text: [Themes: modern, humor]
  
  I am driving home. Cars are to the left of me, and cars are to the right. I am still fairly uneasy with driving since I technically got my license only last month (even though I used my abilities to practice for much longer).
  
  I slam on my brakes. Some moron just cut me off for no reason. Rage boils through my veins. I really want to wreck his car excessively, but I never ever killed or severely harmed anybody before.
  
  > Don't
  No, I shall remain a relatively good person.
  
  I drive home humming for the rest of the drive. When I reach home, I pull into the garage and trot into the kitchen. I make myself an early dinner. Sis will not be here until ten o'clock tonight because of her long hours today. Collage at day and work at night... I wish that...
  
  Well, I figure that I should tell you this. My parents are dead. Yep, I am like every Disney character ever. My father died before I was born, and my mother died when I was born. As a result, the two people who I want to save the most will never be saved. I will never see them. I can do almost anything else imaginable, but I can do nothing to...
  
  This is why I am so deranged. I am haunted every single day by the fact that I can never do what I want the most.
  
  I try to do odd things to pass the time, I try sleeping all day, and I even tried finding new parents. Nothing worked. My sister and I went from home to home throughout my childhood until recently. She got a job, and I am living with her. Soon, I will have to get one as well. I probably will just win the lottery one day...
  
  Anyway, that is enough miserable ranting for now. It is time to make a sandwich.
  
  > make a ham sandwich
  I take out two slices of bread, and I put some ham on it, Then, I eat it.
  
  Then, I watch TV for the next four hours. Then, I go back in time and do my homework in that same four hours.
  
  I am now exhausted, so I go to bed even though the sun is lighting-up the sky.
  
  > wake up in the morning
  I awaken to my alarm. I tap it forcing the beeping to stop.
  
  I get out of bed, and quickly get ready for school because I set my alarm fairly late. I eat a quick breakfast, say goodbye to my sister, and get into my car.
  
  I try to start it, but it will not. I punch the dash in retaliation, though I quickly attempt to fix the car. After a few hours, I figure out what is wrong; therefore, I go back in time and fix it. I rush to school and make it there only a few minutes late. Oh well, at least I have an excuse. My car is a Zastava Koral (a Yugo) anyway.
  
  I only partially pay attention in class. At lunch break, I sit alone and without food (because I forgot to pack a lunch).
  
  Then, six very tough looking guys approach me. I recognize them as Al's friends though gang members might be a better term.
  
  > prepare for whatever they do
  I look around to see if anybody is noticing us... nope. One of the guys is cracking his fists like some sort of mobster, another is staring with a snarl, and yet another might have a pocket knife in his hand. I cannot tell for sure with the last guy. It might just be a cell phone.
  
  They seem as if they want to fight me, and they will reach me in a matter of moments. I could surprise them by attacking them first. I could easily say that I was fearing for my life... which I am a little bit. I could just sit here and try to ignore them. No, that would not work because they clearly want to interact with me.
  
  Out of the corner of my eye, I see the blonde girl. She could get help while I stall them. Yes, that could work; however, that would be boring. I am in a mood to fight especially after having to deal with my car this morning.
  
  > attack them
  I clench my firsts and charge. I slam my head into one of the brutes before they could even react and he slouches on the ground. I duck under a punch and land a blow on another's knee.
  
  Then, I feel a sharp pain in my side. Oh look, there is a large cut there. Apparently that guy does have a knife.
  
  > go back in time to not get stabbed
  I punch another in the knee, and I swerve to the left. I see the knife in one of their hands... Wow, I thought it was bigger.
  
  He lunges at me but I push the hand with the knife away. Even though I do not get stabbed, we crash into each other, and I fall the the ground. I yell out, "Knife!" Hopefully, that will get me some help because I really want these guys permanently banned from the school; however, I still want to hurt them quite harshly.
  
