Remember Me (48 page)

Together, we would go after those who caused Stebben’s death.

It was brilliant in its simplicity. My knowledge of future events gave us an edge, but we needed a mountain of cash to make the plan work. Gametech was going to be the cash cow that supplied the milk. Only one company grew faster than Winslow Electronics during the decade of the nineties—Gametech.

Everyone else chased them from far behind, the distance

growing wider by the day and years. My role at Gametech was never discovered. It was something J.W. Winslow overlooked the first encounter we had, and with me “put down,” it was something he never bothered to check on. I chalked it up to his overt cockiness. Gametech ended up hiring Mark and Samuel to come work for them. It was an even better fit for them than what they had at E.M.J.

In nineteen ninety-six Gametech went public. It stayed efficient and specialized. Despite the Board’s request to invest S 366 S

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the ever-growing capital into research and development or upgrades, it didn’t. Gametech’s stock only took a minor price decrease during the “dot-com” bust. All the cash on hand made it look stable and inviting. The stock price even increased during two thousand-one, while other technology companies stock continued to fall. When the market tanked after 9/11, Gametech used the cash on hand to buy into Winslow Electronics. Just like in the movie “The Sting,” it was a master-ful slight-of-hand ploy to lay the foundation for our ultimate con. The world and J.W. Winslow saw it as a bid for a hostile take-over of Winslow Electronics. J.W. played his part perfectly, just like we knew he would. He was able to stop the Gametech acquisition just short of success. In the months that followed Winslow Electronics would grow dramatically.

J.W. Winslow used his knowledge of 9/11 to build an

immense financial empire. He got greedy though, and it was his insatiable greed that I’d been banking on all along. When I showed him the report about the stock market crash and 9/11, I didn’t tell him that a stock market dip in two-thousand and two would be even more devastating than the aftermath of 9/11 in two-thousand and one. Like the piranha he was, he used the backdrop of the terror attack to leverage his buying power. Winslow Electronics began to acquire several smaller companies, some of them competitors; some of them preferred distribution outlets. Behind the scenes at Gametech, we began a wide scale systematic purchase of Winslow

Electronics’ shares. We had investors all over the country buying Winslow Electronics’ shares and even more waiting on the sideline to make large purchases when I gave the sign. When the market fell to the lows in two-thousand-two, I was ready.

Winslow Electronics, now severely leveraged because of its excessive buying paid a huge price when the market fell. The bottoming out of Winslow Electronics shares was something S 367 S

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J.W. never saw coming. His company had once approached a value of nearly two point six billion. When I gave the signal to buy it was only worth five hundred million.

The stock market had recovered from the terror attacks

the year before, and I’m sure Winslow felt he had the world by the tail. Not only did he buy up the competition, he invested heavily with his own personal fortune. In March of two thousand-two, the stock market would begin its decline, each time the drop was dramatic and quick. It was then followed by momentary stability before another drop took place. The last eruption came during middle of September through the first part of October. The Market blistered Winslow Electronics by seventy-two percent over the complete year’s downturn. In comparison, Gametech only decreased twelve and a half percent. In one fluid motion, the shares of Winslow Electronics were bought and sold at “fire sale” prices. By the end of October, counting pledged proxy votes, I now controlled fifty-eight percent of Winslow Electronics.

J.W. gave it a last valiant effort to curb the take-over of his company, but it was too little, too late! Now nearly eighty years old, Winslow had lost a step—both mentally and physically. Gametech took control of Winslow Electronics and the current board and all of the directors were subsequently fired.

This included a re-married Tom, now minus Amy. Two years later, after Winslow succumbed to complications following a heart attack, his once glowing company was rechristened E.M.J. One of the new Board of Directors was none other

than “Family” member and friendly bookie, CJ. Winslow had made many enemies in the “Family” with his personal quest for power and money. I played off that and used the fiery feud to my ultimate advantage. As they say: “In for a penny…in for a pound.” I knew J.W. Winslow was turning somersaults in his grave. In the end J.W. got what he had originally wanted. The S 368 S

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“Family” got thirty-five percent of E.M.J.

