Saratoga Springs, October 8th 1987

“Oooh, a little higher…higher…Oooh! Right there! Oh that feels so good! I can’t even tell you…”

The young woman massaging his back for the ‘Sports treatment’ laughed. “You’ve been telling me for the last twenty minutes, Mr. Bogg.”

“Oh yeah…hey, I’m glad you talked me into this kind of treatment, I was lost with that…menu you all have …and please Tricia, no more of this ‘Mr. Bogg’ stuff, I’m not an old man.”

Tricia De Lorenzo gazed with a contented sigh at the young man’s form resting on the table. Her palms pushed deeper into his middle back muscles. Old he certainly wasn’t. Two hours ago, Phineas Bogg came into the ‘Crystalline Spa’ and demanded exclusive treatment from Tricia. He made big claims about her services, even though every other employee had never seen him there before. A face and physique like that they would have remembered and some of them did not hide their disappointment in not being picked for the massage therapy. Tricia was immediately drawn to him, and there was something very familiar about his name.

“So, Mr.... Phineas! How do you feel after all this? Think you’d like to come back? Just not on Wednesdays, we’re closed.”

Phineas kept his eyes closed on the warm towel and exhaled a big, ‘Yes.’ His body never felt so good, particularly after the beatings he had taken in the last week being stuck in nineteen thirty-three. He and Jeffrey managed to return Drake to Headquarters. The rogue was promptly brought into their prisons, with no chance of escape this time. The Tribunal caved in and decided to allow Phineas and Jeffrey a real vacation. This time, they paid Phineas handsomely for the time zone he chose. After a long discussion, Jeffrey convinced him to go back to Saratoga Springs. He was desperate to see his aunt again and wanted to tell her the truth about his disappearance. That was exactly what Phineas had in mind. It was going to be a considerable task, since Tricia had no memory of ever meeting him or seeing Jeffrey since that fateful night.

“If you’re here to give me the works, I’ll be back for sure! Jeffrey was wrong, that mud bath did wonders!” He murmured. He felt her hands slowing down.

“Jeffrey?” She asked with a bit of tension in her grip.

“Uhh…yeah, my friend, I mean, I look after him…” Phineas stopped talking before he put his foot in it.

“Oh…sorry…I was just thinking of someone else…” Tricia said hastily. Phineas peeked at her and she offered a bright smile. “I’m glad you enjoyed it all, because you look like you’ve been through the trenches. So many bruises…I’m afraid to ask what really happened.” She traced them with her fingertips and Phineas felt a delightful chill run through his body.

“Didn’t I tell you…I…uh…played football with the guys at the firehouse? It got a little rough, they’re pretty big guys!” He grinned.

Tricia helped him sit up and turned around while he adjusted his towel.

“Yeah, you told me you were a fireman, but I don’t quite buy it. It’s your business though. I don’t want to pry. Well Phineas, looks like we’re all finished.”

She started packing up her lotions and creams, since her shift was ending. This was what Phineas was waiting for. He stepped behind the silkscreen dividers and changed quickly into the blue jeans and dressy red shirt he wore for this year. As he zipped up his boots, he looked out at her and noticed her weariness for the first time. She was still as beautiful as he had first seen her, but he discerned the deep grief in her large, dark, eyes. She was stooped over her wallet; looking at a small picture and sniffling. He came up behind her quietly and saw Jeffrey’s school photo. He took the chance and softly put a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, is everything okay? I…I’m visiting here and I’ve been looking for a place to get a decent cup of coffee, do you think you could be my guide?” He smiled.

Tricia quickly put the picture away and rubbed her eyes. She faced him. “Yeah, I’m fine! Oh, um…coffee? Sure, why not? Just let me change out of this uniform and I’ll be with you in a minute.”

Tricia hurried to change her clothes and came back to the pristine lounge. Phineas was enraptured with the large, fountain centerpiece that contained live, tropical fish. After a goodnight to her co-workers they were off to a small diner called ‘The Bluebird’ about five minutes away. She graciously offered to drive him, since he had no transportation. Phineas and Jeffrey were staying at the Hotel next door to the spa and Jeffrey was currently in the local library scouring the newsreels and microfilm for all the articles related to him.

-Oo-

“That was a great cup of coffee and it went so much better with this cheesecake.” Phineas beamed. “This is quite a town, Tricia. What brings you way out here from Manhattan?”

“Nobody makes it better around this burg, but I can whip up a pretty mean cheesecake myself.”

“Well then I’ll have to take that challenge and be a judge, won’t I?” Phineas asked playfully, licking the last of his dessert off the spoon.

