've been trying very hard to be as quiet as possible.”  For a moment he felt contented, he loved the way she wanted to protect him.

“My dear Mags It's good just to wake up without a head ache. To wake up and see a pretty face and smell fresh coffee brewing is a real pleasure.”  He thought he'd spoken quite well seeing as how he'd just woken up. Trent pulled the blanket over himself to cover up his leg and bare chest.

“Mr Trent, sometimes you say the strangest things.” Trent thought to himself, you have no idea Mags. She stood quietly waiting for the coffee to finish in the percolator. He watched her back, his eyes followed her curves from her delicate neck to her shapely ankles. He shouldn't have been thinking what he was thinking just at that moment. The only noise in the room was coming from the percolator and hissing gas ring.  Trent waited for the pop as she turned off the little stove, but it didn’t come, instead he heard something new, something metalic.  Without turning around she said.

“Do you think we should get a better little cooker Mr. Trent?”

“I guess so Mags if that’s what you think.” Trent tried to see what she was doing but had to be content with looking at Maggies shapely back.

“ Mags I have to go to the bathroom. I don't have my clothes on, would you please pass them from the chair back.”  Maggie turned and gave him a cheeky little smile.

“Why Mr Trent, I do believe you're embarrassed.” She crossed to the chair took the pants and shirt and passed them to him.

“Would you like me to go out so that you can get dressed, Mr Trent?  If you change your socks I'll fix the holes in those you have on.” Trent knew she'd seen him without his pants before but that was when he was too hung over to notice or to care.

“Thank you Mags. You know what? After tonight we'll look for a small room for me to rent. Then this place can become a real office again.” Maggie flashed him an approving smile.

  The new furniture was being delivered this morning and Trent was looking forward to trying out the sofa bed.  While he got dressed Maggie stood in the corridor. Her voice came through the door.

“I'm making pancakes Mr Trent so please don't be too long or they'll be cold.”  He dressed in quick time and went into the bathroom.

“IT'S OK MAGS YOU CAN COME IN NOW.” By the time he'd finished shaving Maggie had prepared a plate of pancakes and syrup. Pity they didn't have a decent table to put them on but that was about to change thought Maggie. She passed him a plate and a fork and Trent sat down.

“I'll put your coffee here Mr Trent. Be careful it's very hot.”  Maggie placed a steaming mug in front of the plate and returned to the sink.  He was amazed that she could come up with a plate of pancakes using just the little gas ring and an old skillet.

“Mr Trent may I ask you something?” He swallowed the mouthful of pancake and nodded.

“Well Mr. Trent it's about that lady that came yesterday.”  He looked up.

“I got the feeling that you seemed to know her somehow. Am I right to say she slapped you before I came back?” Now how did she know that? He was learning that there was a lot he didn't know about his new secretary.

“You're right, she did.”   He was waiting for the next question.

“Can you tell me why Mr Trent.”  There was a curious concern in her voice.

“Well for a moment she reminded me of someone else.”

“And she slapped you just for that?”  It was obvious Mags was not going to give up on him until he'd told her everything.

“I was... less than a gentleman shall we say.” From the expression on Maggies' face it was clear that this did not satisfy her.

“Mr Trent I've looked after you through some really bad drunken times and you have never once said or done anything that would make me want to slap you, so forgive me if I don't believe you.” Maggie went  and grabbed the other chair, pulled it to the table and sat down opposite Trent. She looked at him for a couple of seconds.

“Mr Trent what is going on? I mean... suddenly you don't drink, you have money, you have a LOT of money, you're talking about starting over... I just don't get it Mr Trent.” Trent figured it was time to let Mags in on the whole shooting match, a phrase he would later regret thinking. He didn't know if she would understand or believe him.

“Maggie, I have some things to tell you that... well you may find hard to believe. But I want you to know Mags that everything I am going to tell you is the truth.” Maggie sat up, her body straight against the chair back and arms folded.

“Alright Mr Trent if you tell me the truth, I'll believe you.”  

It took a little while as Trent told Maggie about the female androids, about living on a ship that floated in space, about the other office. He told her he'd been confused and he got up and walked about while he was trying to explain about the young author and the mugging and what they had asked him to do. After about thirty minutes Trent had told Maggie as much as he could remember, Maggie sat quietly listening intently until he'd finished. Trent described the things he'd done and seen up there and told her about the future Earth. Then he took the letter out of his  jacket pocket, passed to Maggie and let her read it for herself. When she had finished reading she passed it back to Trent without speaking. Trent then explained why the doll from yesterday, with same name, had slapped him because he'd been taken by surprise and over reacted. When he'd finished Trent sat down again and looking Maggie directly in the eyes he waited.

“I swear to you Mags I'm not crazy. That's the truth of it.”  He waited for her to say something. For a full minute Maggie just sat and stared at him and then she stood up and returned to the sink without saying anything. Trent hadn’t known what to expect, he didn't know if she had understood or believed him. Trent was waiting for her to speak. And when it came it caught him completely off guard. Without warning and without turning, Maggie suddenly spoke.

“Would you like a fresh cup of coffee Mr Trent?”

“Err yes please Mags...”  She turned to look at him, paused for a second before she spoke.

“Mr Trent I have to tell you that I'm sorry but I cannot work like this.” Trent had expected her to say he was crazy or something but what she said next took him by surprise.

