Stargazer
by Karen D. Morton
Copyright 1989 by Karen D. Morton. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2

1987
     In this hostile city that was not my Knoxville, three kind
people had taken me in.  I had the feeling they were unusual, even
for these queer times.  Judith had said that she took "getting used
to."  Did their attraction for the fantastic make them strange? Of
course, I probably wouldn't stay here long enough to learn the
answer; after all, John was surely looking for me even now. I could
only hope that he would find me soon. Perhaps it would be to-day.
     In the kitchen, Judith's voice sleepily greeted Paul. I stood
along side of the doorway in the darkened living room so I could
watch without being seen. If nothing else, this was a prime
opportunity to watch day-to-day life in the twentieth century. Paul
wore pajamas and slippers, and Judith was dressed in a pair of denim
britches and a short-sleeved shirt. She talked about "the robot," and
he talked about his clients. Sometimes, his hand brushed
affectionately against hers. I wondered why they weren't married.
But, then, I was in no position to pry into anyone's private business.
     "When is Carolyn going to call her folks?"  Paul asked.
     "Sometime after she wakes up, I guess."  Judith lifted her
large coffee cup to her lips.  The cup had gold letters that read
"NASA."
     "Judy, darlin', I know you like to bring strays home, but you
should at least know who they are first."  His cup said "See Rock
City." I wondered if all their cups were souvenirs from strange
places.
     "She's an innocent lamb. Her name is Carolyn Cooper. 
Some dude brought her here, then he abandoned her.  What more do
I need to know?  You'll be home today.  Why don't you get the
straight dope so you can call her family?  They pick her up, and you
stop worrying. Q.E.D."
     "Good morning, guys."  Teri emerged from her bedroom
into the kitchen.  Her thick robe was held together only by a belt.  I
was surprised that she would walk around the house without
anything on underneath that robe. How indecent!
     "Ah, Teri, my lovely Irish rose!"
     "Cut it out, Paul.  It's too damn early.  Good morning,
Carolyn."  After pouring herself a cup of coffee, Teri returned to her
bedroom.
     Judith poured coffee into a cup with a portrait of wild ducks
and set it on the counter.  "Don't be shy, kid.  That's a good way to
end up doing without around here."
     "Thank you."  I sipped the weak brew.  My borrowed
nightgown covered more than enough to keep me from being
embarrassed, so I joined them at the table.
     "Do you like to eat in the morning?"  Paul rose from his
chair.  "I can throw together breakfast if you're hungry."
     My stomach rumbled.  "Yes, that would be nice."
     "I'd better take off."  Judith brushed his cheek with her lips. 
"Take good care of the kid."
     Paul boiled eggs and used a "toaster" to toast sliced bread. 
The loaf was wrapped in a multi-colored bag, which felt unlike any
material I'd known.  Onto a rack that looked like porcelain but
wasn't, he laid strips of bacon between sheets of soft paper.  He laid
this inside a tiny, box-like oven with glowing numbers on one side.
     "Won't the paper catch on fire in that oven?"
     "It's a microwave, silly."  He typed on the numbers printed
below the glowing display.
     "Give me some juice, please."  Teri, now wearing a
knee-length brown dress and flesh-colored stockings, dropped her
shoes on the floor and stepped into them.  Without comment, he
poured her a glass of previously squeezed orange juice from a carton
in the electric ice box.  She drank it in three gulps.  She then put two
slices of the now cooked bacon on a slice of bread and folded it in
half.  She ate the sandwich while shrugging into a green sweater.  A
cordial "goodbye" marked her departure. Paul set the bacon, toast,
eggs and juice on the table.  I found plates and flatware in the row of
cabinets and drawers.
     "This is house cleaning day," he said between bites.
     "I don't understand.  It's already clean."
     "Ah."  He ran his finger along a nearby cabinet door. 
"There's clean, and then there's clean."  Small bits of dust clung to
his finger.
