Chapter 4 It Turned Out That You Didn't Wait For Me
After dinner, Timothy quietly tidied up the things on the table. Queenie always felt very unaccustomed when she looked at this man who was not lazy at all. She didn't know what to say or do, so after drinking the milk, she could only rub her legs awkwardly.
Noticing her behavior, Timothy squinted. Lowering his head, he said nothing. The room was full of strange silence.
Queenie felt really depressed. When she had got on the minibus, she clearly wanted to go home and flirt with her husband, but now she suddenly came to another era. Timothy was still him, but she didn't know if he was the man she knew or not. Moreover, feeling his abstinence and seriousness, she really had no desire.
She couldn't help asking gently, "Don't you go back tonight?"
When he looked up at her, she immediately remembered that this was his house, so it was not appropriate for her to say so as if she was trying to drive him away. Then, she smiled awkwardly, explaining, "I mean, how's it going recently??"
"Quite good." Timothy kept looking at her affectionately.
She nodded. "I also think you've lived a good life. You look like a successful person and a social elite. How interesting!"
Queenie closed her mouth awkwardly. This flattery sounded too polite and boring, which seemed like nonsense. How could she say such words to him? In the past, she had always been joking with him.
"Not bad." His reply also sounded perfunctory.
She wanted to cry. She turned her head, picking up the TV remote control on the table. She turned on the TV, planning to break the silence. However, after changing several television channels, she found there was no signal. "What's wrong with the TV?"
"I didn't pay the bill." He came out of the kitchen to answer her after throwing away the garbage.
"Oh!" She turned off the TV. This reminded her once again that he didn't live here, and he might not even be her husband. After all, she was declared dead.
Seeing her feeling a little depressed, he quickly took out his mobile phone. "Nowadays, few people watch TV. We often use mobile phones."
"Why? What's it for?" Adjusting her mood, she continued to ask, "Play games?"
Timothy smiled. "No, there are various mobile phone apps. You can watch news and TV or play games."
"Really?" Queenie asked, "Can I have a look?"
With a nod, Timothy handed her his black mobile phone.
She hurriedly took it to study. She looked at his mobile phone all the way, fancying it so much. The mobile phone nowadays was really beautiful, just like the handheld game player in the past. However, she felt shocked that she could not even start up the mobile phone after a long time. "The mobile phone now doesn't even have a button. Where can I press it?"
He couldn't help smiling. Getting up from the armchair, he sat down beside her. He reached out his hand to unlock the phone with his fingerprint, explaining softly, "Press here."
"This is too advanced. It's so great!" With bright eyes, she looked at him, smiling. Looking at her, Timothy felt a bit lost. Then he also smiled. Lowering his head, he swiped the screen of the mobile phone with his finger and said gently, "You can use these video apps if you want to watch TV."
"Wait a minute, why can't I swipe it?" She forgot the embarrassment, immersing herself in the novel mobile phone.
"Swipe with your fingertips, not your fingernails." Timothy showed her the action in the air with his hands.
"Oh, I see!" She nodded repeatedly, quickly copying his movements. Finally, she successfully swiped the screen. "So it is. It's very easy!"
He stood up again in silence, returning to the armchair. He lowered his head, saying unconsciously, "So it is."
Hearing this, she was suddenly stunned.
Timothy often said these words to her before. When they were in junior high school, he had skipped a grade. Although he was the youngest in the class, he was the best student. She sat behind him, always asking him to explain the exercises to her. He had a clear mind, so she would understood immediately as soon as he explained them to her. Then she would say that these exercises were so easy, but he would always answer with disdain, "So they are."
Later, when he made a proposal, she felt that she didn't deserve to be his wife since she was older than him, her college education not as good as his and her family background inferior to his. However, he said, "Why do you care about it? I love you. That's enough."
"But is it so easy to get married?" At that time, she was puzzled, since many people said that marriage was not a matter about the couple, but a combination of two families.
