Wishful Kisses: A Fountain of Love Novella (7 page)

Diana gave me a gentle smile. "No. On the day he left you, the threads of time were tightly woven. The fabric was already set. On the date that I send you to now, there is a possibility for a new design."

A glimmer of hope began to flicker, raising my spirits and stopping my tears. I had another chance. A better chance.

"Unfortunately, that also means that there is a greater risk to you." Diana peered at me with her magic green eyes. I could feel the weight of her words. "If the pattern can be changed, then you can be taken out of it as well. You could change all other timelines as well. Do you still wish to continue?"

"Yes," I answered without hesitation. "I would do anything for him."

"Then good luck to you, child," Diana whispered. I closed my eyes as she kissed my forehead, and I felt the mists of time swirl around me once again.

August 1, 1990

For the second time

––––––––

I
woke up in a room that I hadn't been in for over twenty years; my first apartment in Los Angeles. My eyes shot open, and I sat up quickly, making myself dizzy with the movement. The room was exactly as I remembered it, but without the veneer of memory. The room was barely bigger than a broom closet. I laughed a little to myself, thinking how it was even smaller than I had remembered it. In fact, I remembered it as far more glamorous.

The mattress was on the floor with unpacked boxes scattered throughout the small space. Water stains on the walls that hadn't bothered me in my twenties disgusted me now. The paint was peeling off the ceiling, and I could hear the hum of traffic through the wall. Now that I had lived in a nice apartment, the glamor of simply being in LA was gone for me. I missed my future apartment already.

I could hear the TV through the thin door, the voices of the news punctuated by my roommate's one sided conversation and laughter as she talked on the phone. Letters from Tony sat open on the box I was using as a nightstand. The ink was still dark and the paper white. I had read them so many times since this moment that I was used to them being yellow and aged. These were fresh and new.

I stood up slowly, expecting my hips and knees to protest from rising from the floor. But my twenty-two-year-old body made the motion easily. I ended up almost falling over because I was overcompensating and expecting pain. The ease of it all made me laugh.

Youth really is wasted on the young
, I thought to myself with a giggle. I glanced at the mirror leaning against the wall and ran my hand through my blonde hair. It was tangled from the night of sleep, but I still looked good. I stretched my hands overhead, enjoying the way my body moved and responded.

I opened the door to the main room where my roommate had the TV on full blast and was still chatting on the phone. I nearly laughed again as I realized she was talking on a corded landline. I had forgotten that cell phones weren't around yet, let alone the thin little smart phones I was used to. I was rather glad to know that particular technology was on its way.

The newscaster on the TV had on a terrible '90's style dress coat with big shoulders and a haircut that made his head look two sizes too small for the coat. I shook my head a little at the fashion sense of the time. I remembered thinking it was fantastic back then, but with a modern perspective, we all looked neon and overdone.

I took another look at the TV screen, noticing the box in the corner said it was seven in the morning on August 1
^st
. I started to laugh uncontrollably as I realized I knew what I was going to do. I knew why the fountain had sent me here, and I really should have asked to come here the first time. I knew the future on this date. I knew things that no one else could because I had been here already.

"What are you laughing at?" my roommate asked, holding her hand over the phone receiver. I managed to keep a straight face at her ridiculous puffy mullet hairstyle and neon pink wind-breaker outfit. I grinned at her, feeling almost giddy. I really could convince him this time. I was going to save my Tony.

"I'm going to need a ride to the airport," I told her. She looked at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care. I was going to see Tony.

***

"H
ere's Fort Sam Houston, miss," the taxi cab driver said, slowing to a stop in front of an impressive looking gate. I could see a guard in the booth checking I.D.s. I took a shaky breath. Now that I was actually here, actually about to go see Tony and tell him I was from the future, I was nervous.

I had hopped on the first flight I could find. It was actually rather nice traveling by plane pre-9/11. I was able to bring a bottle of water and I didn't have to take off my shoes in security.
Some things really were better in this simpler time
, I had thought to myself.

