Fate Said No by Eva Schultz

Fate Said No by Eva Schultz

Victor sipped his club soda and scanned the bar for Vera, even though she wouldn’t be there until 4:42 p.m. He stared at his reflection in the front window, framed by tinsel and tiny white lights, and imagined the dark, snowy street beyond, crowded with shoppers dodging one another as they tried to navigate the slippery concrete.

He turned his back to the window and looked around the room. He knew this place better than his own living room – every bottle behind the bar, every picture on the walls, every patron in the place. A trio of women at a table in the corner had been watching him since he came in; now, the blonde had drummed up the courage to approach him, as he knew she would.

Without looking at her, Victor swiveled his glass so that his wedding band showed, and said, “Sorry – married.”

“Oh!” She laughed awkwardly, “No, I was going to…” She glanced at the bartender, looked at the half-full glass in her hand, and mumbled, “Nothing,” before returning to her friends.

Normally, Victor would have felt guilty about blowing her off so coldly. After all, for so many years, that had been him – working against his own nature to put himself out there, rewarded with so much rejection that he had almost decided to give up and spend his life alone. What if he hadn’t tried one more time when he first saw Vera? What if he’d assumed someone that beautiful would never consider an introverted career scientist?

What if. That’s what this whole evening was about.

Besides, he knew the blonde would be fine. He tilted his drink to his lips and checked his phone – 4:34. Right on cue, the door swung open, admitting a gush of cold, wet air and two Wall Street guys. The women would notice the men while they were ordering their drinks, then the men would notice them, and everyone would pretend not to notice anything until the men ambled from the bar to a table near the women with exaggerated nonchalance.

But that was as far into their story as Victor would see. Once Vera arrived, the world would be nothing but her. She was leaving Macy’s right now. Her attempt to find a pair of leather gloves for her dad had been unsuccessful, and she had had enough of the Christmas rush, so she would step inside to escape the sleet and warm up with a quick drink before catching the subway home. She wasn’t expecting Victor to be waiting for her.

4:42. He turned to the door an instant before it opened. Vera swept into the bar in her long red coat, wiping sleet-flecked hair out of her eyes. Her face brightened in confused happiness when she saw him. “Vic! What are you doing here?”

A thrill moved through his body. It didn’t matter how many times he saw her again; it always moved him just as much. He embraced her, kissing her wet hair and hoping he looked genuinely surprised to see her. “I needed a break from the lab,” he said. “Thought I’d come out for a drink.”

“All the way downtown?” Vera climbed onto a barstool beside him and plopped her purse on the bar. “You should have texted me. I could have used some help finding Dad a present.”

Victor tugged his jacket sleeve further over the band strapped to his wrist and grinned at her. “No luck, huh?”

“You wouldn’t think it would be this hard, but apparently XL is the holy grail of glove sizes, or something.” Vera plucked a tube of lip balm out of her purse and popped the lid off.

“I just came in for a drink, but if you’re hungry, let’s go ahead and have dinner,” Victor said. “This place has baked mac and cheese.” Nothing on the menu took longer to prepare, he’d learned through trial and error. The longer he could keep her on that barstool, the better.

“Ooh, that sounds amazing.” She ran the balm over her lips. “Let’s keep an eye on the time, though. I want to catch the 6:26 so we can get home before the weather gets too much worse. It’s so gross out there! I almost wiped out crossing the street.”

His eyes stung as he gazed at her. She met his look quizzically and then smiled. “Aw, hon, I said ‘almost.’ I’m fine! You worry too much.”

Victor felt his throat tightening and chased the feeling away with the last of his seltzer.

The bartender took their order and put it in with the kitchen. Time slipped by as Vera described her day, details he knew by heart. He drank in every bit of her – the flyaway hair around her temples, her multiple “pleases” and “thank yous” to the bartender every time she spoke to him, the a-little-too-loud laugh that drew some glances but only made him love her more.

It felt like the food arrived too fast, but the clock told him it was the same time as always. He lingered over his serving, insisted on dessert, asked questions he already knew the answers to – anything to keep the words flowing.

Finally, Vera crumpled her napkin, placed it on her partially eaten slice of cake, and said, “Come on – let’s head to the station. You can finish your story on the way.”

Victor glanced at the clock on the wall above the bar. “What if we wait for the 8:06, let some of the Christmas shoppers clear out? It won’t be as crowded, and we can have another drink.” Had he tried this tactic before? It was hard to remember at this point.

