Page 59 of The Do-Over
ROB
“Okay,” Thea said. “Ready to build a bridge from the past to today?”
She had an armful of press clippings, and she set them down on the kitchen table. Rob picked up the top one and stared at it. He was looking at a picture of himself—the version of himself he actually remembered being—jumping up to lay in a basket.
“This is high school,” he said. “Senior year.”
“That’s right,” Thea said.
“Where did you get this stuff?”
“Printed it off the internet last night while you were sleeping. The internet never forgets.” She pointed to the page in his hand. “Do you remember this game?”
He squinted at the details in the picture. The defender leaping up to block him was wearing a familiar jersey. “Sure,” he said. “This is the home game against Roosevelt High.”
“What do you remember about it?” Thea prompted.
She was looking at her phone. “What have you got there?” he asked her.
“Game facts and stats,” she said. “I know this was twenty years ago, so it’s not like I’m expecting you to tell me the score—”
“It was forty-nine to sixty-two.”
Her eyes widened and she looked up at him.
“That’s right, isn’t it?”
“You remember the score?”
“Well, our defense had a really strong game,” he said. “Coach was thrilled with us, because our defense was usually our weak point. That was a big day for the team. So yeah, I remember.”
“Okay,” she said. “That’s good! That was in October, so we know you’ve got your memories up until that point.”
He nodded.
“Go to the next page,” she suggested.
He set the Roosevelt High game aside and looked at the next one. “This isn’t a game, this is a pep rally.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Last year’s—I mean, the previous year’s seniors were back at school for a visit.” It was strange to think that that wasn’t the group of seniors from last year. Not anymore. They’d be professionals now. They’d be married, some of them, with families. He stared at the picture. Their lives had unfolded, and he knew nothing about any of them.
“Do you remember that night?” Thea asked.
He nodded. “You and I went for a drive when it was over. We talked about our plans.”
She paused. “I meant the pep rally, but…yeah, I guess we did do that.”
“Do you remember?”
“I do,” she said. “I remember that night.”
“I wondered if you would. I know it was a long time ago—that’s what you always say.”
“But that night was special,” Thea said.
He nodded. “That was the night I told you I loved you for the first time.”