     By afternoon, Paul had cleaned the entire house.  I assisted
him as well as I could, but my unfamiliarity with most of the
chemicals and machines made me more of a hindrance than a help. 
He taught me how to use a "vacuum cleaner" and the "washer and
dryer."  The "window cleaner" looked and smelled almost exactly
like the "appliance cleaner."  Only the bottles were shaped
differently.  Two different and malodorous chemicals cleaned the
bathroom.  One foamed in the tub and sink, and the other turned the
water closet bowl blue.  The floor cleaner, at least, was simple to
use.  What had ever happened to soap and elbow grease? I checked
my ring as I worked.  Still no blink.  Surely John would be closer by
now!
     After we finished our chores, I wondered what I was going
to tell Paul. I had managed to brush off most of his questions by
burying myself in housework, but that wouldn't work now. Should I
tell him about John? I wondered if Paul would believe me. Then, I
began to wonder if I would believe me. How I had come here was
simply incredible, and I certainly had not believed it possible at first.
     Paul and I retired to the kitchen table with another pot of
coffee and ham sandwiches.  He scooped coffee into a basket that
perched over the coffee pot, which sat on its own little stove.  I
wondered where he kept his coffee grinder.
     "So, Carolyn, Judith tells me you have folks out of town."
     Yesterday's panic returned.  Under the table, I rubbed on my
ring for comfort.  "I. . . Never said that."
     "Well, you've got somebody, don't you?"
     The people in Mrs. Fisher's boarding house must have died
years ago.  "Not alive, anyway."
     "What about this fellow you were looking for at Miller's?"
     "If I could catch a street car to downtown --"
     "Catch a what?"
     "-- I might be able to find him.  Maybe he came back, and
he's looking for me."
     "Sure. And the tooth fairy will leave a quarter under your
pillow tonight. Get real. The guy has dumped you." He stared at me
for a moment. "Yet, there's something mighty strange about you.
Well, if you were a complete mundane, I suppose Judy wouldn't
have brought you home. Look, Carolyn, we're both adults here.  If
you don't want to talk, fine. You think it over while I go work on
my costume. Holler when you change your mind."  Without waiting
for a reply, he took his coffee to the "rec room" in the back of the
house.
     I looked down at my ring again.  Why wouldn't it blink?  I
couldn't imagine John abandoning me, yet here I sat in a stranger's
house with no clue as to his whereabouts.  I felt like crying.
     To take my mind off my troubles, I went to the rec room. 
Like the living room, it contained an abundance of pictures and a
couch, but the similarities ended there.  A large drape covered one
wall.  Next to it was a short cabinet with a glass front and buttons to
one side.  On either side of the cabinet stood two identical boxes. 
On top of the cabinet sat a variety of rectangular machines.
     Next to that group stood a book shelf that had smaller
cabinets with drawers in them.  A mirror was attached to the wall
next to the shelf.  An easel, a chair and some boxes stood neatly
stacked in one corner.  An unfinished painting of a landscape sat on
the easel.  Along the far wall stood a wood burning stove, and Paul
sat at a sewing table nearby. He sewed with an electric sewing
machine that didn't look too different from the foot pedal machine
Mrs. Fisher had bought Mother one Christmas.  The last time I used
that machine was to make my mourning gown for Paw. Thankfully,
Paul made no further inquiries into the whereabouts of my family for
the rest of the afternoon.
     We had supper waiting for Judith and Teri.  Paul showed me
his pot roast recipe that used canned mushroom soup for gravy. 
After she cleared away the dishes, Teri retreated to the rec room to
watch "television."  Judith, Paul and I played cribbage until time for
bed. The noise from the so-called "TV" distracted me, but it didn't
bother anyone else. Paul took advantage of my bad moves to beat
both of us.
     Had John truly abandoned me?  My worry made me toss and
turn on Judith's couch.  I wanted him to come back for me so badly,
every inch of my being ached for him.  Sleep eluded me for the rest
of the night.  I ended up sitting on Judith's concrete porch in the
early morning chill.  I sneaked back inside before other members of
the household stirred.
