Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

Gabriel and Ginny had caught the bus into Frinton. She was on her way to do a shift at the care home, and Gabriel was going to the Gazette office. They hadn’t talked much on the bus. It didn’t seem the place to have a conversation. She would be finished work by 4:30 pm. Gabriel typically finished at 5:30 pm. They had agreed to meet up after work. They would meet at one of the old Victorian seafront shelters. That way, if either one of them was delayed, the other would have somewhere to sit and wait.

At 5:30 pm Gabriel made his way out from the Gazette office and walked down to the sea front. It was a pleasantly warm evening. People were walking down the street with a look of anticipation to the evening.

Gabriel looked over towards the old Victorian shelter. Ginny was standing next to it. She was looking in Gabriel’s direction. She was smiling and waving. Gabriel waved back.

“Do you want me to shut down for a while?” Vicky asked.

“Yes please. That’s very thoughtful of you Vicky.”

“Ok, Gabriel. I will wait until you re-activate me.”

“Ok, Vicky.”

“Oh, and ... good luck, Gabriel.”

“Er ... thanks, Vicky,” Gabriel said, wondering what Vicky was alluding to.

. . . . . . . .

Ginny gave Gabriel a big hug, and then they sat down on the side of the shelter that faced towards the sea. There was hardly a breath of wind, and the sea looked very calm. Off in the distance Gabriel could see the line of wind generators ... pure white against the clear blue sky. Huge sea-based windmills. They were barely turning.

“You shocked me last night,” Ginny said.

Gabriel said nothing. He watched the windmills. He waited to see what would come next.

“I talked to Moth about it,” she said.

Gabriel turned to look at Ginny. “And what did Moth say?” he said.

“She said that you were ... you were protecting yourself and me as well ... and that you have probably ...”

“Probably what?”

“Probably learned that if you have to hit somebody, that you should make sure that they don’t jump back up and ...”

“There was four of them, Ginny ... maybe five ... I didn’t know. And if you get in fast, take one down, then ...”

“But you kept hitting him ... even after... and then you broke his arm. And then ...”

“Yes, I did, Ginny.”

“They probably thought you were a psychopath.”

“I hope so, Ginny.”

Ginny looked shocked.

“Why? Why is that? Why do you hope that?” she said.

“It might give them something to think about ...the next time they consider giving me a little warning ... the next time they consider passing on a little message from Pete.”

“Moth said ...”

“Moth said?” Gabriel asked.

“She said ... ‘If she had a sweet guy like that ... kind, considerate, yummy-looking, and he could look after himself ... she wouldn’t waste a minute.’”

“She said ‘yummy looking’ did she?”

Ginny felt herself flushing up. Her cheeks felt like they were burning.

“So, what do you think?” Gabriel said.

“How do you mean?”

“Well ... it seems like Moth has given you her take on it, but what do you think? ’Cos, I suppose, if you don’t want me, then ...”

“What do you mean ... then?” she said.

“Well, Moth seems very nice, and if ...,” he said, chuckling.

Ginny took Gabriel’s face in her hands, turning him to face her. She was partly smiling, but partly serious.

“Gabriel ... you shocked me last night. But I know that you were doing what seemed best. Those guys were going to hurt you. You knew that, and you were protecting yourself ... and protecting me as well, I guess.”

Gabriel nodded.

“And I guess that you’ve had some rough times. They’ve probably taught you how to stand up for yourself. I just haven’t seen that side of you before. And I’ve no right to tell you what to do in those sorts of circumstances.”

Gabriel waited. Ginny patently hadn’t finished yet.

“I haven’t been there. I can’t ...” she said, falteringly.

Gabriel took Ginny’s hands off his face. He clasped hold of her hands.

“Are we ok, Ginny?” he said, “because I don’t think that I can readily stop being what I am. And as you said, I’ve had some rough times. They taught me lessons. I don’t think that ...”

Ginny smiled at Gabriel.

“We’re ok, Gabriel,” she said. “I just need to do what Moth said ... she said, ‘I should grow up’.”

“Moth’s a good friend to you,” Gabriel said.

“Yes, she is,” said Ginny.

“Did she really say I was yummy looking?”

Ginny chuckled. She turned and leaned back onto Gabriel’s chest. He put his arms around her.

“I was just wondering,” Gabriel said.

Ginny flicked him playfully on the knee.

“Ouch,” he said, grinning.