  I get back to my feet only to have one of the goons take hold of both of my arms. He pins them behind my back as another of his buddies swings a punch at me. At this point, I remember that every action movie ever made has the hero somehow dodges the punch. Instead, the guy holding him gets walloped.
  
  Ow! It is too late. He already hit me.
  
  > figure out how to dodge the punch
  Here comes that punch again. I try to break free of his grip. Ow, I did not work.
  
  I repeat, and this time I try to go to the left... It does not work.
  
  I do it again and try to squirm to the right; however, I fail again.
  
  I jump... No, this is just getting annoying.
  
  I kick the guy holding me in the shin, but all I do is make him angrier.
  
  I spit in the puncher's face, but it does not even make him flinch.
  
  I go back in time for the seventh time just to get punched again, but this time I just try to think of how to dodge the punch... Ow, I loose my train of thought because my face now hurts immensely.
  
  I try one last time, and this time I go limp. The guy holding me does not react fast enough, so my head drops just far enough to miss the punch. Instead, it connects with the dude gripping my arms. He falls down to the ground unconscious.
  
  Abruptly, I feel a sharp pain on the back on my head, and everything goes dark. I now have a massive headache.
  
  > Your time traveling days are over
  I wake up in a hospital, though I should not be surprised. My head hurts like crazy. I sigh. I probably should go back in time to not get whacked... though I do wonder what happened to my attackers. I guess that I could stick around for a while to see if I should do anything different.
  
  "Hey, are you awake?" I look over and see my sister. She appears extremely tired... I do feel bad for making be so worried, but fortunately she will not remember any of this.
  
  I reply in a very dreary voice, "Yeah, I am fine."
  
  "What is your name?" That is an odd question.
  
  "My name is Steve Cohen."
  
  "Do you remember this year of school?"
  
  "Uh, yeah... I mean... I did not pay that much attention."
  
  "That's so good." She has a very relieved look on her face.
  
  "Is something wrong, Sis?"
  
  "You took a big hit to your head. One of your attackers hit you in the head with a chair."
  
  Well, at least I know what to expect when I go back in time.
  
  She continues, "The doctors were afraid that you might have had brain damage."
  
  "Meh, I feel fine."
  
  "You will have to go through some examinations soon. A nurse will be coming shorty to take you there."
  
  "It's okay. I have time for that... What happened to my attackers though?"
  
  "Suspended perminitely."
  
  "That's good."
  
  I might as well go back in time now... Uh... Um... I am still here. What is happening? No! the hit must have taken away my ability. I try again and again for dozens of times, but nothing works... My life is ruined.
  
  > Reminiscing ten years later (Epilogue)
  I sit down for a moment to eat my lunch. It is a ham sandwich... That was the last dinner I had before I lost my abilities, though sometimes I wonder if that was all a dream. It seems so far away today, for now I am generic. There is nothing special about me.
  
  I feel a sore pain on my left rib. At least I got the lesser end of that fight... Yes, I still love fighting, but I have turned to amateur boxing. It is more of a hobby than anything. I even made a few friends there.
  
  I still sometimes try to go back, but it is never for myself. One day, I say an old man get hit by a car. I rushed over to help him, and he survived... But, I just wish that I could have stopped the whole situation. I abused my power, so it was taken away. I have come to accept that. I used it selfishly. Instead of helping other, I used it to fight. Well, I will never be able to do such childish antics again.
  
  My life as a time traveler is over. Instead, I can only live with regrets... regrets that I cannot change; I can only live with them.
  
  > Stephanie
  It is a few days later now, and I am lying in bed. It is in the middle of the day, and I have a horrible flu.
  
  "I apologize in advance."
  
  I sit up in bed terrified. There is an intruder in my home, but I cannot see her.
  
  "Where are you?!" I say as I jump to my feet.
  
  "I come in piece, dude. You could be a..." I turn around to the sound of her voice, and a girl about a decade younger than me is standing just feet from me.
  
  "How did you get here?"
  