     Later that morning, I decided to return to "Miller's" on
Henley Street.  With Judith, Paul and Teri at work, I had no hope of
acquiring a ride, so I set out on foot. I had no idea where I was
going.  I could follow the railroad tracks in hopes they would lead to
downtown.  No, there had to be a better way.  I decided to follow
Judith's street.  After about a half mile, the street ended in a busier
one, called "Morrell Road."  I walked in the direction most of the
automobiles came from.  Several times, I had to jump aside to avoid
being run down. All the buildings, houses and side streets lay on my
side of the road.  I wondered why no one had built anything in the
woods across the street.
     When I got most of the way downhill, I saw a large
automobile with lots of windows emerge from another side street. 
Ah, a trackless street car!  I tried to catch up with it.  It spat black
smoke at me and sped away.  Now, what would I do?  There had to
be a stop somewhere on this street, which led to a large, concrete
field of automobiles and the largest building I had ever seen.  I
headed for the sidewalk in front of it. "Walgreen's," said a sign over
the plate glass store front.  Inside, people moved back and forth
while clerks put money into machines. Funny, everyone paid for
almost everything with dollar bills. Was everyone rich?  A smaller
sign on a metal post demanded more immediate attention.  It read
"K-trans Bus Stop."  Below the printed schedules (the "buses" ran
only twice an hour to Gay Street) was the list of fares.  The two
nickels I had borrowed from Judith's house would not be enough. 
One way fare was 75 cents.
     No wonder everyone used dollars to buy things! I wondered
what 10 cents would buy now.  At home I could have bought many
things: a box of soap powder, two pounds of Epsom salts, or a
round trip on the street car.  With a bus fare of 75 cents, it was
unlikely that my two nickels would buy even a cup of coffee --
assuming I could find one.
     Discouraged, I returned my gaze to the store.  Could this
one shop occupy such a large building?  No, more likely it was like
Market Square with many shops in the same place.  A look across
the cement field revealed an even busier street than Morrell Road. 
This street was cluttered with buildings and garish signs on both
sides.  Automobiles sped by at incredible rates.  I would get lost
trying to explore in that noise and confusion, so I headed back to
Judith's place.
     I heated my lunch in the "microwave" as Paul had taught me. 
After my meal of beef stew and crackers, I switched on the
"television."  Most of the "programs" were raucous, racy or
senseless.  It was a shame to see such a marvelous device be wasted
like that.  After pressing the "channel" button many times, I found
the "afternoon news".  A woman spoke about people dying in  "an
airplane crash".  Funny, she didn't seem saddened by it.  A man in a
white coat appeared to talk about something called "Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome," or "AIDS."  This terrible "virus"
(whatever that was) caused the victim to waste away, until
pneumonia killed him.  As the man discussed ways to avoid the
disease, I realized that it was transmitted in the same way as syphilis. 
My cheeks burned with embarrassment.  I wondered if the Cook
Remedy Company now sold a cure for AIDS.
     The woman reappeared to talk about something called "the
Iran-Contra Scandal."  I didn't get a chance to find out about it
because Teri came home from work.  We exchanged the usual
pleasantries, then she went to her room to change clothes. I
switched off the television set. Others might not mind its noise, but I
was determined to have a little peace and quiet.
     In the kitchen, Judith put her finger to her lips as she set a
package in the freezer.  She chattered about a "football game" she
would listen to on "the radio" tomorrow.  Paul made "uh huh" and
"mm hmm" sounds while he took a chocolate cake from a bakery
box.  Judith set wine glasses on the counter top and pulled a chilled
bottle of champagne from the ice box.
     When Teri came into the kitchen, they sang a song that
wished her a happy birthday.  They toasted her with champagne,
then Teri cut four wedges from the cake.  Paul scooped chocolate
ice cream onto each slice.
     "Here's to chocolate decadence."  Paul spooned some into
his mouth.