The fear of retribution to me and those I loved died with J.W. In two thousand-four I was installed as C.E.O of the newly re-vamped E.M.J. The company became a juggernaut in the field of gaming and communication equipment. Because of our dedicated advancement in technology, the “War on Terror”

was fought on-line more than on-the-ground this time around.

With a much superior technological edge, America swept

the money away from would-be terrorists. The Homeland

Security Department actually worked better than it had in my own time. Stacy kept the heart of 9/11 alive, and I believe she was the one, not me, who ultimately did the most to save lives.

E.M.J. profited by the military contracts and the cutting-edge equipment it sold. The Gametech division dominated the video game market and the newly developed cellular phone division quickly rivaled its competition. Celltech, the cellular phone division steadily increased its market share. When the market crashed in two thousand and eight, E.M.J. withstood the worst of the backlash. E.M.J. saw its share price drop nearly twenty-two percent, still much better than most of the companies fared. E.M.J. graciously sought out and purchased several companies that would expand its development into new technology fields. One such company was Echelon Marketing. It was not a coincidence that it was purchased. One of the division vice-presidents was none other than Amy. This time, our buyout of her company was above board. It had even been Amy who initiated the first contact with E.M.J. She then proffered the proposal to the newly elected C.E.O. of E.M.J., Stacy.

My run as C.E.O. had come to an end; my health was

starting to fail. I had quadruple by-pass surgery in the spring of two thousand-eight. The doctor had warned me back in two thousand-one that my life was on borrowed time. I laughed S 369 S

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at him then, and I still managed a smile this time. I had managed to defy all logic by making it this far. I was lucky…very lucky. I prefer to call it an “urgency of purpose”…something that had to be done before I slipped into the stream of endless time. I was only seventy-three, but unlike those who claimed the seventies were the new fifties, I definitely felt older than my age. During my recovery in the hospital, I saw Amy for the first time in eighteen years…at least in close proximity. She looked successful. I really couldn’t think of any other way to describe her. I wasn’t trying to slight her, but I could instantly see that she was missing a big chunk of who she once was. It was mostly in her eyes, they betrayed the longing of the soul within. She might have been professional on the outside, but she was lacking an inherent part of herself…motherhood! It stood out on her like a battle scar; I could see it…smell it. In truth, I was probably only seeing what I wanted to see, because I couldn’t stop comparing her to the Amy that I loved.

I can’t say why she decided to visit me in the hospital. It was something I pondered for several days. I still wasn’t sure, even when we had a long conversation several weeks later after I was released. I never could quite get my head around it.

I knew that the divorce with Tom had been extremely nasty. I kept tabs on her; I had to for my own sanity. In the end Amy won what she wanted most; her freedom. Tom got what he

wanted…money. For many years they went along fine, doing what childless couples often end up doing—marrying their careers. It came as no surprise to her when she learned of Tom’s multiple infidelities. After too many broken promises of redemption, and too many new starts, she’d had enough and filed for divorce. Tom was sure she was after his wealth, even though the value Amy’s own portfolio wasn’t too far behind his. The ensuing court battle was nasty. Eventually, Amy gave in just to end it.

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I believe that Stacy had something to do with Amy showing up at the hospital. I know it was touch and go with me for a little while, whether I’d even make it or not. I’m sure Stacy could sense how deep my connection to Amy ran. I never did conveyed to her my past life with the alternate Amy, but who am I kidding…everyone in the world saw the love in my eyes and the desolation when she ceased being a part of my life. The day she walked into my room at the hospital wasn’t one for the faint of heart—and mine was surely on the faint side.

“Hello Pete,” Amy called out to me as she entered my

room. Stacy smiled at her and rose from her chair so she could leave us alone. “Nice to see you again too, Stacy.”

“Likewise,” Stacy answered her, and they hugged before

she left the room.