She gave him her “trying to be patient” look, the little wrinkle in her eyebrows warning him that she was getting tired of this. If he kept pushing it, they would get into a fight. He knew that well enough.

“I know you don’t like the crowds, but the sooner we go, the sooner we’ll be home. Come on – I want to fire up the foot bath.” She stood up and pushed her empty bowl away.

“Just one more drink.” Victor took hold of her wrist, and her eyes flashed. She put her other hand on his arm to push him away, and he realized he was found out.

She slid his sleeve up and stared at the silver device on his wrist. “Is that what I think it is?”

He exhaled heavily. He had thought that if she didn’t find the device this time, maybe things could finally play out differently.

Vera sank back onto her bar stool. “You did it,” she said, staring at the metal band with its softly glowing panel of buttons. “After all these years, I thought it was just a dream.” She met his eyes and dropped her voice to a whisper. “You can time travel.”

“I finally cracked the equation.” Victor traced the edge of the band with a finger. “It turns out there’s an atmospheric element to it. The time jump only works for a window of a few hours. It occurs eight days from now.”

She stared at the device, and he could see the wheels turning in her mind. She was going to put it all together, once again.

“Why here?” she asked. “Why now? A snowy night at a bar?”

He reached across and placed his hands on hers. “I just wanted to be with you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Then… I’m not there with you in eight days.”

He closed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter, okay? It doesn’t matter. Just sit here with me.”

“Why? What happens if we leave?”

“…wait and see?” He grinned like he was being clever, but she was already too far down the path toward the truth.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Her voice had shifted into the urgent register that meant she wouldn’t be put off any longer. “What are you trying to change?”

He squeezed her hands and stared at his empty tonic glass. “I just can’t go on without you.”

Vera breathed heavily, and he felt a tremor pass through her hands. “How does it happen?”

“A truck. It’s… quick.” He couldn’t look at her face. “I’ve tried to stop it, I swear. Sometimes I tell you the truth, sometimes I try to trick you into staying here. I’ve tried grabbing you and holding you back. Things play out a little differently each time, but it always ends the same.” He closed his eyes. “Then I’m alone in the apartment for the next eight days, until the atmosphere shifts and I can get back here to see you again.” He finally dared look up at her.

“How many times?” Her voice was low and stiff. “Victor. How many times have you been through this loop?”

“I don’t know. I’ve lost track.”

Vera’s breath escaped in a rush, and she sagged against the bar. “So you’ve been living this for weeks now. Months? Or… please tell me it hasn’t been years? Without any success?”

He leaned in. “Baby, just seeing you is the success. It’s worth it, every time.”

“To have the same conversation, over and over? And to live through… through what comes next?” She shook her head. “Victor… at some point, don’t you have to give in to fate?”

“You know I don’t believe in that kind of thing.”

“And you know I do.”

He looked at the clock – 6:10. He had only minutes left with her.

“I can’t go back to that house without you in it,” he said. “I can’t be alone again. I try, and it feels like I’m going crazy.” The tears came again, unbidden. “Vera, please. Just sit here with me. Don’t go out in the street.”

“Why do you think we can change anything, if you’ve tried it so many times before?” Her beautiful eyes were brimming.

“I don’t know,” Victor said. “Maybe I won’t ever be able to. But at least I can keep coming back here and spending every second I can with you.”

“Vic.” Vera exhaled heavily. “That’s no way to live. That’s not what I want for you.”

He didn’t answer.

Vera stared past him at the window. “Is it soon?” she asked.

He nodded.

She squared her shoulders. “All right,” she said. “If it’s meant to happen, it’s going to happen. Let’s go.”

He walked behind her out the door and placed a hand on her arm. “Please stay with me. Please.”

She took his face in her hands and kissed him.

He let her step away from him toward the icy street. “I’m going to come for you again,” he called. “You can’t stop me.”

Vera stopped and looked back at him. “No,” she said. “I don’t suppose I can.”

She turned away from him and stepped off the sidewalk and into the street.

—

Eva Schultz lives in Aurora, Illinois, where she is a business writer by day and a fiction writer by night. Her work has recently appeared in Slippage Lit, The Free Bundle, and Fabled Journal. She lives with a big orange cat named Gus and enjoys drawing, painting, and collecting typewriters. Visit her online at www.evaschultz.com.