     "This is really great, guys.  I haven't had any of this stuff in a
blue moon."  Teri savored another bite.  "The best way to celebrate
your twenty-fourth birthday.  Mmm. . ."
     "Hey, Carolyn, your ice cream's melting."  Judith grinned. 
"Chow down."
     "I'm. . . Not hungry.  Excuse me."  Watching them together
reminded me of Linda's fourth birthday party, which we had held
just before Mother and Mrs. Fisher left for Atlanta. I had been able
to put John's threat about meeting again from my mind. To my
surprise and dismay, John had convinced Eddie to invite him to the
party! I spent most of that afternoon avoiding John, but Mrs. Fisher
insisted everyone come to the table to watch Linda blow out her
candles.  Over that birthday cake, his grey eyes peered into my soul.
     "What's troubling you, Carolyn?"
     I looked up at Judith.  "I -- I was just thinking about. . .  My
family."
     "Yeah, Marty told me."  She sat on the stool.  "What
happened to them?"
     "They -- died."
     "How?  Did they fall out of a plane?"
     Was she talking about airplanes like the one I had seen on
television?  "I don't know. They just -- died."
     "What else don't you know, honey?  Like maybe who you
really are or where you come from?"  She stood.  "Sometimes I
wonder what I got myself into bringing you home.  But don't worry.
I still think you're harmless. You can sit out here and brood all night
if you like. I'm going back to the kitchen before the goodies
disappear."
     As she walked away, I could hear Eddie cranking the ice
cream machine we had borrowed from the Williams family down the
street. "In a few short minutes, folks, you'll have the most delicious
vanilla ice cream this side of the Mississippi!"
     Mrs. Fisher hobbled to the porch.  "Look at all those
children.  It seems like there are more of them every year."  Linda
and the girls were jumping rope while the boys roughhoused in the
yard.  "Surely you young folks have something better to do than eat
cake and ice cream on a Saturday."
     Before I could protest, John asked if I would walk with him. 
I shot Eddie an angry look.  He winked at me and returned to his
labor.  Mother watched us from behind the screen door.  If I could
get John out of her ear shot, then I could be rid of him once and for
all.
     His shoes clicked on the cobblestones of Sixth Avenue. 
"Eddie tells me you're a typewriter at a real estate office."  A horse
rode by, kicking up dust from the street.
     "He says that because he can't say 'amanuensis.'  Actually,
my bosses call me a 'typewriter and stenographer.'"  I coughed into
my handkerchief.  "What do you do?"
     "I travel."  The sun gleamed off the new section of street car
track on Highland Avenue.  Horses and summer dust would soon
dull it to match the lengths around it.
     "For whom?"
     "Myself, of course."
     "Then you must be a wealthy man."  I adjusted my parasol to
keep him from taking my arm.
     "That would depend on how you define 'wealthy.'"  He
firmly tucked my arm into his.  His fingers lightly touched the bare
spot between my glove and my sleeve.
     "Does your wife travel with you?"
     "I'm not married."  He met my eyes.  "Why are you so
suspicious of me?"
     I waited until the street car passed so I wouldn't have to
shout my answer.  "We didn't meet under the best of circumstances."
     He raised his eyebrows.  "I think you would suspect me no
matter how we met."
     "In that case, if you'll excuse me--"
     "I'm not that easily brushed off, Miss Cooper."
     "Look here, Sir!  You would save us both a lot of trouble if
you would leave me be."  My breathing strained even the looser
bindings on my corset as I retraced my steps on Sixth Avenue.  My
skirts tangled around my legs, which dragged like lead weights.
     "Carolyn, wait!"  His attention stirred feelings I hadn't had in
a long time.  I wanted them, and him, to be gone.  A direct request
had worked with Mark Hancock, and the others had left me alone
after the first introduction.  Did John enjoy taunting me?