  "Well Steve, let's just say I have your abilities."
  
  "I don't know what you are..." Before I could finish my sentence, she disappears for a moment, then reappears in the same spot.
  
  She replies smugly, "See? It's time travel, though I can go forward as well. It's the only reason why I found you anyway."
  
  "What do you want from me?"
  
  "Nothing. I am just apologizing for ruining your life."
  
  "What are you going to do?!" I prepare to fight.
  
  "No, it is what I have done. I have created multiple timelines by... causing an accident in your early years. Because going to the same place again causes a paradox, I cannot fix it. As a result, I lost track of you for over two and a half decades. When I found you, I was able to retrace your steps to your point of divergence. It was when you were sixteen. I somehow caused you not to talk to Crissy."
  
  I scratch my head. I do not know if I should believe her or not.
  
  I ask, "Why should Crissy matter to me? I have been over her for a while now."
  
  Her face pales as she gasps, "Don't say that about your wife! Uh, I mean... ah whatever. You will not remember this anyway. Just please know that I am going to send you back in time. I'll help you out as much as I can, and I'll make mmm... Crissy help you as well. You'll do great things... if I stop screwing this up."
  
  "Um, what happens now?"
  
  "A redo. Talk to Crissy, okay?"
  
  "I don't want to... What is your name anyway?"
  
  "I'm Stephanie. Isn't that funny, Steve? See you soon even if you don't remember me. This time I'll hopefully get it right."
  
  Then, I am gone... along with any memories of what happened over the past ten years; however, I do not find that a bad thing.
  
  > Prolouge
  We stand in this room that I know so well. The machinery and the grime and the dark lighting feel like home to me.
  
  "Stephanie, do you know what has to be done?"
  
  I sigh as I reply, "Yeah, I just wish you could do it instead."
  
  "You know there could be a paradox if that happens. You, however, are safe. You did not exist yet."
  
  "I know. Why did he have to make the machine respond only to his DNA?"
  
  "He modeled it after his own biology... I wish you good fortune... and... and... if you do not make it back or if... it glitches putting your in the wrong time... I... I..."
  
  "I'll come back. I promise."
  
  "Do you know what to do?"
  
  "Yeah, do a Marty McFly, stop a future suicide, and help him out."
  
  "I may never see you again."
  
  "I know."
  
  "Take this. It is his journal and my journal. This should help."
  
  "Thanks."
  
  "Get me to help you as well."
  
  "I will."
  
  I step into the massive machine. It almost seems to be continuously falling apart, but somehow it is always staying together. Electricity buzzes off, a wild whir begins to scream in my ears, and his love of his life is waving goodbye.
  
  Just before I head off to hopefully the right period of time, she yells to me, "Please, let Steve have the ending he deserves!"
  
  Then, I am gone. I look at my surroundings trying to figure out if this is... No, I am early: far too early. He is probably not even born yet... His parents... I must get to his parents. Maybe they can help me.
  
  > Life as a Time Traveler
  Hi, my name is Steve, and I am a Sophomore in High School. I like my name because Captain America has the same first name...
  
  Well what else can I say about myself? Um, I like Star Wars, doing crazy things, and Crissy. I do not like Jar Jar Binks, re-doing tests, or telling people that I can travel through time. Also, this conversation proves that I am slightly unhinged. I talk to myself because I find talking to others as... unfair.
  
  I will give an example.
  
  I walk up to a fellow student--I think his name is Jim--and say, "Hello, Jim."
  
  He looks at me in a funny way as he replies, "Uh, my name is not Jim."
  
  "Oh, sorry. What is it?"
  
  "I am Veniamin." Oh, I was apparently wrong. Now, I'll go back in time.
  
  > go backwards in time
  Here, I will show you how this works... again.
  
  I walk up to a fellow student--who I now know as Veniamin--and say, "Hello, Veniamin."
  
  He looks at me in a funny way as he replies, "Uh, have we met."
  
