No One Can Suceed Like Dr. Robert

“Is there anybody going to listen to my story all about the girl who came to stay? She’s the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry. Still, you don’t regret a single day. A girl….girl, girl. When I think of all the times I’ve tried so hard to leave her...she will turn to me and start to cry. And she promises the earth to me, and I believe her. After all this time I don’t know why!” I woke up to John Lennon’s soothing voice coming through my headphones. I must’ve fallen asleep with my Ipod on shuffle last night.

*”Sophie! Sophie, I’m so glad you’re here…you got my message?” Aunt Flo’s Liverpudlian accent had always made me feel at home. My Dad also had it, and I’d always admired it, though I ended up with my mom’s Missourian accent.

“Well, yes I got it. I’m here aren’t I? Anyway…what’s wrong? On the phone you seemed frantic and what not, and…..Flo, why did I have to come to your hotel room before I go home?” Guilt flashed before her eyes. “Flo? What aren’t you telling me?”

She turned her back and began crying silently. “Your maa’. She’s gone, Soph.”
No. I saw her this morning. I told her goodbye! She….she can’t be gone! First Dad and now her too?

“How?” I could barely manage to move my lips.*

Flo pulled off my vintage headphones with care, knowing how much they mean to me. “Sophie! Get up, I want you to meet a friend of mine; his name’s Doctor Robert.” At this I sprung up, feeling the sleep jump from my eyes.

“Ring my friend, I said you call Doctor Robert! Day or night, he’ll be there anytime at all. Doctor Robert!” I sang out, jumping around. Flo grabbed my hand and took me to my closet.

“Get some clothes on, you! He’s an old pervert. Don’t want him seeing you in your knickers, do we?” She joked, while throwing a flowing blue blouse out at me and a pair of jeans along with it.

“Put on some shoes, alright? I told him we’d be there in about 30 minutes. But, you don’t take long to get ready, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” I gave her thumbs up as she walked out of the room, and then pulled on my blouse and capris. I decided on my white Keds and then walked into the bathroom to freshen up. I brushed through my hair then put on a bit of mascara. I wasn’t really the type of girl to wear a lot of makeup. After quickly brushing my teeth, I turned the lights off and walked back to my room to grab my bag.

I found Flo in our kitchen grabbing two bananas. She stuffed one in her mouth while grabbing her purse and motioning for me to follow. We went out to her car and drove in silence, sleep making its way back into both of our eyes. ‘After all,’ I thought while looking at the clock on my phone, ‘it’s 3:45 in the morning….wait, what!’

“Flo, couldn’t this Doctor have waited till a decent hour?” I asked while eating my banana.

“Not really, Soph. You see, there’s a bit of a surprise for you. I was going to ask if you beforehand about it…but since your parents are gone, really, I know you’ll want this surprise. You’ll want it very much, luv.” She was serious. Which to be honest, kind of scared me.

“Oh, okay Flo.” We pulled up to an old looking house. It looked cozy and inviting, especially with the moon still out. Kind of like a safe place. An old, friendly looking fellow waddled out of his little house on his cane and waved happily. Flo and I got out of the car, bringing our purses with us, and walked towards him.

“Come 'ed then, tea’s almost ready!” he hugged Flo, and then led us both into his humble abode. I sat down in a chair next to Flo at Doctor Robert’s kitchen table.

“WHEEEEEEEEEEE!” The tea kettle he had set out on his stove yelled at us that it was ready.

“Oh!” DR exclaimed with a sudden innocence that made me instantly like him. “Tea’s ready then, you’ll both have some?” I nodded my head. If there’s one thing I’ve learned while in Liverpool, American’s got tea all wrong. He stewed the tea for a few minutes while Flo and I commented on his house.

“Hasn’t changed a bit since the first time I met you!” Flo said while taking her tea from the tray he’d put it on.