I handed the driver his fare and opened the car door. The sweltering heat of Texas in August hit me like a fist in the face. I grabbed my backpack filled with all the clothes I could stuff in it. I had everything with me that I would need to disappear. I just hoped that, after tomorrow, I would need it.

The cab drove off in a cloud of dust and smoke as I walked up to the gate and presented my drivers license to the gate guard. He looked at it and wrote my name down on the visitor's log.

"What are you going to be doing here on base, miss?" the guard asked, handing me back my ID.

"I'm here to see a soldier. Sergeant Anthony Frontera." I put the card back in my pocket. "Do you know where I might find him?"

"What unit is he a part of?"

"The 101
^st
Airborne Division." I smiled my best flirtatious smile and was rewarded with a smile from the guard.

"There's a lot of guys from the one-oh-one here, miss, but I think I've seen this guy. Jet black hair, really buff?"

"That's the one," I confirmed.

He laughed. "Lucky guy, that one. They're in building 2B." He leaned out of his booth and pointed. "Go left at the sign, and you can't miss it. If you hurry, you just might catch them getting back from lunch."

"Thank you so much," I replied and resettled the bag on my shoulders. I could feel his eyes on my backside as I walked away, but I didn't care. It had been a long time since someone that young had checked out my behind, but I had no time to show off. I was on base and on my way to save Tony.

The building was right where the guard had said it would be. I stood in front of the sand-colored building and bit my lip. Soldiers in uniform hurried between the buildings trying to stay out of the heat. Now that I was actually here, I was nervous. My palms were dripping with sweat and it wasn't just from the heat. My stomach was threatening to be sick with all the butterflies dancing around inside of me. I swallowed hard, forcing my stomach to behave. This was my last chance.

"Kimberly?" A voice called out from my side. I turned to see Tony making his way up the sidewalk. He looked so handsome in his uniform. Dean and Matt were with him.

"Hi," I said, giving them a timid wave hello. I was shaking with nerves now. "Can I talk to you?"

"Yeah, sure," Tony said with a grin. His eyes were bright with excitement at seeing me. I took it as a good sign. I must not have screwed up the timeline too badly if he was still happy to see me. "Can we do it inside? I'm dying out here."

I nodded. Tony put his hand on my back to guide me inside the door. His fingertips seemed to send electricity down my spine, and I shivered with delight. Dean held open the door for us all to walk inside. The air conditioning hit me like a gift from God. I wiped my hands on my shorts, trying to rub away my nervousness. If I didn't do this right, I could lose him.

"I'll see you guys upstairs," Tony told Dean and Matt. They nodded and gave me a wave as they went up the stairs to wherever they were going. I watched them leave us in the empty entrance. I was glad there weren't other people around. This was going to be weird enough without an audience.

I turned back to face Tony and was happily surprised when he kissed me. I relaxed into his kiss, letting my body respond to his touch. He felt so good, so strong, and so wonderful. I could taste the salty sweat from being outside, and I loved it. He tasted real. Alive.

He pulled back, keeping his hands on my neck and shoulders. I loved being this close to him. When he smiled, I felt my heart melt into a puddle.

"I'm really happy to see you, Ladybug," he said softly, the smile never leaving his eyes. "But what are you doing here?"

I took a deep breath. I had rehearsed this speech a thousand times on the flight here, but now that it was time to actually say it, my voice wavered. He had to believe me. As insane as what I was going to say was, at least this time I had a plan. I just needed to make sure he actually heard it before dismissing me as a needy, crazy story he told his friends.

"I'm going to tell you something crazy," I said. "I wouldn't believe it myself, except it's true."

Tony's face darkened with worry. "Are you pregnant? I thought I was careful enough..."

"No, no," I answered, a nervous laugh bubbling in my throat. If only that were the problem. That I could handle. "I'm not pregnant."

"Okay. I mean..." he shrugged. "It wouldn't be a bad thing if you were, but I'm glad that's not it."

I bit my lip. This next part was the most dangerous part. This was the part I was afraid of. I was terrified he was going to leave without letting me finish.

"You can't leave for the Middle East. You're going to die over there."

Tony's face fell and he dropped his hands from me. "Kimberly..."