  "No, I just knew that you were in my class. I thought that I should say hello."
  
  "Oh, well thanks."
  
  "See you around."
  
  "Okay."
  
  Now, what should I do? I am sort of bored.
  
  > try to talk to Crissy
  At the other end of the hallway, I see Crissy. She is getting some of her books out of her locker... I should be doing the same because my next class is starting in a few minutes.
  
  She closes her locker and walks towards me. For a moment, I believe she wants to talk to me, but I remember that her next class is behind me.
  
  We make eye contact as she passes me.
  
  I suddenly have the urge to do something that I have never done before, and I say to her, "H...Hi."
  
  She nods her head at me and then walks down the hallway to her class. My legs become wobbly. She acknowledged me... wow. I cannot believe that I actually talk to her.
  
  I look at Crissy as she enters her class. It is Geometry: her second favorite subject this semester. I have heard her talking about it before. It is so fun to do because she has such a wonderful voice.
  
  The bell rings. I quickly take my book out of my locker and rush into my next class. My history teacher is talking about... history. That has always been something that bothered me about my abilities, for only my consciousness is able to go backwards. If I go back fifteen years, I would be a sixteen year old guy in a baby's body. I would then have to re-live the horrible experience of my childhood.
  
  Oh well, at least I can go back in time. I am pretty sure that the average person is unable to.
  
  > The end of class
  The bell rings for the last time today. I walk by the Principal's office to see if anything interesting is in there. One time, a fight actually broke out between two kids in the actual office... One of them was me. I have been in their for countless hours because doing pranks and minor acts of being a jerk is quite fun. This is especially true because I always go back in time so that I am the only one who remembers.
  
  Oh look, I see Al in there. He is a total jerk, and I hope he gets expelled because he clearly deserves it.
  
  I head out into the parking lot where my car is parked. It is a total piece of junk; however, I got it for free so I should not complain.
  
  I turn the key in the ignition and the engine refuses to start. I have changed my mind; I should complain about this damn car. I get out of my rolling piece of turd and open the hood. I sigh, for I will be working here for a while.
  
  > As the sun is setting
  It is beginning to get a little cold out here, but it is because the sun is setting. I am still trying to figure out what is wrong with my car, and nobody came to help me (even though I never asked). I think one of the wires have broken, but I am not sure. I sniff the air for a second... Do I smell... Naw, it must be nothing. I decide to yank out the wire and replace it with an unused one that I have in the car.
  
  "Don't!" Was that?...
  
  I turn around to see Crissy running towards me. I am caught off guard; I do not know what to do.
  
  She asks in an extremely concerned tone, "Don't you smell it?"
  
  I shake my head as I reply, "I... don't have much sense of smell." Great, this is the first time I ever get to converse with Crissy, and I have to tell her that I can hardly smell.
  
  "Get away from that car. It reeks of gasoline." I look down at the wire still in my hand. If this thing sparks, then it could catch fire. I let go and feel around with my hands for the gas... Oh, there is a big leak. It must have just started.
  
  I quickly back away from my car. I do not want to catch on fire because I probably will not be able to go back in time if I die.
  
  "You could smell the gas from... how far away were you?"
  
  "I was close enouph."
  
  "Oh, why are you still here?"
  
  "I, uh, was at the library."
  
  "Really, I never saw you there before."
  
  "I was."
  
  "Okay, fine. I'm Steve by the way."
  
  "And I'm Crissy."
  
  We both sort of stare at each other for a few moments. I am unable to think of anything to say even though I want to not seem weird.
  
  "I am so glad that you did not die this t... terrible way." She missed a preposition.
  
  "I thought you took the bus home."
  
  "Um, not today. I was going to walk home."
  
  "Well, I'm now out of a ride as well... I guess my only option is to also walk home."
  
  "Okay, I hope your car can be fixed. Is that a Yugo?"
  
  "Yeah."
  
  "No wonder! Those things are such crudmobiles."
  