     "Please forgive me for being so bold, but sometimes the
direct approach is best!"  Before I could run away, he grabbed my
arm.  "Eddie tells me there is a church social on Friday night.  I'll
pick you up at seven."  He ignored my protests as he walked to the
street car stop.  How dare he talk so bluntly to me?  And make such
advances!  Who did he think he was?  As I returned home, a burning
blush crept over my body.  "Lord," I thought. "What have I done to
deserve such evil attentions from this man?"
     "Earth to Carolyn!"  Teri leaned toward me on the couch.
     "My, my.  You are the little stargazer tonight, aren't you?" 
Paul sat in front of me.
     "Doctor, I do believe this is a case of 'reminisce-itis.'"  She
spoke with a mock British accent. "I would guess 'boyfriend,' but
Judith says he's a jerk."
     "Hmm. . .  Yes, I must agree.  So tell us, my dear, what were
you reminiscing about?"
     I retreated to the kitchen, where Judith washed bowls at the
sink.   "You're too late, kid.  It's all gone."
     "Judith. . .  Could I ask you a question?"
     "Fire away."  She dried her hands on a towel.
     "Uh, what do you do?  Are you a typewriter?"
     She looked down at herself.  "I don't see any keys on my
chest.  Sorry, darling, I'm just a plain old technician."
     "Whatever that is.  You see, I was really wondering if you
could tell me the answer to something I've been puzzling over."
     "Oh, I've got lots of answers."
     I hesitated.
     "You know, I hate it when somebody starts something
without finishing it.  What's your question already?"
     "Could someone travel from one time period to another?"
     "Doo doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo, doo doo doo..."
sang Paul.
     "Da da dum, da da dum, da da dum, dum dum dum..." sang
Teri.
     "Out, y'all."  Judith shooed them out of the kitchen.
     "What were they singing?"
     "Theme to a British TV show about time travel.  Now, to
answer your question, scientists don't think it's possible.  Of course,
they also don't think that faster than light travel, transporter beams,
or a hundred other neat gadgets in science fiction are possible
either."
     "Oh."  I didn't dare ask her to explain herself.
     Paul cleared his throat.  "May I please come back in, Judy?"
     "Only if you stop calling me 'Judy.'"  As she led me into the
living room, she explained that she was taking Teri to shop for a
new dress.  Riding in her automobile was even more disturbing at
night.  I could hardly see the countryside, and lights from the other
automobiles made me close my eyes.  Moments later, the three of us
arrived at West Town Mall.  This was the same mammoth building I
had been to this morning.  As Judith searched for a place to park her
automobile, I read the signs over the doors:  "Sears," "Spinnaker's,"
"Mall Entrance," and "Miller's."  I wondered how many other stores
were inside.
     Teri alternated her enthusiastic giggles with "Are you sure
you can afford this?"  She selected three dresses to try on.  As
uncomfortable as my old clothes had been, they at least had
complimented my figure.  The yellow dress looked like a lump of
rags, and the other dresses were made of cloths in terrible shades of
pale green.  Even the dress Judith had chosen yesterday would have
been nicer.
     She must have come to the same conclusion, for she chose a
pink dress with a white collar and carried it to the doorway of the
dressing room.  When Teri emerged, Judith gently urged her to try it
on.  The dress not only fit, it also complimented her figure more
than the others.  Teri ended up choosing a blinding orange and
yellow print.
     Judith looked at me and sighed.  "It's her birthday."  She
gave the clerk a plastic card, which the clerk imprinted onto a small
form.  Judith scrawled her signature on the bottom line.
     "Credit cards are so nice," Teri said as we returned to the
automobile.
     "Until you get the bill," Judith replied with a grin.

1895
     After John left me on Highland, I walked back to the
boarding house.  Several of our neighbors had already gone home. 
The ones who remained stood out in the front yard.  I wondered
how the house would look to a stranger:  Its grey, peaked roofs
were bordered by fine iron ornamentation that culminated in a spike
on the tower.  Three chimneys of red brick stood taller than the rest
of the house, which had three stories.  A small carriage house and
stable in the back served as living quarters for Eliza.  Both the house
and the stable house were primarily constructed from brick. 
