Love Transcends Time

LOVE TRANSCENDS TIME

Born an introvert, I turned to reading to avoid speaking or socializing. My favorite

genres are romance and mysteries. My least favorites are Westerns and Science Fiction, so when the library staff chose a book called Love Transcends Time, by Robert Lore, for our monthly book club reading, I was skeptical.

Lately I’ve been working on getting out of my comfort zone, so I decided to read the

book anyway. Because of my initial hesitation, I was the last member to pick the book up at the library, and it showed. The book was stained and worn. I asked the librarian if she had another copy. She said this was the last one, but I could go to another library to pick one up. I declined since the nearest library was about five miles away, so I decided to read the one I had.

The book was about a shy 23-year-old woman named Jenna Clay, living in the year

2026, who went to a Barnes and Noble bookstore in New York City to find a book to read. Like me, Jenna browsed for an engrossing story, so she could enjoy reading it while sipping her favorite cup of herbal tea.

Sauntering through the aisles, she glanced at the array of titles until she found a book

that appealed to her. After reading the summary, she glanced up and noticed a young man dressed in a frock coat over a double-breasted vest, black trousers, matching boots, and a top hat, standing a few feet away. She did a double-take because she couldn’t believe that anyone would be dressed like that from this century.

She had to conjure up the courage to speak to him; because of her shyness, she never approached people, especially attractive men, without an introduction. She felt compelled to speak to him because he was handsome, but the outfit he wore mesmerized her.

“Hello. I am Jenna,” she said to the man, as she shyly tucked a strand of her long

red hair behind her ear. Her throat went dry, but she smiled triumphantly because she had managed to get those words out. The tall, soft-spoken man with the large brown eyes and dark wavy hair told her his name was Renaldo Portland. Before she could move in closer, he was gone!

But later in the story, they hooked up again.

We all know how romance stories go: Boy meets girl, they fall in love, and some conflict breaks them up. They reconnect and find their way back to each other in the end. But this romance story was a bit different, and what happened to me after reading this book was even more bizarre.

On Jenna and Renaldo’s first date, he told her he was an actor and was wearing the 1900’s garb for a Broadway show that he was in. After a couple of months had passed and they both were enjoying their beautiful courtship, Renaldo revealed that he was from another century.

Jenna was crazy about Renaldo, and although she’d found his time travel story too outlandish, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He convinced her that he was telling the truth by taking her to visit the century from which he came.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said. The first time she stepped into his century, she spied horses and buggies, old-fashioned-looking stores, and shops. There were no trucks, cars, or buses racing through the streets.

From a woman who knew fashion, Jenna’s eyes glistened at the sight of young women dressed in cotton shirtwaists—a tailored blouse with a high collar—paired with long, dark,floor-sweeping skirts. The shoes they wore were high-top, lace-up or buttoned leather ankle boots with stacked block heels and pointed toes.

Jenna continued to enjoy Reynoldo’s company as they navigated New York City in the early 1900’s. She loved the whole experience and even went shopping, purchasing and wearing the fashion worn from that time.

One day out of the blue, the time-travel maker, named Giuseppe, informed Renaldo that his time-traveling experience was over, and he could never visit the 21st century again.

“But what about Jenna?” Renaldo asked with panic in his voice.

“Oh, she can stay here with you, if she likes,” Giuseppe said. “But you can’t ever go back with her!”

“I don’t know how I am going to break this news to her.” He cried.

*****

“Why can’t you come back home with me?” Jenna pleaded after Renaldo broke

the news about his time travel restriction. She looked up at him, searching his eyes.

“Those are the rules,” he said. He seized her by her shoulders, pulling her tiny frame

towards him. “I love you, Jenna, and I want you to stay here with me.” He kissed her gently on her mouth, savoring the taste of her sweet lips.

“I love you too,” Jenna said tepidly.

Because Jenna had her heart broken a dozen times before, she thought hard about

taking that leap. She had never had a man care this much about her. Most of the guys she dated always ended up putting her in the friend zone.

