Gretchen puffed out her chest when she said, “I’m Thelma’s girlfriend.”
“What!” Robbie barked. “Now, hold on—”
“Shut up, Rob,” she snapped back at him. “You’ve got the goddamned FBI on your doorstep and weirdos on the internet making up stories about your family! Let’s focus on protecting Thelma!”
“Is that true?” Thornwood was more curious than upset that Thelma had a girlfriend. “Huh. Congrats. I just got engaged, myself.”
Wilcox ignored him. “She has no idea, does she? Great. Just great.”
“What is he talking about?” Gretchen unwrapped herself from Thelma. “Is there something actually going on here, Thel? Be honest.”
“I’m…” She shook her head, unable to continue.
It was Megan, leaning on the couch and hanging over the back, who said, “This whole thing is fucking stupid. I get why you guys keep this crap secret, because it’sbonkers,but look at all the trouble it’s causing! I can’t even post a selfie with my grandma on social media without everyone losing their minds!”
Gretchen’s arm dropped from Thelma’s waist. “Yourwhat?”
Megan smacked her hand against her cheek. “Christ.”
Thelma couldn’t even be angry at her granddaughter once again taking the Lord’s name in vain. “Her grandmother. Because that’s me.” Even when she said that, she felt like an insane idiot. “I’m Megan’s grandmother. And Robbie’s mother. I’m Thelma Van der Graaf.” She stepped between Gretchen and Agent Wilcox, who was more worn out than Robbie, who hid in the corner until this was over. “I left my house to go to the store in 1958, and drove right into the FBI’s barricade in 2018. Here I am. A damn miracle that even the Bible couldn’t warn us about!”
Gretchen’s eyes darted between Thelma and everyone else in the room. When she realized that nobody was refuting Thelma, even to call her crazy or to point out that what she said was nonsense, the mood shifted. Dramatically.
“What the fuck?”
“It’s true.” Agent Wilcox took out a pen and a pad. “What’s your name, Miss?”
Gretchen was still incredulous. “Gretchen.”
He prompted her for her last name.
“Stewart. What’s happening here? Are you all losing your minds?”
“Gretchen Stewart.” He wrote that down. “All right. Time to ruin all of our Thanksgivings by asking you to come down to the FBI office with us. We’ve got forms for you to sign, Ms. Stewart. Welcome to an exclusive club that we all hate being a part of.”
“I’m sorry, are you arresting me?”
“Heaven’s no,” Wilcox said with a sleepy drawl. “But I can cuff you if that makes it more fun. Happy Thanksgiving?”
For the first time since they met, Gretchen regarded Thelma with disdain.
They no longer touched. Thelma knew they wouldn’t embrace again. The truth had come out, and everything broke inside her, just like that night she tried to be a good mother.
But it didn’t matter.For Thelma Van der Graaf had to pay for her sins.
Chapter twenty-two
Milk
November gave way to December, and Thelma couldn’t recall a more melancholy holiday season.
Everyone was sore. Megan and Emma were having some falling out—during finals, no less—and Robbie was more reserved and withdrawn than usual. He spent more nights out with his old buddies that Thelma had barely met. And with the sun setting so much earlier at that time of year, Thelma likewise spent a lot of time at home, alone.
Alone with her thoughts that threatened to send her over the edge.
Nobody was melancholier than Thelma, who struggled with nosy, so-called independent journalists knocking on their door and harassing her so badly at the library that she went on break from volunteering.One of the only things that made me feel connected to the modern world.She also stopped visiting Debbie without either Megan or Robbie with her, neither of whom wanted to go, especially if Thelma dressed up.No point in that.Well, Debbie enjoyed it. But at what cost toeveryone’s sanity? The director of the memory care facility swore they conducted an internal investigation and fired the nurse responsible for leaking photos of Thelma, but it wasn’t enough to make her feel comfortable.My poor Debbie…The only solace was knowing that Debbie couldn’t remember day to day, let alone that her mother was supposed to visit every week.
The group and history classes were the only tethers to the world that Thelma could cling to with all her strength. Crystal watched as Thelma curled up on the couch and cried after confessing what had happened during Thanksgiving. The group assured her that it was always difficult if someone caught on to time travel, let alone what you did if you fell in love with an “outsider.” But in Thelma’s case, Gretchen had completely disappeared.