"Before you write me off as a super psycho chick, just listen to what I have to say," I begged, grabbing onto his sleeve. He pulled back slightly, but he didn't try to escape. "I've been to the future. You die on this tour. You're supposed to guard some VIP and something goes wrong. I wait for you and you never come home."

Tony took a step backward, moving his arm to dislodge my fingers. My throat tightened. I needed to get a hold of myself. I needed to stick to the facts that would convince him, not the emotional part that had haunted me for the past twenty years. My emotions didn't matter now.

"But, to prove to you that I'm not crazy and that I actually am from the future, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen tomorrow." I took a deep breath and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Events that I shouldn't know.
Couldn't
know, unless what I'm saying is true."

"Kimberly..." Pity filled Tony's eyes. He thought I was nuts.

"You don't have to believe me today." I pressed my palms together and gave him a weak grin. "Hell, I wouldn't believe me today, but if tomorrow, you do believe me, then meet me at the gate tomorrow evening."

Tony's face told me he wasn't even thinking of showing up. I couldn't blame him. If our roles were reversed, I would have looked exactly the same. At least he was still listening, though.

"Tomorrow is August 2
^nd
." I looked him in the eye to make sure he heard my every word. This was the important part. "Iraq is going to invade and occupy Kuwait at two am. The Emir will flee to Saudi Arabia. There will be two days of fighting. In response, President Bush will announce a defensive mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia called Operation Desert Shield."

"What did you call it?" Tony asked, interrupting me. His expression shifted slightly, turning more into an interested frown from a disbelieving one.

"Operation Desert Shield," I repeated. I knew this all as history that had affected my life. I had read every article I could get my hands on during this time because I had been worried about Tony. Even after his death, I had almost a gruesome fascination with the time period. "American soldiers will be in country August 7
^th
. The entire conflict will eventually be called Operation Desert Storm, or the Gulf War."

Tony's frown deepened. "How do you know this?"

"Because this is old history for me," I explained. "This is all set to happen at two am Iraqi time. If this does occur, then please believe me and meet me at the gate tomorrow evening at seven. I won't be able to get in because you guys will be on lockdown."

Tony crossed his arms, his eyes dark. He schooled his face into a mask I couldn't read. I prayed silently that he would believe me. This was my last chance. If this didn't convince him, then nothing would.

"I really want you to believe me." My throat constricted and I looked down at the ground. I was still shaking. "I don't want you to die again. I don't think I could bear it a second time."

I felt his hands on my shoulders. They were warm on my skin, and I felt a small surge of hope. He still cared enough about me to touch me, despite the fact that I sounded like a lunatic.

I cleared my throat and looked up. Panic was welling up in the pit of my stomach. I needed to give him time to think, and I knew if I stayed I would start to cry. "So, August second: Iraq invades Kuwait triggering Operation Desert Shield. You'll go to guard a Kuwaiti VIP, and you won't come home."

I stepped back, trying to smile through the tears I could feel piling up in my throat. I couldn't let my emotions escape me this time. I didn't want him to remember me in hysterics. I needed him to remember the facts.

"Seven o'clock at the gate," I repeated and turned to run to the door. My fingers grasped the cold metal handle when I thought of something. "Oh, and I just remembered. You like baseball. A rookie on the Yankees will hit his tenth home run tomorrow. I remember you writing that to me in a letter. It was some sort of record."

I turned the knob and bolted out the door. Despite the heat, I ran all the way to the gate, trying to escape the fear that he wasn't going to believe me. I darted out the gate, waving to the guard and prayed that tomorrow, Tony would meet me here and I wouldn't be left waiting at the gate forever.

August 2, 1990

For the second time

––––––––

T
he rental car hummed softly along the pavement as I drove back to the base. The numbers 6:38 glowed green on the dash. I knew I had plenty of time, but I still hurried. I had sat in the hotel room for most of the day, watching the news unfold on the TV. It was strange to see it happening again and to know how it would turn out. I was torn between leaving the hotel early and sitting and waiting by the gate, or leaving so that I would arrive precisely at seven. Either way I was going to be anxious. I finally decided to just wait at the gate.