“You’re a nice girl, Jenna, but…” was all she ever heard, but Renaldo was different. He

was always there for her. He listened to her and respected her views. Of course, he did the gentlemanly things, like opening the door, paying for meals, checking on her regularly, and he always tipped his hat.

Jenna believed that he truly loved her, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to live in the

1900’s. She was used to her life as an independent woman, and she loved living in the twenty-first century. If she transferred to another century, she would miss working at her job as a fashion consultant, the internet, and socializing with the few friends she had.

The story ends with Jenna looking out at a beautiful sunset while standing by a deep blue sea in the city of New York in the 1900’s. She stood there wrestling with her thoughts about whether she should stay with the man she loved or go back home. -The End.

******

“The End?!” I yelled loud enough, knowing my next-door neighbor probably wondered if I was drinking too much brandy again. “I can’t believe this author. I can’t believe he left me hanging like this?” I jumped out of bed and shut off the lights. When I returned to bed, I closed my eyes, but couldn’t sleep. I was dying to know what Jenna’s decision was. I tossed and turned all night thinking about Jenna, as if she were a personal friend of mine going through a crisis.

When I woke up the next morning, the book was lying on the floor, revealing the back jacket cover. Usually, after finishing reading a book, I close it, take it back to the library, or put it away on my shelf. I was determined to find out more about this author and if there was a sequel coming soon!

Below the picture of the author was a small bio, the other books he had written, and his future projects. I didn’t see anything about a sequel, so I kept reading. The print became smaller the further I read. I had to squint to read what was written. When I still hadn’t managed to read everything, I ran to the kitchen with the book in hand, scrambled through my junk drawer, and pulled out a magnifying glass.

‘Anyone interested in becoming a time traveler, go to this website: Timetravel.com/take a journey with us.’

Wow! Are they serious? I had never been interested in anything sci-fi-related before,

but now I was fascinated. I turned on my laptop and typed the website address in the search engine. A decorated sky-blue coloring page with enormous black printed capital letters running across popped up, which read: If you’ve loved reading any of my historical time-traveling books:

YOU CAN BE A TIME TRAVELER TOO!

Even though the site looked professional, the testimonies seemed fake. The alleged participants of the time travel didn’t use their full names, just initials. “I had a great time visiting Europe in the 18th century. Can’t wait to go back again! C.B. one testimony read. “I read all of the author’s books and visited the 1600’s, 1700s, and the 1800’s. This stuff is real!”-K.S.

Further down the page, there was a form to fill out if you were interested in a time travel experience like one of the characters from the author’s books. They were offering a one-time fee of $15.00 for a fifteen-minute time-traveling experience. The other two offers were $25.00 for a twenty-five-minute time-travel experience, and $35.00 for thirty-five minutes. The available centuries that were offered consisted of travel from the 1600s through the early 1900s, the periods that the author had written historical fiction stories about.

Why not? I thought. Since I am working on leaving my comfort zone, I might as well try this. Even if the testimonies seem fake, what’s the worst that can happen?

I chose the early 1900’s travel experience because I read the book, Time Transcends Love, from that period. I charged the $15.00 fee with my Master Card. Promptly, I received an email verifying the purchase, and attached were the instructions, which included the address and time.

I was thrilled to find out that my time-travel experience would take place at a location I was familiar with, which alleviated some of the uncertainty.

My appointment was for 12:00 p.m. It was still early in the morning, so I took my time, showered, put on a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. I caught the #2 train around 11:00 a.m., rode it to 42nd Street, and transferred to the #1 train. After I got off at my stop, I walked to 12th Street and stopped when I reached the location.

Yes, this used to be a nightclub back in the 1980’s; they tore it down after a cocaine addict set the place on fire. In the 90’s they turned it into a warehouse. The warehouse closed a few years ago. I opened the large wooden door. It was dark when I stepped inside. A faint smell crossed my nose.

“Show me your receipt! I heard a booming voice say. My chest rose, and my breathing intensified. I made an effort to turn back around so I could run back out, but my feet and legs wouldn’t move.

I searched my bag and then pulled out my receipt. Trembling, I held it in front of me. “Here you go!” The receipt flew out of my hand. I don’t know whether a person took it or some mysterious entity.