Window sills on the main house had sculptured marble on top.  The
late Mr. Fisher had built this house when the family was still
well-to-do. I really felt sorry for Mrs. Fisher; this house was all her
husband had left to her.
     Eddie washed out the bucket from the ice cream maker in
the back yard.  A couple of older boys talked to him about horse
racing.  Eliza picked up dirty dishes and moved the table onto the
side porch.  Younger girls now sat with Linda on the front steps and
played with dolls while older girls exchanged whispered gossip near
the fence. The Williams girls giggled and whispered things to the
others.
     "I hear she's a witch," someone whispered.  "That's why she
scares menfolk away."
     The only problem was that I had not scared John away. He
seemed more determined than any man had ever been, even
Frederick.
     My walk continued up the curved sidewalk and onto the
marble porch.  Sipping sassafras tea, Mrs. Fisher sat with Mrs.
Harris on the porch swing.  Mrs. Fisher asked if I wanted to join
them; I declined.
     In the parlor, Mother sat in her rocking chair by the
fireplace. As usual, her attention was buried in her Bible.  The
covering she had crocheted for the couch couldn't completely hide
its worn upholstery.  A portrait of the Fishers hung above the couch. 
Other paintings and photographs adorned the walls, which were
covered with a bright, flower printed wallpaper long since dulled by
coal and wood smoke.  The mantle clock chimed the quarter hour as
I picked up The Daily Journal.
     "You oughtta be readin' the Good Book, child."  Mother
peered across the room at me.
I gave her no answer; instead, I buried myself in Olivia Harper's
column.
     Our late supper consisted of dishes brought to us for Paw's
wake and funeral:  Corn, biscuits, chicken liver stuffing and cooked
cabbage.  Mr. Cromley and Mrs. Fisher talked about a new Mabel
Page comedy coming to town.
     "I was thinking about going down to Atlanta next week." 
Mrs. Fisher turned to my mother.  "Would you like to come along,
Nora?  It would do you a world of good."
     "I'll think about it, Annabelle."  Mother sipped her coffee. 
No doubt, she wondered if I had scared off another "good" man.
     I excused myself to go to my room.  My canopy bed was the
only fancy item I owned; it had taken me a year to save for it. 
Unlike Mother, I adorned my walls with nothing but prints of
nighttime landscapes.  My dressing table matched the Queen Anne
carving on my bed legs.  Mrs. Fisher had found the dressing table at
a rummage sale, and Eddie had varnished it.  After removing my
blouse, skirt, corset, and a petticoat, I sat at the dressing table to let
down my hair.
     "You have pretty hair.  Mine used to be that color.  Your
Paw called it 'chestnut.'"  Mother closed my door behind her. 
"Would you let me brush it?" I held still while she took out the hair
pins."I think I've been too hard on you lately."  She stroked my hair
with the brush.  "In some ways, you remind me of myself at your
age.  I was headstrong, like you....  I want to tell you about your
sister Ruth."
     "Mother, please, I don't want to hear it!"  My reflection
stared back at me.  I didn't have Ruth's blue eyes or her black hair. 
My eyes were hazel, like Paw's and Eddie's.  I didn't have her fine
cheekbones, her fair skin, or her sweet disposition.  Even my lips
were crooked.  Attention from men folks always surprised me; after
all, I was far from beautiful.
     "You're not as good as your sister would've been, but that
doesn't mean I don't love you."  Mother set the silver brush on the
dressing table.  "I'm going to Atlanta with Mrs. Fisher on Monday. 
Maybe while I'm gone you'll get acquainted with that nice young
man -- what was his name?"
     "John."  The "nice young man" had beaten a confused
vagabond nearly to a pulp.  It wouldn't have mattered to Mother if
she had known.  She would go so far as to beg a stranger to marry
me.  "Give this 'John' a few smiles of encouragement.  Like you used
to do for Frederick Quarrels."
     I had nothing to say to that. Mother would never understand
that no man alive would ever want me. Not after the way I had been
shamed.