However, Timothy replied her with certainty, "So it is."
In fact, she knew that Timothy's mother was not very satisfied with her, but later, with his insistence, they really got married successfully. When she was with him, it seemed that everything became very easy. What she needed to do was to follow his advice.
"What's the matter?" Looking at her suddenly motionless, he asked delusively.
"No, this phone is really good." Queenie smiled awkwardly, making an excuse.
Then he asked, "Do you like it? Should I ask the driver to buy one for you now?"
She quickly refused, "No need. It's so late. The shops must be closed!"
Why should she buy a mobile phone? This mobile phone looked very expensive. She didn't know what she could do with the little money she had in the past, so she must not spend it immoderately.
Timothy seemed to see through her thoughts, so he thoughtfully replied, "Well, I'll show you around tomorrow so that you can get familiar with the surrounding environment. Then, you can buy a mobile phone. Is that okay?"
"Can you? Will it cause much trouble for you?" She asked with uncertainty. Would his current girlfriend allow him to go shopping with other women?
"No. It's no big deal." He comforted her with a smile, as if helping her in this way was what he should do.
She felt happy, since she also wanted to hang out. She was extremely curious about the new world, although she was also a little afraid. However, she was an optimistic girl and always believed that as long as she wanted, she would be able to integrate into the world soon.
She couldn't help looking up at him and smiling. This was the first natural and sweet smile she showed after they met tonight. "Thank you!"
"You're welcome." Timothy looked at her silently. He had been looking at her with such expression tonight, and he was sitting on the armchair next to her. If in the past, they would never have sat so far, since they always liked to be close to each other. She lay in his arms or he lay on her legs.
But now, this short distance seemed like a twenty-three year long gap, which was so deep and bottomless that both of them didn't dare to cross it.
She didn't know how to use the mobile phone to find videos, so Timothy took the mobile phone and helped her. She looked at him secretly, noticing that his delicate and beautiful eyebrows and eyelashes were more bushy than before together with his well-shaped grecian facial features. Time seemed to have honed him into a mature and sedate man. He was no longer the young man who was introverted and quiet in front of the outsiders but was always patient and considerate to her. When she had joked with him, he would be shy, pursing his lips with love hidden in his eyes.
She loved to look at his eyes. When he looked at her, his eyes looked bright, which could be obviously seen that he loved her very much.
But now, his eyes were like the calm deep sea, without any waves, and she didn't know what he was thinking at all.
"Just look at this!" Timothy opened a page of the video and handed her the mobile phone, which made her come back to her senses.
She looked down at the mobile phone, finding it was her familiar TV play. "Alas, isn't this Star Trek? The 16th episode was broadcast on TV last night! Was the TV series finished? Great! I can watch them all at once!"
"Gee, there's even Star Trek II! The male leading actor is changed! Who's he?"
"Where are the other TV series I love? Find them."
Queenie, a fan of TV series, instantly fell into a frenzy. She forgot all her troubles for a moment, watching TV happily on the mobile phone.
He was still very quiet. He had been restraining himself from looking at her, but he could not help staring at her. She was as fresh and beautiful as he remembered. She was still in the green years, and her smile was so vivid and interesting. She had fair skin ad black hair with no white hair at all. It seemed that her smile could drive away all the haze of the world.
She was back.
Finally, she came back.
He couldn't believe it, but he still thanked the gods for really sending her back.
He put his hands on the sofa, slowly approaching her. Finally, he stopped when he was only one centimeter away from her. He smiled with a heartbreaking satisfaction in his eyes. As long as he could sit by her side, he would feel satisfied. When they were still teenagers, she had always asked him to explain the exercises. Every time she heard his explanation, she would put her chin on the table, saying pitifully, "How difficult it is! I'm not smart. I feel it so difficult!" Then she would rest with her head tilted. At that time, her long hair would always be scattered on his desk, and he would quietly approach her with his fingers. He felt she was like the source of sunshine and happiness, which would make him feel excited and happy all day.