“Only for you, dear! Now,” he said, looking at me,” you must be Sophie! Has her da’s eyes, this one.” he said, smiling. “Dear, I’m so sorry to hear about him. He was a bright young lad. Never had the interest in time travel your auntie, here, did. But still, he was a good-” I choked on my tea. “She’s a weird little bird, now isn’t she?” he asked Flo.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…time travel?” I asked looking at the both of them with wide eyes.

Flo decided to speak up. “Well, I decided that when she got here we could tell her. I mean, do you really think that she’d give this chance up? She loves the four lads more than anyone I know.”

Doctor Robert smiled at me with an excited gleam in his eye. “Time travel is not just a thing of science fiction novels, its right here in my basement; took your aunt and me years to perfect. But it’s here! Tell me,” he asked,” do you know what, should I say who, was happening in Liverpool, circa 1957?”

“Well that’s easy. In 1957 Paul McCartney was either 14 or 15 depending on what month, George Harrison was about 13-14, once again depending on the month, John Lennon was-Flo! Why didn’t you tell me?” I exclaimed, realizing why they wanted me to be a ‘time traveler’. I was going to meet the Beatles before they were the Beatles.

“So I take that as a yes?” Flo asked while I finished my tea.

“Of course; when is the soonest we can go?” I asked Doctor Robert. He reached down for his cane and stood up.

“Well, if you’ll follow me, you and Flo can get on with your adventure now.”

“But I didn’t bring anything with me and I still-”

“Come’ed love! Don’t worry about needing clothes or money, what you’ve got right now will do you. The rest we can buy when we get to our new home.” Flo’s eyes lit up with excitement. I noticed for the first time how extremely emerald they were.

“We’re not coming back, are we?” I asked, suddenly doubtful. Doctor Robert stopped in front of a door at the end of a set of stairs that led downward.

“Not if we don’t want to. Don’t worry, Sophie! You’re going to meet John Lennon, isn’t that just boss?” I could tell that she was trying to comfort my fears away, but I couldn’t deny that it was going to be pretty amazing. Even worth never coming back to the present.

“Ah! There’s the key.” Doctor Robert declared as he unlocked the door. “Just up there on that table. Uh, you know where it is Flo.” Flo picked up two lockets and handed one to me.

“You do know that this is just a locket, right?” I asked her.

“Oh no, they’re not!” Doctor Robert laughed.

“Look inside of it.” Flo said while opening hers’ and messing with it. Inside I saw all kinds of gears and mechanisms I can’t even begin to explain. ‘It’s so…’

“…ahead of its time!” I smiled while Flo took mine and messed with it as she had done to hers’.

“Pretty gear, huh? Alright. Got your bag, Soph?” Flo asked. I held up my bag to her to show her that I had remembered what she said earlier. “Good! Doctor…thank you for everything.” She said sincerely, while latching out hands together.

“Be careful, my dears!” he cried out as the lockets began to float upwards and spin. A bright light emerged around us. Papers flew everywhere and created a deafening noise.

Fear clutched at my heart. “Doctor Robert, wait!” I screamed over the noise of the papers. “What if you were wrong? What if this doesn’t work and we die?” Flo held on tighter to my hand.

“Sophie-Soph! Hold onto your bag tighter!” I did as she said and waited for Doctor Robert to answer my fearful cries of doubt.

“Remember, Sophie,” he shouted as the world as I could see it was being stretched and the light became almost too bright to see through. “No one can succeed like Doctor Robert!”

At the last second I pushed myself away from Flo. This was too much, I could die.
“SOPHIE!” Flo screamed in her scouse accent I’d always loved so much. “No!” I watched as the light tore her apart. What had I done?

The light consumed my whole being as I felt my very flesh being ripped away from my bones till I could feel no more. For what seemed like forever, I was in a state of just being. The next thing I was aware of was the “Umf!” sound I made when I hit a concrete side-walk.

Another thing? Flo was nowhere to be found. The necklace that previously hung around her neck lay on the ground next to me, a bit of ash next to it.