“We need a new sink board Mr Trent. Just a small one because I don't like putting clean pots on this old one, and I need somewhere to put the coffee. When they deliver the furniture please tell them to bring a small sink board.” There was a tremble in Maggies' voice as she spoke and as she finished speaking Maggie turned back to the sink and started to wash the mugs again. He could see she was agitated but he just stood and watched her for a minute before saying anything.

“Maggie are you okay?” He was concerned he'd scared her too much.  Maggie stopped what she was doing, she waited a few seconds before she turned around. Slowly and deliberately she dried her hands on her apron, when she was satisfied they were dry enough she folded her arms and leaned back onto the sink.

“No Mr Trent. I'm not okay... Apparently I'm working for a man who goes into the future. He eats funny tasting food from a magic icebox... and talks to mechanical people...” Maggie unfolded her arms and gestured wildly while she continued to speak.

“Then, he comes back, rich, he doesn't drink anymore, he shows me a letter he says he got from a man in a black hat. He gets slapped by a classy dame in white gloves, who just happens to have the same name as woman from a...a...a space shippy thing.  This woman comes here and tells us some cockamamie story about her father, WHO apparently collects dolls. He collects dolls Mr Trent, MEN DO NOT collect dolls Mr Trent. Not in this world they don't... ...  So no, Mr Trent... I am most definitely... NOT OKAY.” 

Maggie folded her arms again and remained leaning against the sink for several minutes, her cheeks had reddened and there were beads of sweat on her forehead. Trent noticed she was tapping the floor nervously with the heel of her left foot. Trent opened his mouth to speak but never got the chance. She unlocked her arms and wagged the index finger of her left hand several times forcefully in his direction.

“I think...I think..I liked it better when you were a drunk Mr Trent. At least I knew what to expect when I came here.”  Maggie was looking directly at him. She was looking for some sign from Trent. She was waiting for some typr of reassurance. She had wet eyes.

Trent opened his mouth again and made to speak but Maggie shot her hand up again to stop him. She wasn't done yet.

“Tell me this is a joke. Tell me this is all made up from some drunken nightmare you had. Tell me I'm not ..... “ Maggie was searching for the words.

“Tell me or I'm going home right now and you'll never see me again.”  Trent could see how upset she was as a tear rolled down her cheek. He shook his head as he replied to her.

“Maggie I can't. If you don't believe me, after all the time you've known me, then maybe you should go.”  Maggie undid her apron and threw it at him then she grabbed her new coat, her hands were shaking. Before she had time to get out he was standing between her and the door. Maggie turned away from him and stood with her hands on her hips.

“Your first child will be a girl.” Suddenly came from Trent. Maggie spun round, she had a stern expression on her face. As another tear rolled down her soft face.

“What?”

“They told me you would have three children and your descendants were still living on the planet surface.” He blurted it out, he hadn’t wanted to tell her but he didn’t want to lose her. Maggie was in shock.

“What do you want from me? What...is it...you want...from me?” She held her hands out in front of her questioningly. Trent put his hands gently on the sides of her shoulders and moved slowly towards her. It was almost a hug but not quite.

“I just want you to trust me Mags, that's all, just trust me.”   He was standing right in front of her. She was shaking as she raised her right hand towards his face. Trent thought she was going to slap him and he flinched. Instead she touched his cheek and softly stroked the place where he'd been slapped.

“Did it hurt, when she hit you?” He was smiling when he told her it had stung like a swarm of bees, Maggie smiled too. Trent had never wanted to kiss a woman as much as he did right then, instead he stroked her cheek with the back of his hand and said.

“Thank you my dear Mags. Thank you for trusting me.” 

For the rest of the morning they didn't mention anything about the incident. Maggie continued to clean up and Trent used the telephone in the hallway to call a cab to take him down town. After a quick visit to the furniture store to order a new table and a sink drainer for Maggie, he went up to the AT & T office to see about getting a new telephone installed in the office.  By the time he returned it was lunch time and the furniture they'd ordered had already been delivered and left in the corridor. Maggie had taken the old kitchen chairs out of the office and was busy trying to push the old couch out as well. Trent arrived back just in time to help her and together they pushed and pulled the old couch out into the hallway. The new desk went in first and took its place near the back wall facing the door. Then the sofa bed, which was quite heavy, but it came with casters so they pushed it fairly easily into the room. Maggie said it should go against the sidewall in the daytime and if he needed to use it anytime it could be pulled out and opened to make a bed. They still had to paint the walls but it was starting to look like a real office at last.  Even the light cord had lost its' cobweb. Trent told Mags the new telephone would be installed in about a week but for the moment they had to keep using the one in the corridor.  The commotion had stirred up some interest and several other tenants of the building had paid them a visit.  Trent had decided to buy a new chair to go with the desk, nothing too big or grand but it made him feel like he belonged behind the desk. 

Back inside the office Trent had started to put what few papers he had into the top drawer of his desk. The man in the store had called it a 'bridge bureau'.  It had a three draws on each side and a padded green leather section on top.  The rich dark wood was smooth and polished. As Trent sat there with his hands on the top admiring it Maggie spoke.

“Thank you for the sink board Mr Trent.”   She smiled at him as she lovingly wiped some dust from the top of the new table with a soft cloth.