“You’re on then! To get back to your other question, I needed a change. I had to get away from the big city. My parents…had a summer home here, but they never made much use of it. They both passed away in recent years. They were an older couple.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Yeah, the whole thing is pretty much a tragedy for the ages! My dad was cut down from a cancer he didn’t even know he had. It was just too late for him. My mom was pretty strong but after the accident with Kathy and Bill and then Jeffrey…”

Phineas was staring at her intently; he was hoping she would open up. She was getting emotional and he grasped her hand.

“Go on Tricia, I know it hurts, but sometimes we all just need a listening ear. If anything, I’m a good listener.”

Her face contorted in sadness and she clutched both his hands firmly.

“My mom got weak, first her husband, then her daughter. She had a heart attack and never fully recovered it. It just got worse after that and she died three years after the accident. My older sister Kathy, oh gosh, she was the pride and joy of the family. My parents loved her so much. She was so pretty and smart; she went to Vassar College and got her degree in English Literature. Later, she got her first teaching assignment at N.Y.U and met Bill Jones. They were perfect for each other, both nerds!” She laughed through her tears.

“They fell in love right away and married in nineteen sixty-eight. I was a little girl and so happy for her. I really looked up to her then…”

“Then? What do you mean?”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong! I loved my sister so much, it’s just as I got older I felt like I was always in her shadow. When she got straight ‘A’s’ in school, I was getting straight ‘C’s.’ I wasn’t as studious, though she did get me to like reading a lot. My parents were always commending her and scolding me. I don’t blame them too much. I was a big disappointment, sometimes a little bit on the wild side, but nothing outrageous!”

Phineas thought of his own early years as a pirate and laughed a bit.

“You and I have more in common then I thought, Tricia. My…uh…grades suffered a lot and I kinda fooled around a bit too much. But when it came to certain subjects and things that interest me, I applied myself and made it out on top.”

Tricia gazed at him fondly. “I bet you’re great at what you do, and never let anyone tell you different…I imagine some people look at you and think you don’t have a mind up there, but I can see it. You have deep qualities and they just shine through, it makes your handsomeness even more appealing.” She blushed.

Phineas cleared his throat with a small smile, feeling embarrassed and delighted at the same time. “Thank you, those are some of the nicest things anyone has ever said about me.”

“You’re welcome, I mean it. I get this feeling you’re a lot more than you seem…”

“Oh, I’m just your average guy…but enough about me, go on with your story, please.”

Tricia gave him an inquisitive look, but continued.

“My father wanted me to become a nurse like my mom. I thought about it, but there was so much involved with it, and I would often see her come home so depressed sometimes, and worn out. I didn’t want that for myself. I was creative… and as frivolous as it sounds I always dreamed of being a make-up artist or a fashion designer, something like that. Mom and dad couldn’t believe it when I applied for beauty school. I was crushed. I was doing something I loved and even made it to top of my class and it just wasn’t enough for them. I tried to understand where they were coming from, an old school family of overachievers that all succeeded in certain careers, but hey, I was a little different.”

Phineas saw her composure faltering again. He slid from his booth and into hers, putting an arm over her shoulder. “Don't ever think that you were a failure. I'm sure your parents loved you just as much as Kathy. No two children are alike, so a parent can't love them exactly the same. Let's face it Tricia, we can't all be scholars and Einsteins, can we?"

"That's true, see, words of wisdom. You can really wax poetic when you want to." She kidded.

"Well, I like to think that I've seen a lot, I uhh...love to travel, but no matter where I go, human nature is always the same...so um, you mentioned someone named Jeffrey, who was he?”

“Jeffrey was my little bambino! I mean…he was Bill and Kathy’s son. I became an aunt at eight years old and loved every minute of it. He was so spunky and cute! A little smart mouth he was too!” She laughed.

Phineas laughed aloud, thinking of Jeffrey now. He still never quite knew how to deal with the smart mouth, though the time-out in the garbage can in Manhattan a few months back had temporarily worked wonders. He stared at Tricia again, the eyes, the smile. Phineas had to hold back laughter. Tricia was the girl he was eying then with the relish on her teeth! She was still just as beautiful. Phineas let Tricia reminisce about Jeffrey and he enjoyed hearing the stories of him as a small child. He was a good boy, but he always wanted to be independent, even running away at six years old only to make it as far as the train station a block away. He glanced at the clock. Jeffrey would be waiting for him back at the hotel.

“Tricia, what happened to Jeffrey after his parents died? Where is he?”

Tricia glanced up at him and played with the sugar packets. She had been hoping to avoid this question but she couldn’t shy away from it forever.

