September Sky (American Journey Book 1) Read Online Free Page A
Author: John A. Heldt
afternoon, he could see changes he had never noticed before.
When Justin looked at his father, he saw a man who had aged ten years in the last five – a man with hints of gray in his thick brown hair and wrinkles around his soft blue eyes. He saw not a distant and aloof reporter who cared only about his career but rather a man consumed by guilt and regret. He saw someone that, frankly, he didn't recognize.
"It's all right, Dad. We still have a future," Justin said. "Let's honor Mom's memory by making it a good one."
Chuck lifted his head, turned toward his son, and smiled sadly.
"I don't deserve you."
Justin chuckled.
"You probably don't, but you're stuck with me," Justin said. He patted Chuck's shoulder. "Let's finish up and get something to eat. There's a decent Thai place around the block."
"Sounds good to me."
Justin lifted his hand, turned around, and walked back toward the kitchenware. He glanced at a wall clock, noted the hands on the twelve and the four, and started to ask a question about the lifeguard openings when he heard his cell phone ring.
Justin picked up the phone. He didn't recognize the caller's number but answered anyway.
When the caller identified himself, Justin took a step back. He listened with great interest as the man explained the purpose of the call. To say Justin was both surprised and flattered was the understatement of the year.
"Yes, he's still in L.A. He's here with me now," Justin said. "We're cleaning out my apartment. We're planning to move to San Francisco tomorrow."
Justin listened to the caller as he continued his business. When Chuck inquired about the caller's identity, he pressed the mute button and lowered the phone.
"I'll tell you in a second," Justin said.
He returned to the caller.
"Do you want to talk to my dad?" Justin asked.
The caller declined.
"Are you sure?"
The caller said he was sure.
"OK."
Justin glanced at Chuck, shrugged his shoulders, and let the caller finish what he had to say. When asked to answer a question, he responded, "We can be there at nine."
The caller expressed his approval and offered a pleasantry. When the conversation ended, Justin placed his phone on top of a box, turned to face his father, and grinned.
"Who was that?" Chuck asked.
"That, Dad, was Professor Bell. He read the comment cards we filled out on the cruise. He likes what we wrote and wants to speak to us. He wants to see us in his office tomorrow."
CHAPTER 6: CHUCK
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
The first thing Chuck noticed was the professor's gallery of movie stills. More than a dozen photographs from time-travel flicks like Back to the Future , Somewhere in Time , and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure occupied the lion's share of an otherwise unadorned wall in the small academic office. A few of the stills bore signatures.
Chuck laughed to himself as he tried to reconcile the images with a memorable part of the professor's lecture on the cruise. He gave Justin a knowing smile and then turned to the man who had asked to meet the Townsends at the rival university on the other side of Los Angeles.
"I thought you didn't care for Hollywood takes on time travel," Chuck said. "At least that's the impression I got on the ship."
"Then you got the wrong impression," Geoffrey Bell said as he sat at his desk. He took a sip of coffee and stared at Chuck, who sat next to Justin in front of the desk. "I find the motion-picture industry's portrayals of time travel to be imaginative and generally entertaining. What I don't find them to be is terribly realistic."
"Realistic? I gathered from your lecture that time travel was still the stuff of science fiction. Don't tell me I got that wrong too."
"As a matter of fact, you did," Bell said.
Chuck and Justin sat up in their chairs.
"You'll have to explain that, Professor."
"I will, Mr. Townsend. But before I do, let me explain why I contacted you."
"I'm listening."
"Put simply, I found your replies to my questions to be
When Justin looked at his father, he saw a man who had aged ten years in the last five – a man with hints of gray in his thick brown hair and wrinkles around his soft blue eyes. He saw not a distant and aloof reporter who cared only about his career but rather a man consumed by guilt and regret. He saw someone that, frankly, he didn't recognize.
"It's all right, Dad. We still have a future," Justin said. "Let's honor Mom's memory by making it a good one."
Chuck lifted his head, turned toward his son, and smiled sadly.
"I don't deserve you."
Justin chuckled.
"You probably don't, but you're stuck with me," Justin said. He patted Chuck's shoulder. "Let's finish up and get something to eat. There's a decent Thai place around the block."
"Sounds good to me."
Justin lifted his hand, turned around, and walked back toward the kitchenware. He glanced at a wall clock, noted the hands on the twelve and the four, and started to ask a question about the lifeguard openings when he heard his cell phone ring.
Justin picked up the phone. He didn't recognize the caller's number but answered anyway.
When the caller identified himself, Justin took a step back. He listened with great interest as the man explained the purpose of the call. To say Justin was both surprised and flattered was the understatement of the year.
"Yes, he's still in L.A. He's here with me now," Justin said. "We're cleaning out my apartment. We're planning to move to San Francisco tomorrow."
Justin listened to the caller as he continued his business. When Chuck inquired about the caller's identity, he pressed the mute button and lowered the phone.
"I'll tell you in a second," Justin said.
He returned to the caller.
"Do you want to talk to my dad?" Justin asked.
The caller declined.
"Are you sure?"
The caller said he was sure.
"OK."
Justin glanced at Chuck, shrugged his shoulders, and let the caller finish what he had to say. When asked to answer a question, he responded, "We can be there at nine."
The caller expressed his approval and offered a pleasantry. When the conversation ended, Justin placed his phone on top of a box, turned to face his father, and grinned.
"Who was that?" Chuck asked.
"That, Dad, was Professor Bell. He read the comment cards we filled out on the cruise. He likes what we wrote and wants to speak to us. He wants to see us in his office tomorrow."
CHAPTER 6: CHUCK
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
The first thing Chuck noticed was the professor's gallery of movie stills. More than a dozen photographs from time-travel flicks like Back to the Future , Somewhere in Time , and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure occupied the lion's share of an otherwise unadorned wall in the small academic office. A few of the stills bore signatures.
Chuck laughed to himself as he tried to reconcile the images with a memorable part of the professor's lecture on the cruise. He gave Justin a knowing smile and then turned to the man who had asked to meet the Townsends at the rival university on the other side of Los Angeles.
"I thought you didn't care for Hollywood takes on time travel," Chuck said. "At least that's the impression I got on the ship."
"Then you got the wrong impression," Geoffrey Bell said as he sat at his desk. He took a sip of coffee and stared at Chuck, who sat next to Justin in front of the desk. "I find the motion-picture industry's portrayals of time travel to be imaginative and generally entertaining. What I don't find them to be is terribly realistic."
"Realistic? I gathered from your lecture that time travel was still the stuff of science fiction. Don't tell me I got that wrong too."
"As a matter of fact, you did," Bell said.
Chuck and Justin sat up in their chairs.
"You'll have to explain that, Professor."
"I will, Mr. Townsend. But before I do, let me explain why I contacted you."
"I'm listening."
"Put simply, I found your replies to my questions to be
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