"No, I've only got a ten. Have you got a five?"
Simon's mouth hung open in shock.
"Oh, sorry. I thought you were the pizza guy."
Simon stammered a moment. "Sorry," he said breathlessly.
Simon was staring and...himself.
But it wasn't himself. It was his 15 year old self. Short and scrawny. With light brown hair and blue eyes.
"Here you go Simon," said another 15 kid walking into the doorway with a crinkled bill. "I've only got a ten though. Can he make change?"
He couldn't believe his eyes. It was Jay. It was Jay as he was before the Chronivac. He was a year older now, sure, but it was HIM.
"Don't worry, Jay, it's not the pizza guy. Let me get my mom and dad, mister."
Simon--the 29 year old, overweight auto mechanic Simon--impulsively held up a hand.
"Uh...no. That's okay...I'm sorry. I--I think I...I think I must have the wrong house. I was looking...for...um. My kid. Bryan."
"Bryan?" asked Jay. The adolescent Simon and Jay looked at each other. The old Simon realized too late that this was probably not the best choice of false names to use, but it was the first one that came to his mind.
"Are you related to him?" Jay continued.
"Uhh--umm...I'm uhh..."
"I...think he just left," said adolescent Simon, obviously lying.
"What? He's in your bedro--" Simon glared at Jay who suddenly realized he was screwing up Simon's cover.
"We don't know who this guy IS," Simon hissed. "Sorry, mister, he's not here. We gotta go, bye."
"Hey, what are you guys doing?" shouted another adolescent's voice--unmistakeably Bryan's.
But before Simon could catch a glimpse of him, Simon slammed the door in Simon's face.
Simon stood there for a moment, stunned. He staggered backwards and tripped a little on the front stoop, his heavy body reeling from the loss of balance. The jolt knocked him back to his senses momentarily, and he got in his car and started driving. Not to anywhere in particular...just...somewhere. Somewhere where he could process what he had just encountered.