“Jeffrey’s dead…no! He’s missing! I…I don’t know, Phineas! He was staying with Bill’s sister and her husband for a while after Bill and Kathy were killed in a camper accident. Jeffrey was witness to the whole thing and it really traumatized him. I wanted to take care of him but I had the responsibilities of school, work and then caring for my mother. I was so young, just…twenty years old! I didn’t even know what I was doing with myself yet, but I knew I wanted Jeffrey to be with me at some point.”

“I’m sure he would have preferred to stay with you too.” Phineas offered.

“Today is the anniversary, five years he’s been missing! It happened right under Melissa and Todd’s nose. One minute he was in his bedroom just reading I guess and the next there was this crash at the window and he disappeared! The police searched high and low for him and a body was never even recovered. It was insanity! I was starting to lose it myself, but I had to stay strong for my mom; we only had each other really. I wound up taking in his dog, Ralph; he’s a terrific guard dog. Phineas, nobody can explain what happened to Jeffrey. Todd said he faked his own disappearance and somehow ran away, but Jeffrey wouldn’t do that, no matter how depressed he was. After a few years, that was the story that prevailed in the news. What I want to know is why those two morons didn’t hear all that commotion in the next room! Too busy fighting over their own stupid lives while Jeffrey was being hurt or just fell!”

Tricia doubled over and shook, forcing herself not to lose control. She pushed Phineas from the booth.

“Please…I’m sorry, you’ve been terrific company, but I have to go! I can’t stay here right now…”

She rushed to the exit and Phineas chased after her, catching up by her car. He turned her around to him and she collapsed on his chest, sobbing with frustration.

“Every…every… year I get like this! I’ve never shared it with anybody. What kills me is that I feel it in my heart that Jeffrey is not dead! I never accepted it and refused to have a headstone made for him. I know he’s out there …Oh God, you probably think I’m crazy…”

Phineas swallowed the lump in his throat and rubbed her back tenderly. “No, I don’t think you’re crazy at all. You never got closure and that can really hurt. Listen to me. There’s something very important I want to share with you. I’m…I’m not who you might think I am…I mean; I’m not just some guest at the hotel. I can’t explain it here, but if you’ll let me come to your house a little later everything will be…revealed.”

Tricia pulled away from him and looked at him strangely. “What are you talking about? What do you mean, revealed? Who are you?”

Phineas held her arms. “My name is Phineas Bogg, but I don’t play football and I’m not a fireman. That inquiring mind you have was right. Like I said, I want to tell you everything but it would be better to do it at your home.”

Tricia was ready to jump into her car and run away from this strange man. However, her intuition was telling her to trust him. He seemed genuine and sincere and from the expression in his eyes what he had to say was of deep importance. She pulled her keys from her bag and maneuvered around to the driver’s side.

“Alright, Phineas. You can come over…I’ll make dinner. I always make Jeffrey’s favorite meal on this night, chicken Parmesan and spaghetti.”

Phineas let out a sigh of relief. “Oh that’s great, he’d love it.”

“What?”

“Oh, nothing! I said I love it…that…meal, I mean.”

“Be there around seven, okay.” She dug into her purse and pulled out a small card, she wrote her address on the back.

“I hope you don’t get lost, just follow the main road, it’s not far from here at all.”

Phineas pocketed the card and patted her hand. “Thank you Tricia, and don’t worry. I’m not a maniac or anything. I just want to talk more with you. Are you sure you're okay? Can you make it home alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine…sometimes those little outbursts come and go. I didn't mean to scare you. I’m a pretty strong gal when I have to be.”

Phineas grinned and leaned into the window. “I can see that much. I admire that in a woman and I think…you’re also very beautiful.”

Tricia looked ahead and then caught his eye. “You’re pretty beautiful yourself, Phineas. Thank you.”

Phineas moved forward and kissed her cheek, then stepped away from the car. “I’ll see you at seven.”

-Oo-

“Bogg, I can’t believe you got that far! We’re actually going to her house for dinner?”

“Didn’t I say you could always trust me to get things done, Jeff? It wasn’t too hard, she was like putty in my hands.”

“Oh gee, that sounds like Tricia. She has a big heart and is always falling for some character.”

“Hey, give you’re aunt some credit there. This time, she’s falling for the right character.”

“What makes you think she’s falling for ya?” Jeffrey questioned, putting on his sneakers.

Phineas adjusted his shirt and belt in the mirror and looked at Jeffrey’s reflection smugly. “Oh, I can always tell Jeff. It’s in their eyes, their smile, the way their body moves…uhh…well ya know, I can just sense it!”