“Step up!” the booming voice said again. I followed his orders. “I see that you chose to travel back to the early 1900’s.

“Yes,” I said, moving tepidly closer towards the unknown voice.

“I take it you read Time Transcends Love.”

“Yes.”

“Close your eyes, and imagine yourself in that time period.”

I gradually closed my eyes. I started feeling dizzy. I fell backwards, and instead of hitting the floor, I landed on a substance that felt like cotton candy. It was soft and fluffy; kind of what I imagine clouds to feel like.

“Now open your eyes!” the voice commanded.

When I opened them, I was no longer in the warehouse.

I am a solid 5’5, 150-pound woman, but I felt myself in a smaller body as I looked out

toward the sunset as I stood by the sea. It was quiet. There were no cars, trains, or buses racing down the street. But behind me I could hear the sound of horses pulling buggies down the street. I looked myself over because I felt a garment tight around my body. I was no longer wearing jeans and sneakers. I was dressed in early 1900s women’s garb!

I felt more hair on my head and peered over my shoulders; I could see long red hair flowing down my back, just like Jenna’s. In reality, my hair is short, dark, and curly.

“You are no longer the person you used to be when you came here; you are the character of Jenna Clay,” the booming voice said.

I started thinking as Jenna. Renaldo loves me, but I can’t live in this century with him. I have a life in another century. I am still young. Maybe one day I will meet someone from my own century. But I love Reynoldo so much. How am I supposed to live without him?

“You have the option of deciding for her,” the booming voice said.

“Really?” I asked in shock.

“Proceed quickly, because you only paid for fifteen minutes.”

“Renaldo!” I called, as Jenna did in the book. I looked around, but he didn’t appear

like he normally did whenever Jenna called him. I called his name a dozen more times, but no response. My throat became sore.

“I am ready to go back,” I said to the booming voice. “Renaldo doesn’t seem to be

responding. Maybe he knows I am not the real Jenna.”

“Is that your choice?” the booming voice asked.

“I don’t see any other way. He’s not responding!”

“Your time is running out. Try again.”

“Renaldo, if you can hear me. I love you, and I want to be with you for the rest of my life!” I spoke in a voice I didn’t recognize. Renaldo appeared. Oh, my God. He looked just as the author described him. He was tall and handsome. His deep brown eyes illuminated.

“Jenna, I prayed night and day that you would choose to stay.” He walked over to me.

“Renaldo, I can’t live this life without you,” I said through a voice that seemed to come out of left field again. At this point, I knew it was Jenna who spoke through me. I stared into his deep brown eyes.

“But what about your life you are now living in your century?”

“Without your love, I have no life, no matter what century I'm in.”

Reynoldo leaned forward to kiss me. My heart fluttered. The anticipation of being kissed by such a young, handsome man in my senior years definitely made my coffee pot percolate. I pursed my lips, ready to meet his.

“Your time is up,” the big, booming voice said before Renaldo and my lips touched. I was back in the dark warehouse. I no longer felt long hair hanging down my back. I looked myself over, and I was wearing jeans and sneakers again. I strolled out of the warehouse like a zombie.

I can’t believe what just happened to me. I wasn’t sure how I was going to discuss this with my book club group. I must be out of my mind. I can’t tell them what happened to me. They would think I am crazy and have men in white coats come and lock me up. But I don’t think they do that anymore.

As I rode back home on the train, I wondered if the ending of the book was the same as I read before my experience. I got off the train and rushed home, like I had urine about to run down my leg. After I opened the front door to my apartment, I dropped my carrying bag on the floor, zipped into my bedroom, flipped through the back of the book, and read the last page.

The words on the last page read like this: As Jenna stood looking out over at the sea, she couldn’t stop thinking about Reynaldo and the love that they shared. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t get him out of her mind or her heart. I loved the life I lived in my century, but I cannot live with him!

“Renaldo!” Jenna called.

He appeared.

“I love you too much to ever leave your side!” She cried.

He wiped the tears from her face and gave her a long, passionate kiss.

“You will never have to,” Renaldo said.

THE END