“Oh, wow,” Gretchen said beside Thelma. “That’s you. What is going on?”
Megan clicked on the video titled, “Missing Housewife Found?: Genetics or Time Traveler?”
“Oh, no.” Pauline shuffled past behind Thelma, her own phone in hand. “No, no, no.” She hustled outside. Thelma didn’t bother going after her. Only Ethan had a sickening look on his face.
“What’s going on?” Robbie asked. “What’s got you all acting silly?”
The four of them stood behind the couch, watching the video.
“…So, you might be asking,” Jazz said, fingers twirling by her head as she stared into her camera, “What the hell is going on here? The so-called Thelma Van der Graaf seen out and about today is the absolute spitting image of the woman who went missing in the ‘50s. According to her public documentation and Megan’s own public social media, this Thelma is her cousin, who would be the OG Thelma’sgranddaughter.While the name makes perfect sense when you take into account that people tend to name their children after dearly departed family members, what the heck is going on with her appearance? She looks exactly the same! Including this picture of her visiting her mother in an old folks’ home in Los Angeles!”
Thelma gasped to see a candid photo of her having lunch with Debbie the week before.Dolled up in what I used to wear all the time.One of the employees must have taken that picture and shared it with Jazz!I bet it was Linda!
“Supposedly, this new generation Thelma is Debbie’s daughter, but there are no records of her existence from before this year. The story that our informant tells us is that Thelmaclaimsto be from NorCal and was given up for adoption when she was born, adopted into a cult, and was married and already had two kids by the time she was twenty-five. Just so happens that the Thelma who went missing in the ‘50s had the same trajectory, minus the cult!”
“I’m really sorry.” Gretchen took Thelma’s arm and attempted to drag her away. “I might know someone who knows how to get this stuff taken down. Come on. Let’s finish dinner.”
But Thelma wasn’t walking away. The video was far from over, and now this woman had the nerve to show pictures of Thelma’s family in the ‘50s, including Robbie as a child.
“Christ,” Robbie muttered. “Never thought I’d see my mug on the internet.”
“This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about people who went missing decades ago suddenly showing up again in Los Angeles, claiming to be distant family members. Sure, genetics do crazy things, but are we going to sit around and believe that time travel isn’t possible at this point? In all of my talks about cults over the years, I’ve never once heard of this cult Modern Thelma is supposedly from in California, but I have heard the consistent conspiracies about time travel! I know I sound like a nutter, but let me say my piece! I’m not the only one in her neighborhood who has questions!”
The video suddenly cut to an on-the-street interview with Ben and Heather, who stood outside the latter’s house, talking into a cheap microphone that was barely audible over the autumn breeze.
“It’s just wild, you know?” Heather said. “She’s not only got the same looks, but the same mannerisms as the woman who disappeared in 1958. I’ve known her son since I moved here twenty years ago, and the way they interact… it’s fishy, you know? I don’t believe a word about her being from upstate and in some cult. I dunno if you guys noticed, but she drives the same damn car as the missing woman! The whole thing is screwy! We wanna know the truth about who she is!”
Finally, Megan turned off the TV. “Wow,” she muttered. “That bitch stole my social media photos.”
Robbie was about to stomp back to the dining room. But loud voices came from the porch, drawing everyone toward the windows.
“You’re here to sort it out, right?” It was Heather, this time in real life. She stood on her sidewalk next to a black SUV that Thelma instantly recognized. Unfortunately, it made her heart drop into her stomach to see Agents Wilcox and Thornwood step out wearing their FBI windbreakers over their more casual day-off clothing.
They ignored her while stepping toward Robbie’s house. Thelma instinctively grabbed Gretchen, wanting to hide her face in her girlfriend’s arm while this occurred.
“What’s going on?” Gretchen asked her. “Thel. What’s happening?”
She didn’t have words. Her mouth was dry. Everything constricted inside of her chest.
The truth…Her own lies come back to haunt her. Four footsteps coming up onto the porch, and the sounds of voices as Pauline told off the agents for disturbing them on Thanksgiving.
Robbie swung the door open once he recognized Agents Wilcox and Thornwood. Neither man looked like he wanted to be here on Thanksgiving.
“What do you guys want?” Robbie demanded.
Agent Wilcox looked past him and right at Thelma, who still couldn’t speak.Whatever happens…She looked up at Gretchen, who glanced back down at her. Thelma clung to the memory of meeting her for the first time and thinking,“Well, isn’t she attractive?”
Now, here they were, sharing Thanksgiving while dancing around the facts of their relationship.She’s worried about Robbie’s approval… I’m terrified of her finding out I’m a time traveler.
Because it was preposterous. Even that woman in the YouTube video didn’t sound sure that such a thing existed.
Yet here were the agents who apprehended her and impounded her Impala that fateful night several months ago.They came into the house, weary, their attention falling on Thelma as she attempted to hide behind Gretchen.
“So…” Wilcox began. “Seems that people are putting two and two together about you, Mrs. Van der Graaf.”
“Missus?” Gretchen wrapped an arm around Thelma.
“We’ve got to get a few things clear here,” Wilcox continued. “We got called in from our own Thanksgiving dinners because the press is looking to descend upon this street in the next couple of days. We’re going to have a nice talk about what the story is, and…” He finally noticed Gretchen. “You’re not family.”