Jeffrey rolled his eyes and washed up. “Right, body language. Hey! She has Ralph! I wonder if he’ll remember me?”

“I’m sure he will, you haven’t aged much and it’s still you, animals don’t forget scents.”

“Oh great, Bogg. He’ll probably be barking at you all night, then.”

“I’m not worried, we’ll just stick him in an upstairs room, and if he acts up, I’ll put him in the cellar.”

Jeffrey went back to the couch and threw a pillow at him. “Don’t you, dare! I’ll put you down there again first!”

Phineas laughed and finished sprucing himself up for the evening. Jeffrey pretended to choke.

“Blahh! How much of that stuff you gonna put on, anyway?”

“I’ll have you know this is the best cologne out there, I’ve had women of every century follow me around all day!”

“If you say so, maybe they were trying to convince you to wash it off? Now that I think of it, my aunt always loved Givenchy.”

“That’s even better for me! Are we ready, Jeff?”

“Yeah, I’m just sitting here waiting for you, stud! You know, I found a few articles about me in the newspapers; it’s so weird to see my name in print like that. They really think I ran away. The tabloids ate it up.”

“Well, Tricia mentioned to me she kept a scrapbook of all the articles. That woman really loves you Jeffrey. You’re her little bambino.” Phineas pinched his cheek with a chuckle.

Jeffrey smiled; suddenly shy. “Oh boy, she told you that? I haven’t been called that since I was six years old.”

“Aww, I think it’s cute, but even she said you had a smart mouth! So there, it’s not just me who thinks so!”

Phineas playfully shoved him out of the hotel room and they were on their way to the farmhouse.

-Oo-

Tricia nervously adjusted the buttons of her silk, beige blouse and straightened her skirt a few times; the clock had just reached seven. Phineas Bogg had seemed a man of his word and she really felt the need to have company tonight. The table was all prepared and the meal on warm in the oven. She made sure to make a lot since he said he liked it. She hastily ran to the kitchen and grabbed matches from the junk drawer, and then lit up the two long-stem candles on the table. She made sure the lacy tablecloth was straight; everything seemed in working order. The doorbell rang and she jumped.

“Oh! Just a minute!” She adjusted the twist in her hair and made a quick make up check in the mirror beside the front door.

“Mascara not runny, lipstick decent, not too heavy on the icing…pretty natural…I think he likes natural better!” She said softly. She pinched her cheeks and then calmly opened the door.

Phineas was standing before her with a wide smile and holding a bottle of champagne and a bouquet. The plan was to have Jeffrey enter in through the back door when the timing was right.

“Hi…hi…wow, don’t you look lovely.” Phineas sighed. He held out the bouquet to her and she took them gratefully with the wine.

“Oh, this is wonderful! How did you know I love red roses and…Merlot! Phineas, this is too much!”

She closed the door behind him and ushered him to have a seat at the table.

“I’ll just get a vase…would you do the honors?”

"Gladly." Phineas popped the cork and poured them both a tall glass while she bustled around the kitchen getting the food ready. He got up to help her and put on the oven mitts.

“Here, let me take that, you have a seat” He placed the steaming glass pan of chicken in the center of the table. “This is some meal you set up. I can’t wait to dig in, but first…I have another surprise, I…”

A loud growling from the top of the stairs cut him off. Ralph came charging toward him and Phineas ran forward to stop him from crashing into the table and led him toward the living room. Ralph lunged, knocking him into the couch and Phineas threw up his arms to block his face.

“Arrhhh! Hey Ralph! It’s me! Remember me?” 'Of course he remembers me!' Phineas thought. 'That's why he wants to have me for dinner!'

Tricia grabbed Ralph’s leash to yank him off, but the dog was adamantly refusing to move.

“Ralph! Stop it now! Sit! I said Sit!” Ralph shook her off and she tripped, falling next to Phineas.

“Yeah Ralph! Come on! Get down!”

He ignored them and continued to paw and bark at Phineas until they heard a younger voice from the den command him to ‘heel’ and ‘stay.’ Ralph’s ears perked up and he immediately jumped off the couch running to his old master with complete joy. Jeffrey hugged his dog and kissed his head. Tricia fell into shock and was about to scream when Phineas grabbed her mouth and led her to the dining room table.

“I will let go, if you promise you won’t scream! This is the surprise I had for you, Jeffrey! Jeffrey is alive and he and I travel together through time…we’re Voyagers.”

Phineas slowly removed his hand from her mouth and she looked at them both with wild-eyed fear.