  "Yeah..."
  
  "Well, see you tomorrow. Aren't we in..."
  
  "English, yeah."
  
  "Bye, Steve."
  
  "Bye, Crissy."
  
  Should I go home? The graveyard is pretty close by... I would like somebody to talk to anyway.
  
  > head home
  I can visit my parents Sunday. I just want to go home and rest.
  
  I walk home unable to decide if I should be sad or happy. I am friends with Crissy, but my car is broke. As I make my way to my destination, I come to a bridge. I peer over the edge into the waters below... That is a long fall.
  
  "Hello, dude."
  
  I turn behind me and see a girl my age. She looks akin to Crissy, but she is also different.
  
  "Hello, do I know you?"
  
  "Naw, I don't think you do, but my name is Stephanie. Also, don't worry about your troubles. They'll get better."
  
  "I don't have problems."
  
  "Yeah, you do. I am surprised that you never smelt that gasoline. Your problems become a lot worse when you weren't stopped. Also, Crissy actually likes you, and you can do great things when you put your mind to it. See you around, Steve."
  
  She is now gone... I stand there in a state of confusion until I realize that it must have been a daydream or something. I go back in time to find out, and she is not there.
  
  Oh well, my life as a time traveler is strange. That must have been... a rotten piece of food.
  
  Anyway, I arrive at my home and enter. There is nobody here because my sister is working the graveyard shift tonight; therefore, I make myself a small dinner and do my homework. I normally watch tv, but I have too much going in my head. Thoughts if Crissy, my car, and my hallucination are a torrent of thoughts and images.
  
  I try to calm my head down. I stare at our small kitchen, I look at our table and two chairs, I walk down the hallway, I peer into my sister's bedroom, and I sit down in my own bedroom.
  
  Crissy... No, I look at my posters on the walls. I have all manners of time-traveling people and devices on the posters.
  
  My car... No, I pick up our family's picture frame. It shows my sister as a toddler, my father, and my pregnant mother. That was the last picture of my father ever taken. My mother did not last long after that.
  
  Stephanie... No, I need some sleep. I lie down in bed and shut my eyes tightly until sleep overpowers my mind.
  
  > A stalker?
  "Wake up."
  
  "Sis, I need sleep."
  
  "Wake up..."
  
  Sis..."
  
  I open up my eyes, but they are soon blinded by having a light turned on.
  
  I complain, "Ah, the light."
  
  "Your sister is about to leave. Hurry up."
  
  "What?"
  
  My eyes adjust to the light. I see Stephanie smiling at me. No, I am wrong; there is nobody there. Ug, I must be convincing myself that I have a stalker.
  
  I get out of bed and head down the hallway. For some reason, I wonder if I am being watched... almost as if I have a stalker. No, it is just my sis. She is looking at me from just in front of the front door.
  
  I call out to her, "Are you leaving?"
  
  "Yeah."
  
  "Could you take me?"
  
  "Sure, just hurry up."
  
  In a minute, I am ready. We drive mostly in silence, but my sister does comment on how she feels sorry that my Yugo was totaled. Fortunately, it is not long until we arrive at my school. I exit the car and thank my sister for taking me here.
  
  I still wonder what woke me up though.
  
  Before I could enter the building, I hear Crissy call out to me, "Steve!"
  
  I turn to her and say, "Yeah?" Why is she trying to talk with me?
  
  "Can you get to school on your own anymore."
  
  "I guess I could walk for two hours."
  
  "Steve, I can help you if that is okay with you."
  
  > Thank you
  "How could you do that, Crissy?"
  
  "Well, how far away do you live from school?"
  
  "Uh, its seven kilometers."
  
  "In that case, we have a bike that we never use. You could come over after school is done."
  
  "One question."
  
  "Go for it."
  
  "Why do you want to help me?"
  
  "...Why would I not?"
  
  "That doesn't make sense to me."
  
  "That's why I'm doing it. You need it; see you in class."
  
