Page 107 of Time Loops & Meet Cutes
I look at the person sitting across from me. Before the time loop, most of my day-to-day interactions were surface-level conversations with coworkers. I’m not used to someone talking to me like this, not used to speaking so openly with a friend.
A friend who’s here even when I try to retreat into myself. A friend who will continue to be here even if things don’t go well with Cam.
I try a bite of baked ziti and nearly groan aloud at the cheesy goodness.
“This is amazing,” I say.
“Hard to go wrong when you use that much cheese.” She pauses. “I don’t expect you to act exactly like you did when we were trying to figure out what was going on and spending money carelessly because it didn’t matter. I know you’re looking for a new job, but I think you could be more like time-loop Noelle in other ways too. Just a little.”
“Yeah. Maybe.” I look down at my plate. “Though before I talk to Cam, I need to talk to my sister.” I’ve been preoccupied with my love life lately, but I’ll feel better if I make some progress with Madison.
On Friday, I email my boss to say that I’m sick. Then I spend a few hours looking for a new job, and I even send out my first application.
But that wasn’t the reason I pretended to be sick.
At 11 a.m., I take a deep breath and text Madison.
ME: hey. I know you don’t want to talk to me, so I’m textingyou, and you can read it and reply… or not. But I hope you’ll at least read it.
ME: The truth is, I don’t remember exactly what I said to you and why we’re not on speaking terms. I know it’ll be hard to believe, but I have amnesia. I lost 7 months of my memory. While everyone else was living life like usual, I was stuck in a time loop, repeating the same day. I think it was caused by magical dumplings.
ME: I KNOW. But I’m serious.
ME: While I don’t have memories of your reality, you also don’t have memories of mine. When I was inside the loop, I told you what was happening to me, and you believed me. We got along better than we had in a while, maybe because having my world upended made me see things differently. I think I understand you better than I did before.
ME: I’m sorry that this is what it took, and I’m sorry we haven’t been close in a long time. I want to get to know you as an adult, without being so judgmental because you’re not like me. It came from a place of concern… you’re my little sister, and I only wanted the best for you, but I know that’s not how it felt. I promise to do better in the future.
ME: If you want to meet up today, I took the day off work.
I’ve never sent so many texts in a row without a response, but knowing how Madison feels about email, I think this is the way to go. If she wants to call me, she can.
I wait, and I wait. After five minutes of staring at my screen, I get a response.
MADISON: You’re taking a day off????
I chuckle. I know that’s difficult to believe, but is it really more unbelievable than everything else?
I don’t dwell on that for long. The most important thing is that she’s texting me back.
ME: yes, really.
MADISON: In this alternate reality, where did we meet up? Let’s go there.
I’ve read through the menu twice, and I keep checking my phone, half expecting a message from Madison that says she’s not coming or only just left home. She’s ten minutes late now.
A moment later, she sits down across from me, and I nearly sigh in relief.
“This place doesn’t seem familiar,” she says.
Unlike Cam, she doesn’t get déjà vu with me.
She peers at me curiously. “Why did we go here?”
“Because I was trying all the dumplings in Toronto in the hopes that—”
“You’d eat some that would get you out of the time loop?”
I nod. Then I smile at the face that’s so much like my own before my gaze falls to one of the physical differences between us: the tattoo on her wrist. She also has a row of piercings on her right ear; I only have one in each ear.
