Life Redone (Part 1 of 10)

[Started a new series, but this doesn’t mean the Sisters By the Pool is done. As always, I welcome all comments here. Love hearing from readers. Thanks for reading everyone!]

One night I was on my way home after a long day at work. It was late and very dark out, but as I gazed out of my passenger window I noticed a broken down car with a dejected looking man sitting on the back bumper. I always considered myself a nice enough person, but I wasn’t usually the type that would do something like this. I was too cautious, and this seemed dangerous. But still, something caused me to slow down and pull off to the side. The man rose as I parked my car, and I noticed his face was partially veiled with some kind of clothing. Still, I was able to make out a worn smile with years of stubble surrounding it.

“Need any help?” I offered, as I walked towards his car.

“I think it just needs a jump” he responded in a weary voice. “Thank you so much for stopping. You wouldn’t believe how long I’ve been here.”

“Some people…” I started, though I knew how difficult it was for me to step up. I went into my trunk and found the jumper cables that I have stashed for just such an occasion. We lifted his hood and attached the cables in the right spots. It wasn’t long before the man’s engine turned over and he was back in business.

“Really, I can’t thank you enough” he said, as I returned the cables to my trunk.

“It’s no trouble” I replied with a smile. As I said this, the man went into his pocket and pulled something out. I felt a brief stop of my normal heart beat pattern, but didn’t think he would do something to harm someone who helped him. Still, he wasn’t the most normal looking person from what I could tell.

“Take this” he said and handed me an odd looking box of some sort. With that, he started back towards his car.

“What…what is it?” I asked, studying the strange object in my hand. The man laughed.

“Ever had a moment you wish you could go back and change?” he said, and I could see a smile form. “Congratulations. You have ten chances to think of a moment and re-live it. Afterwards, only you will remember it, and it will have no consequences on society. Of course, you won’t gain any physical benefits, only memories. So, choose wisely”

After the man had finished speaking, he drove off perpendicularly to the road, and quickly disappeared into a flash of darkness. I stared into the distance for a few seconds, clutched the box in my hands, and quickly got back into my car. As I continued my drive home, the man’s words echoed in my head and I tried to think what to make of it.

“What good is it?” I asked myself internally. “If I can’t make any physical gains, that means going back for money is out. I can’t change any future outcomes, so I can’t make any money for the future either. He said all I get are the memories of the event.

I continued to think things through. His tone was almost suggestive when he asked if there was anything I wanted to re-live. Perhaps, do over. Could he have meant, sexually? Of course, there were a ton of moments from my youth that I would have loved another shot at. He couldn’t have known this, but I was happily engaged with my long term girlfriend. We had been together for so long at this point, that I had started to lose memories of certain previous events. The way this machine was set up, though, meant that I could technically go back to any moment, whether I had a significant other or not, and see what things could have been like. And, yes, there were a few times I was tested, in this relationship and others, where I didn’t act the way I wanted to because of the commitment.

Technically, these events would never exist. I would have the memories of the events, but not even the other party would remember anything. It was truly an incredible opportunity to get a shot at some of the times I missed out on. I know it was somewhat terrible of me to want, but part of me felt like I needed this to make up for a relatively calm young life that was spent primarily in committed relationships.

I would certainly have time to think about things. My girlfriend was gone for the week on business, allowing me free thinking time. I pulled up to my house and made my way inside. I sat down on my bed and gently placed the machine on the bed. It had one button on it. Written in very small letters was ‘start’ and ‘finish’ next to that same button. I imagine one click started it, and one click ended it. I turned the box around and noticed ten small lines printed on the side. So, one click on, one click off, and one of those lines must disappear.

Could I really do this? Was it right? Is there even anything I wanted a shot to re-do, that badly? At first, I shook my head no and looked towards the television. I flipped the screen on and tried to ignore the lure, but soon my mind was racing with memories of opportunities I had blown in the past. There was that time I was single and got a chance to hang out with my very attractive female friend alone. We both wanted it, but we were young, shy, and stupid.