  She stands to her feet and runs to class, and I watch her leave. For seven years, I have had a crush on her even though I never talk to her. Now, she is giving me a bike... What do I not understand about girls? Is this something normal?
  
  > Classes
  Classes fly by as always. I hardly pay attention to them these days, but I can still get good enough grades. Well, I normally get F's, but I then go back in time and fix some of my mistakes.
  
  When I finish, I wander around the hallways for a few minutes looking for Crissy. She is normally by her locker at this point, but I do not see her anywhere near here.
  
  "Hey, Steve." I turn around, and there she is. Why does she always come from behind me?
  
  "Hi, are you ready to go?"
  
  "Heck yeah." Who even says Heck anymore?
  
  "So, where do you live?" I actually know the answer to this question, but I do not want to sound like a creepy stalker. She lives in a white house with two bedrooms and one bathroom on a road named Abbey.
  
  I am not a stalker though. I simply wanted to know where she lives a few months ago, so I followed her home one day.
  
  She replies, "I live on Abbey Road."
  
  "Oh, then let's go."
  
  Therefore, we walk to her house, and small talk ensues.
  
  "Hey Crissy, why are you helping me so much? It just does not make sense."
  
  "Does everything have to make sense in life?" Ha, if you only knew about time travel. Nothing makes sense to me.
  
  "I suppose you are right."
  
  "I think you'll figure it out eventually."
  
  "Being criptic?"
  
  "Perhaps..."
  
  "Steve, did you ever have Mr. Mann as a teacher?"
  
  "Yeah."
  
  "He was weird, right?"
  
  "No, I don't think he was that strange."
  
  "Oh, well... he was odd for a math teacher."
  
  "Why?"
  
  "He liked books. Fiction: not math books. He read stuff like 'The Time Machine', '11/22/63', and 'A New York Yankee in King Arthur's Court'. It was all science-fiction."
  
  "I do not see anything odd with that."
  
  I see a smile crack on her lips as she replies, "Okay..."
  
  We suddenly stop. We are in front of her house, but Crissy does not know that I have already seen the house. I give the building no special attention.
  
  "Steve, here is my home."
  
  "That one?"
  
  "Do you like it?"
  
  "Yep."
  
  "Well, let's get the bike."
  
  We walk into the garage which is inexplicably open, and she gives me a simple bike. I thank her and prepare to leave; however, she stops me.
  
  My friend asks, "Would you want to have dinner with us tonight?"
  
  Uh, this now makes absolutely no sense. This seems very weird. Should I agree?
  
  > make an excuse
  I say politely, "That would be nice, but I have to head home. I don't think that it would be a good idea to ride home in the dark."
  
  I can see her hidden disappointment as she replies, "Oh, okay. Do you know how to get there?"
  
  "Yeah, thank you for the bike."
  
  "No problem. See you tomorrow."
  
  "Yep, bye."
  
  "Bye."
  
  I leave. Should I have stayed?... No, it just would not work.
  
  At least this bike is nice. It may not be as lazy or as quick as driving, but it is absolutely better than walking everywhere.
  
  A girl suddenly steps in front of me, so I swerve to the right. I crash into some grass and probably bruise my ribs.
  
  I stand to my feet adamantly asking, "What were you thinking?!"
  
  She stares at me with an unconcealed rage within her eyes as she yells back at me, "No what were you thinking? This is like... I have lost count on how many times you messed up! Please stop making excuses."
  
  "Are you okay?"
  
  "Ha! No, I am not. I made a mistake, and now I am trying to fix it. Do it again!"
  
  > Why are you here?
  I am in Crissy's garage. Was I here just a moment ago? No, it must be déjà vu.
  
  "Hey Steve," asks Crissy startling me, "Would you want to have dinner with us tonight?"
  
  Um, what should I say?
  
  > say yes
  I reply to her, "Yes."
  
  "Great! Thank you! Would you want to call home and say what you are doing?"
  
