EDDIES IN TIME (eBook)

Chapter 14

The Devil In The Details

“Granddaddy, first, I’ve come up with a list of important things for you to consider before deciding whether you really want to travel back in time to see Mimi:

10) Communication (Past to Future; Future to Past)

“#1) The Length Of The Trip: As I’ve mentioned, it takes a little over an hour of travel time in the TIME EDDY to go back a year into the past. For example, if you went back the maximum to your date of birth in 1947, that would be seventy-eight years, and the travel time would be a little over 78 hours. That’s more than three twenty-four hour days!

“Your choice of how far to go back affects other things too, like travel supplies needed, etc. We’ll discuss the effect of travel time on affected items in #19.

“#2) Unknowns; (risks, etc.): Even though Two-Timer’s journey through the TIME EDDY was successful, we really don’t know what she actually encountered or if she made it through easily or just barely made it.

“I believe there will be some turbulence in the EDDY, but I don’t know how great it will be. The difficulty of maneuvering out of the EDDY at the ROCK is a bit of a concern, although I’m confident you’ll be able to do it. Two-Timer was able to do it with my automatic maneuver device.

“Other unknowns include: What’s in the EDDY? What happens if you are separated from the SEAT? How vulnerable are you to being pulled into the TRAP? Etc.

“#3) Your Age: Let’s face it. You’re no spring chicken, Granddaddy. I know you’re in pretty good health for your age, but we just don’t know the stresses you’ll be under during the trip. Your health once you get there is an issue too. I’ll address that in more detail in #8.

“#4) Identity issues: Practically none of your current forms of identity will be valid in the past—especially the further you go back in time. Your driver’s license number, credit and debit cards, checking account number, etc., will be null and void. The one possible exception is your social security number, if you can overcome two major obstacles. First is the fact that you will be older than you should be in the past. Again, the further you go back in time, the more significant of a problem it could be. For example, in what year did you and Mimi get married?”

“It was in 1967.”

“So, you were twenty then because you were born in 1947. Since you are actually seventy-eight that could present a problem if you went back to 1967 and should be looking like a twenty-year-old.

“The second major obstacle is the inconvenience of two people having the same Social Security number: you and the younger you.”

“Wow, I haven’t even thought about that! Me and a younger me. Is the world ready for that?”

“I can’t answer that Granddaddy.” They both laughed.

“#5) Housing Issues: Where are you going to live? There are multiple problems if you try to buy a house, like money and credit history. Identity issues in #4 above would certainly come into play.

“You would definitely have to claim to be younger than you actually are. I’m not sure that would really be a lie. Technically, you should be twenty in 1967 based on your Social Security records.”

“Yep. I think it says somewhere—The Constitution maybe—if the Social Security Administration says it’s true, it has to be true.”

“Although not easy, renting would be the least difficult way to have a place to live. However, you would almost have to pay the rent in cash, assuming you had the cash. You won’t have credit and debit cards. You won’t have a checking account.

“#6) Financial Security Issues: Even though you’ll be taking some money with you, that will sustain you only for so long. You’ll eventually need to have additional money to live on. That means you’ll need to get a job, and that means there could be Identity Issues in filling out federal and state paperwork, cashing your paycheck, etc. There would even be Identity Issues in trying to get welfare.

“#7) Transportation Issues: Since it would be very difficult getting a valid driver’s license, it would also be hard to get a vehicle. Probably, you will have to depend on someone else to drive you anywhere.

“#8) Medicine And Medical Care Issues: Again, because of identity Issues, you will most certainly not be covered by a group medical plan; nor by Medicare, unless you go back no further than 2015, when you would technically be age 65 and eligible for Medicare.

“Except for emergencies, it would be tough getting a doctor’s appointment, since there would be no way for the physician to get reimbursed from an insurance company, Medicare, or even Medicaid. Your only option would be to pay cash.

“And what about your medicines? Mimi said you were taking several different medications. Again—paying full price in cash would probably be your only option.

“Another potential issue: Are the medicines you’re taking even available back in in the past where you plan to go?”

Grayson, looking a bit dismayed, shook his head.

“Sounds like you’re trying to discourage me from going back to the past.”

“I’m just trying to be honest with you about what you’ll likely have to deal with. You need to know this is not a pleasure cruise.”

“I know, Oliver. I definitely want you to be completely honest. Well, go on with the list, and give me the rest of the bad news.”

“Ok, let’s talk about ‘communication’.

“#9) Communication (In the Past): Since the first iPhone wasn’t available prior to 2007, going back to a time before then would mean your iPhone could not be used for communication. Go back far enough, and the land-based telephone would be the only practical means of communication with people then.

“And, given your identity issues in #4, you probably wouldn’t be able to have your own telephone.

“#10) Communication (past to future; future to past): So, some important questions are whether you in the past can communicate with me in the future, and vice versa?

“Your communicating with me from the past to the future is fairly simple. Let’s say you write me a letter in 1967, and, put it in a safe place, a place we have selected before you go back in time. That letter will be immediately available, now in 2025, for me to read. In fact, if you wrote me a letter in 1967 and every year after that for ten total years, all ten of those letters would be immediately available for me to read now in 2025.

“This assumes a couple of things: First, the place where the letters were put in 1967 would still be there in 2025, and those letters would have remained hidden and untouched all those fifty-eight years. Second, the letters would need to be protected from the weather so they could still be read.

“The letters would inform me about what you had done and thought, or what you were planning to do and were thinking. Of course, I would have all the letters you wrote at one time. I could ‘cheat’ and read your last letter first.

“On the other hand, what about me in 2025 and the years after that, communicating back with you in 1967? Communicating from the...