I was as close to tears as I could be, fighting with everything I had to keep them at bay. My heart had been empty for too long. Love was something I never found again, not in this time. My heart belonged to one person, and God willing, I would soon see her again—in this life or the next. Seeing the Amy of this time standing there hit me like the proverbial ten-pound hammer. I swear I saw something in her eyes as well.

She was now the spitting image of my Amy, slightly different, but still there all the same. When she spoke, her voice had aged and sounded full of wisdom and maturity. It carried the same tone quality that had once caressed my ear when she whispered, “I love you!”

“If it’s a bad time, I can come back later,” she asked. She was always observant, and I’m sure she was taking stock of the emotional state her being here had put me in.

“No…please stay,” I stammered.

Amy moved uncertainly towards my bed, “I can see you

are still fighting time.”

I was taken aback by her comment, and when my face

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clouded over, so did hers. “I’m not sure what you mean…”

“I’m sorry,” she said truthfully, “It’s just that you look awful…run through the ringer. It was a bad choice of words”

I relaxed and smiled, “I’m really glad you are here. The truth is I’ve missed the hell out of you. It’s been way too long since I saw you last.”

“Really,” she said with a note of sarcasm. “Then why have I seen you in the strangest places the last few years, like three months ago in New York City at Rockefeller Center. I saw you walking away. I checked with your secretary. You were supposed to be in San Francisco.”

I blushed and then lowered my eyes from hers, “Guilty.”

“If it had only been once or twice, I’d have chalked it up to coincidence, but we both know that isn’t true…is it?”

“No, it isn’t.”

“So what’s the deal…stalking me?” this time she said it

with a smile on her face and a lighter sound in her voice.

“I don’t want to talk here, not now. There are too many

unfinished things in my life, and I felt the need to right some of my wrongs.”

“Am I to assume that I am among the wrongs?”

I cast my eyes away from hers.

“I see,” she whispered quietly, “and what great wrong did you do me? It seems to me that you helped me to be where I am today. You even tried to warn me about Tom. It seems to me that I owe you more than you could ever begin to owe me,”

she finished in a well rehearsed soliloquy.

“If you ever could truly understand, you’d hate me…” I

said it in an ashamed tone and with a tormented look on my face. “Oh I think I’ve gotten smarter in my old age…so why not try me Andrew.”

My face must have registered the shock she had wanted to S 372 S

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see. For the briefest of moments, I wondered if she was here to call me out and twist the knife deeper into my soul. Maybe she wanted to finish me off and gain some retribution.

“Don’t be so pompous,” she laughed, “I’m not here to question the how, that’s beyond me anyway. I’m more interested in the why. You just confirmed my first question though…ok it was more of an acceptance to a declaration of impossibility!

You are from the future, but why are you here?”

“I’ve been careful…evidently not enough…what do you

think you know?” I asked her. A new resolve was starting to calm the inner pangs of deceit that I had always carried with me. The deceit of lying to those that I loved and keeping where I came from a secret.

“It started years ago, but I kept it at bay. I’m too practical to believe in what I can’t see…just the way I’m built.”

“Always were,” I interjected, “It made for an unlikely marriage in your career choice.”

“I think that was why I chose to do something abstract, to be creative and develop that part of me. Even then, I did it as my way of justifying the need to have balance in my life.”

“Practical to a fault,” I said, “Not a bad thing at all.”

“That day in the trailer, “the picture,” it was the first clue of many. Next was the comment from you at the wedding,

and the distance between us afterwards. The relationship you had with Stacy always seemed more like a brother and sister.

You two even resembled each other. What finally sealed it for me happened a year ago in Chicago. I ran into a couple at a restaurant. I mean literally ran into them…their car. It was a minor bump. As we exchanged insurance information, his voice sounded familiar to me. In the overhead parking lot light I saw it clearly. He was…you! He was about the same age you were when we met. It was uncanny and suddenly everything began to click!”