  "Sure... I do not think my sister would mind. Do you have a phone?"
  
  "Here, you can borrow mine." She tosses me her cell phone, and I explain my situation to my sister. She seemed surprised at what I said, but she told me that this was all fine.
  
  We then go in her house. To say the very least, her mother was surprised to find her daughter bringing a guy home with her.
  
  > A few hours later
  We are standing on her front porch, and the moon is far above us in the sky. The atmosphere is rather peaceful.
  
  "Well Steve, that was a great time."
  
  "Yeah, but your dad was staring at me menacingly the entire time."
  
  "Can you blame him? He's just trying to figure out if you are trustworthy."
  
  "Do you think I am?"
  
  "I know you are."
  
  "Steve."
  
  "Yes?"
  
  She suddenly kisses me on my cheek.
  
  Her face suddenly blushes as she meekly replies, "Sorry."
  
  > kiss her
  I smile and kiss her back. Before anything else can happen, we hear a sound coming from the house. Not wanting to receive the wrath of a father, we both hastily retreat in different directions. Crissy waves goodbye from inside the house while I wave goodbye from my bike... That was nice.
  
  As I ride back to my home, I let my mind wander, but a girl suddenly step sin front of me. I swerve off the road and crash into the grass brushing and bashing my body.
  
  She taunts, "Does this seem familiar?" It actually does, but how can that be?
  
  She continues, "My name is Stephanie, and I would like to say good job."
  
  I stand to my feet exclaiming, "Watch where you are going! I could have hit you."
  
  She laughs shaking her head and declares, "Nope, you always swerve. I just wanted to congratulate you when you are alone."
  
  "What are you talking about?"
  
  "Simple. I have successfully completed mission Marty McFly."
  
  "What?"
  
  "I fixed the past after I screwed it up. Well, now you two are going to get married eventually."
  
  "Her?"
  
  "Yeah, that kiss was important. Didn't you ever watch Back to the Future?"
  
  "Ummm..."
  
  "Well anyway, it is time for me to go back home."
  
  "Wait. Who are you?"
  
  "I am one-half you and one-half Crissy."
  
  "Stephanie, you are saying that... that..."
  
  "Yep."
  
  I sit down in the grass in a daze. My mind is attempting to comprehend everything that is happening, but I quickly understand that I cannot fathom this situation.
  
  I look up at... my daughter and say, "In that case, thank you. I do not know what you did, but I suspect you did a lot."
  
  She smiles at me and grabes my hand. She says, "Thanks, Dad... Can you do something for me?"
  
  "Sure, anything."
  
  "Do not mention me to Mom. I had to manipulate her as well. Specifically that Yugo stituation."
  
  "Okay."
  
  "I ensured that she won't remember me as soon as I leave, but you probably will. It is complicated... Also, when life is beginning to feel as if the only way out is death, press on."
  
  "Why?"
  
  "An autopsy revealed a chemical anomaly in your head."
  
  "Oh."
  
  "Don't leave me behind this time."
  
  "Um, I won't... as soon as I see you again."
  
  "Yep. Bye."
  
  "Bye."
  
  Then, she is gone... That was weird. I am going to have a daughter... with my wife... who is Crissy... wow.
  
  > Epilogue
  I ride back home in silence. I try to memorize everything that she said, but it slowly fades from my mind. I take a pen out of my pocket and start scribbling down our conversation on my hand and arm... I still feel her image slipping from my mind.
  
  I pedal to my home as fast as I can manage. When I arrive, I rush upstairs and write down what little I still remember. I sketch out her face so that I may remember it. Most importantly, I write down the phrase "Press On". I think that was important...
  
  Many years later, I was fortunate to remember that phrase. My daughter was as well.
  
  My life as a time traveler is... Can I even describe it with words? It is a feeling like my first kiss, feeling the sun warm a cool winter morning, or laying my eyes on my baby girl. It fills me with awe.