Nine-Tenths Read Online Free PDF Page A

thing.”
    Alina started crying. “Leonard, please. Please keep your voice down.”
    “I wish I could show you the time machine. I really do. When I stepped out of the closet, I was here in this reality, and the time machine was gone.”
    “The time machine was in our closet? I think I would have noticed it.”
    “That’s the point. I didn’t build it. I married you and had a family and a…” He paused to regain his composure. “…a life,” he whispered wistfully. “A life I don’t remember.”
    “I’ll help you remember, sweetheart. We’ll get it back.”
    He cocked his head. “Why are we living in my parents’ house? If I married you and had a life, why didn’t we buy our own place?”
    Alina bit her lip. “You’re scaring me.” She shook her head repeatedly.
    Leonard touched her tenderly, trying to allay her fears. “Just pretend I’m a stranger and explain it to me.”
    Alina nodded. “Okay. You loved your parents’ house. They went to Florida and it was a perfect first house for us. I’m not fond of having no master bedroom and sharing one and a half bathrooms with two teenagers, but we’re lucky.”
    “Perfect first house. I can see that. But when we outgrew it, why didn’t we move?”
    Alina gazed at him intently. After a long silence, she said, “Come with me.” She stood and offered her hand. Then, taking another paranoid glance around the perimeter of the open space, she led Leonard through the greenbelt and into the dismal gray housing development.
    A sickly feeling passed through Leonard’s body as he examined their surroundings. Bland and poorly constructed, the six story buildings towered above them. Rusty railings anchored in cracking, cement steps led to doors, each labeled with a five-digit address and twelve apartment numbers. Bushes bordered every stairwell, but no trees graced the property. The sounds of laughter and arguments wafted down the streets — streets which clearly only accommodated one vehicle going in either direction. Flickering streetlamps irritated Leonard’s brain, causing him to rub his forehead vigorously. Alina led them away from the lamplight and into the shadows, but her brisk pace did not appear to have anything to do with Leonard’s acute headache. They wandered, seemingly aimlessly, but soon Leonard realized that Alina had a destination in mind. The cautious woman inspected the addresses before choosing a stairwell. She stood back, pressed her body against the bushes, and pulled Leonard toward her.
    “Pretend we’re lovers trying not to get caught.”
    “I could go with that.” He grinned and touched her hair lovingly.
    “Do you remember what was here before they built this monstrosity?” Resting her head on his shoulder, she caressed his neck.
    Leonard balked. The surrounding rattrap could not possibly have replaced the impressive homes that existed in his real world.
    Alina took a step back and regarded him, frowning. “Really, Leonard, this did not happen in your other timeline?” A dubious expression dominated her features. “This was the Hill Creek Development.”
    “Multi-acre custom houses, beautiful yards.”
    “Thank you.” She tapped his head. “You remember some things. It gives me hope that we might get you back.” She lowered her voice. “That brain of yours saved us from this.” She swept her hand up the street and into the distance. Leonard took in the magnitude of the project — over a hundred buildings, possibly close to a thousand small apartments.
    He faced her. “Where did the houses go?”
    “Where do you think?”
    Leonard did not know what to say. His mind buzzed, a series of scenarios competing for his attention.
    Alina repositioned her husband into their mock lovers’ embrace. She rested her head on his shoulder and continued, a sadness resonating with her words. “When Natalia was two, we seriously considered moving to a larger home. In fact, I nagged you persistently.”
    “And I didn’t