The Time Travelers' Club: Chapter 1 -- Changes

While getting ready for bed, Sam Henry overheard his mom talking on the phone with his Grandma Henry.

"This would give him the perfect chance to build friendships, get a better education, and be closer to you two," said his mom.   "I really want to leave the Chicago area.   We need to start a new life.  And George's buried there."

Emily, his mom, paused from her cleaning the living room.  "No. Money isn't a problem.  We've got George's pension and his insurance, but we don't have any real friends here. And I’m worried about Sam.  His nightmares are getting worse."

It was true his nightmares were getting worse.

After further debate, Emily made a major decision.  They would move to Indianapolis, bringing an end to the traveling life for Sam.  Both his dad and mom's families lived there making it the perfect place for them to settle and start anew.

George and Emily Henry married while in college.  After graduation, George worked as an engineer with the military.  His job took him across the country to New York, Minneapolis, Seattle, and finally outside of Chicago.  Emily loved the traveling life, but Sam was more important right now.  With her library experience, she found part-time work at the local libraries as well as time to write her novels.

With his parents living like vagabonds, Sam saw many parts of the country.  However, this continuous travel made him somewhat of a loner, continually changing schools, unable to make close friendships, or even get to know his grandparents or other family.

Last April, Sam stood by a hospital bed watching his Dad struggle to breathe.  Reaching over the cold metal rail, Sam took his dad's hand. George opened his eyes and smiled at him.

"Hey Sam, how's my guy?"  Sam didn't reply, tears welling.    When Sam was a baby, he always giggled when George sang the song "My Guy." From then on, George always referred to Sam as "my guy."

"Don't worry," said his Dad gasping for breath.  "It'll be alright.  I need you to take care of your mom."

"Dad, you said you'd get better," said Sam.  "But you aren't.  You said the doctor would perform special magic on you and make you well."  Sam tried hard to hold back his tears and anger.  "It's not true, is it?  There is no such thing as magic or any special cure."

"Sam, sometimes the magic doesn't work, but you can't give up believing.  Sometimes it does work.  Miracles do happen, just not this time."  In those few moments, he began to grow up, losing his childhood fantasy that the world was a good place where miracles and magic could happen.

"Remember Sam," said his dad. "I don't want... you spending your time... sitting at the computer... playing games… Mom and I… have agreed to this.  Okay?"   Sam nodded, shaking his dad's hand. "We want you... to read books... be creative... and use your imagination.... I know that's not a problem… for you."

Nevertheless, Sam stopped believing.  Emily and Sam stayed at the hospital that night.  Something woke Sam and he got up to check on his dad. Arriving at his bedside, Sam's dad took one last gasp for air.   The beeps from the heart monitor slowed its pace down to a horizontal line.

"Dad..."  Sam squeezed his dad's hand, held it to his check, and cried.  A chapter in Sam's life ended.

After his dad's death, Sam grieved and fought depression, trying to find good in life.  Emily spent as much time as she could with him and even hired a grief counselor.   Experiencing the loss of a parent at a young age caused him to be more introverted.

Sam wasn’t like other kids his age. He grappled between being a kid of eleven and taking on adult responsibility.  In Sam's mind, he had to grow up, become the man of the house, and needed to be there for his mother.  While kids on the latest social craze or the newest gadgets, Sam got lost in his books, not really caring about the rest of the world. In school, he managed to pass with average grades. All of this played into Emily's decision -- give Sam the chance to heal, find peace with his dad's passing, and become closer to his family.

Several weeks later, their belongings were packed and loaded on a moving van.  Sam and his mom headed to Indianapolis to stay with his Grandparents until Emily found a job.

After a couple of months of job searching, Emily became a librarian.  They moved into an apartment building, waiting for something better to become available.

"This apartment building is so crowded," said Emily to Grandma Henry over the phone.  Sam sat at the kitchen table working on his math homework, his least favorite subject.  He tuned in and out of his mom's conversation.

 "I really want to move Sam somewhere else. Someplace more secure and closer to school."  His mom's favorite description about their apartment included "It's like sardines in a tin can" and always added "It smells like it, too."

 "...I know, but you guys are over an hour away... Here, it's so convenient for me to get to work... And Sam's settling in well at his new school..." Emily paused to listen. "Yeah... Mr. and Mrs. Sanders fight all the time.  I have no idea how he puts up with her.  And Mrs. Thompson across the hall smokes.  Sometimes she turns the television up too loud…" 

Emily wrapped up the conversation with "See you Saturday” and "Guess what!   Grandma and Grandpa are coming to get us for the weekend."  This meant time away from the annoying neighbors and the cramped apartment.

Without a car, Sam and Emily took the bus everywhere. Waiting at the bus stops, walking home in all kinds of weather, sometimes toting groceries, wore on their nerves as much as the smelly building and their apartment.  Sam's bedroom was no bigger than a walk-in closet.  He was tired of using his books for tables.  The one he always wanted was on the bottom of the stack.  This meant moving his books and then re-stacking.  Sam was annoyed with the disorganization of his library.  They needed a larger and nicer apartment.