“Voyagers? What the heck is that? This can’t be happening! I’m dreaming! Phineas, you’re late for dinner and I fell asleep on the couch and this is all a dream!” She babbled, getting up and pacing frantically.

Jeffrey approached her and took her hand. “No Aunt Tricia, it’s not. You have to let Phineas and I explain it all to you, but you have to listen carefully and believe us, because there is no other explanation. Look at me. I haven’t even aged! If I was really missing I would be seventeen now!”

Tricia hugged him close with a deep sob. “I love you Jeffrey! I knew it! I knew you were alive somehow!”

Jeffrey brought her back to the couch and sat alongside her, keeping her hand in his to prove he was real. Phineas sat on the opposite lazy boy chair with sympathy because she started to cry again.

“What is happening? Time travelers? I don’t really understand…”

“Just let us tell you and you will. It will all make sense, I promise.” Phineas reassured her.

Within the next half hour the conversation gravitated toward the table and everyone was eating the delicious meal as Jeffrey and Phineas recounted their adventures through the cosmos. Tricia overcame her initial fear and was deeply fascinated. After the dinner plates were cleared she brought out a chocolate cake for dessert.

“Would you boys wait here a moment? I have something to show you.” She asked excitedly.

Phineas cut the cake while she went upstairs.

“You know kid, she’s taking this much better than I thought she would. After all the boo-hooing she really calmed down and paid attention. She believes us, and that’s what’s important.”

“She really has no choice, Bogg. You showed her the omni and I’m standing right in front of her. I’m happy she knows the truth.”

“Yeah, you know Jeff, I really do like…”

Tricia rushed down the stairs with a black book in her hand, her eyes aglow.

“Phineas! I believe this belongs to you! I knew I recognized your name at the spa, but it didn’t come to me until now. You said Ralph ate your guidebook. He hid this in his cushions and when I went over there after Jeffrey disappeared, I found it. I took it home, because I knew the police might have taken it as evidence. It’s a bit chewed, but there’s your name in gold! I’ve read through this book and I figured it was written by some modern day Nostradamus or something. It's such a Jeffrey book, I assumed he found it at an old book shop. I didn’t want to believe it, even though I saw some of these things happening through the years. I couldn’t get rid of it, I felt that somehow, this was the connection to Jeffrey and I was right! It’s all true! My Jeffy’s alive and you are time travelers!”

Tricia tossed the book on the table and leaped into Phineas’ open arms.

“You’ve protected Jeff all these years and took care of him! I can’t thank you enough! I don’t even know how to begin to…Mmmph!!”

Phineas silenced her with a passionate kiss. “We can discuss that later! It hasn’t been as long as it was for you, just about a year!”

Tricia jumped from his arms and ran to Jeffrey; they spun around in a big hug.

“I feel like a new woman! Who needs a spa? This is the best news I will ever have in my whole life, Jeffrey!”

Jeffrey started to cry for her, fully realizing all the pain she suffered with losing everyone dear to her in a short span of time. He then looked at Phineas with a sudden joy. Tricia stood back flushed with excitement.

“Please tell me you’re not leaving now! I just got to see you! We have to catch up! We can do so many things! I have vacation time owed to me and I’m gonna take it! Please Phineas, please stay! Goodness knows I have the rooms here!”

Jeffrey ran up to Phineas, pleading. “Come on, Bogg! This is our vacation too! I wanna spend time with her. Please!”

“Hey kid, you don’t have to twist my arm! I think that’s a great idea!”

“Alright!”

Tricia happily went to the kitchen to get cake plates.

“Besides, I think I’m really starting to fall…”

Jeffrey nudged him. “Don’t even say it, Romeo!”

Phineas looked down at him. “Back to Romeo, huh? What happened to Cyrano?”

Jeffrey looked up confused. “Cyrano? Why would I call you that? He’s a poet with a huge nose that never got the girl. Romeo is more like it.”

Phineas laughed loudly. “Okay, fine. But remember, there are other lovers in history, Jeff. You’ll learn.”

“Right, and you’re one of them, probably the inspiration for them all! So, what were you going to say?”

Phineas stared after Tricia for an instant with a tender feeling in his heart. Although she had learned Jeffrey was alive, she was still completely alone. He started to imagine the possibilities of his own future, a future that would not have come to pass without Jeffrey’s intervention and the beautiful Aurora Borealis. He walked to the window and pushed the curtains aside with a long glimpse upward.

“Never mind, Jeff. When it happens, you’ll be the first to know about it!”

Outside, the stars twinkled, and wisps of colors radiated in the sky, finally disappearing with the wind.

THE END.