After all these years, he still thought so and did the same thing.
He couldn't help spitting on himself in his heart. Just when he wanted to get closer, his mobile phone suddenly popped up with a call reminder. She was so flustered that she accidentally touched the green answer key. Then she immediately heard an energetic voice from a boy. "Dad, where are you? Why haven't you come home yet? Have you bought the test paper of math I asked you to buy for me? The teacher said we would use it tomorrow!"
Stunned for a moment, she then turned to look at him stiffly. She didn't even notice that the mobile phone fell on the ground. The boy on the phone was still calling, "Dad, Dad,. Hey, Dad, are you there?"
Timothy slowly picked up the phone with his beautiful and slender fingers. He replied in a gentle and restrained voice, "I'll go back later. I've already bought the test paper."
"It's too late to eat the midnight snack. If you are really hungry, drink a glass of milk!"
"Well, don't wait for me. Go to bed first."
Queenie felt very disappointed. Although she had guessed long ago, she was still sad when she really heard the news with her own ears. She pressed down the twitch in her nose, but her red eyes could not be hidden. When he finally hung up, she opened her mouth, asking in a sad voice, "Your son?"
Timothy lowered his head, answering gently after a while.
She asked again, "How old is he?"
"Fifteen years old." He answered softly.
"Oh, very good. Very good." She clenched her fist, forcing a smile. "Go back quickly. Or your...your son will be worried."
She wanted to say "your wife and son", but she couldn't say that word. At the thought that his wife had become another woman, she felt so angry and sad that she nearly went crazy.
Yesterday. No. This morning, his wife had still been her! Why was it changed only after ten hours? But she couldn't complain.
What could she say? Could she ask him why he didn't wait for her? During the twenty-three years, why was he so impatient to get married again?
But she couldn't say blame him.
Could she be so selfish? For her, it was only a moment, but for him, it had been twenty-three years, which was almost tantamount to her age.
She closed her eyes, saying laboriously, "Go back!"
Lowering his head in silence, Timothy didn't move.
The emotions that she had been restraining burst out at last. She stood up, screaming, "Go back! Go back quickly!"
"Go to bed early." Timothy got up from the sofa, saying goodbye softly.
He walked slowly to the door, opening it and closing it gently. When she heard the sound of the door being closed, she could not help crying with her face buried in her hands. She had guessed it long ago. Why would she be so sad? But she just couldn't accept it. Yesterday, she loved her husband deeply. In the morning, she wanted to go home and have sex with him. In the evening, he was already someone else's father! What's wrong? Why should she be forced to break up with him? She felt very wronged.
Timothy stood outside the door, looking up slightly with his eyes slightly red. The lights in the corridor went on and off. It took a long time before he left the door. His footsteps sounded heavy, which could be seen that he was very painful and depressed.
In August, 2021, the mysterious minibus incident was covered up by the authorities, and little news about it was deleted from the Internet without being exposed. This event was only included in the state's confidential archives as a supernatural phenomenon.
After many years, scientists finally discovered that in 1998, this mysterious minibus encountered the once-in-a-thousand "Space Folding", a supernatural phenomenon, in the tunnel. This was like walking from one end of a flat piece of paper to the other end. In addition to walking a straight line between two points, the paper could also be directly folded so that the two points could be close to each other. Therefore, as long as the speed, location and timing allowed, such situation might occur.
This supernatural phenomenon also happened occasionally in the following several thousand years. People collected these examples in the hope of finding the true principle of "Space Folding" in order to provide more information to the scientific and technological society. But these were something that happened later. It seemed that these people who had experienced "Space Folding" hadn't gained happiness and joy because of this magical time journey.
Neither did Queenie. She felt very regretful. She regretted that she got on that strange unlicensed train, which made her lost the people she loved.
Crying, she gradually fell asleep on the sofa. In her sleep, she seemed to return to the old days when Timothy was still with her.