comedysituation.end

scenes lxv-lxxii

Epilogue

           When Wes and company were let into December’s office at City Hall in the late afternoon of the Monday that, when including time travel, followed two weekends, he and the others were surprised to see a few guests already there. Smiling as she chatted amid the two briefcases on her desk, the mayor waved them inside. With her was Kiza, Yosuke, and most unexpectedly, Chief Hawthorn, in casual era-appropriate clothes.

           “Chief?” Wes said. “I didn’t know they let officers time travel after sticking them behind a desk. Do you get to do it often, or… is this a rare type of thing?”

           “More and more, the latter,” Wisence replied from her chair. “But I’ve been the one having the talk with the mayors in this century, and it’s nice to stop in every now and then to see a smaller, quieter Royal Valley. Now that the four of you have joined us, I can officially say… ahem, good job, everyone. Anything like this that gets resolved without the paperwork that brings in the big guys is… appreciated.”

           “It’s what we do,” Jace replied confidently. “Just curious… Do we get paid?”

           “Jace, that’s a little forward,” Lucy chided him. “But, um, how did we do?”

           “Quite well,” Hawthorn assured them. “And Jace and Laurie, I heard about your work at the manor. A little messy, but that kind of multi-faceted approach is something TMB agents do quite often. Regardless of how much that complexity is actually needed in the end. Oh, and… there will be compensation. But in these instances, we negotiate a means to obscure it in some way; since you’ll forget all about this, it’s better to not leave you questioning why a few grand suddenly popped up in your bank account.”

           “These bonds are going to be put to good use, for the city,” December promised.

           “Did you tell the McMare clan about them?” Wes wondered.

           And Lucy added, “Yeah, I mean, half of them were from their property.”

           “I spoke with the current head of the estate—Hadron’s grandson. He says they had no idea anything was even in that old safe. Anyway, he called the sum a ‘pittance’ and not worth contesting a claim over. The family would rather be spared the questions about where it had been hiding all this time. It’s a mysterious tale, though, isn’t it?”

           “Yes, still so many questions,” Kiza remarked. “Mobsters weren’t known for their long lifespans, making the wait for the bonds to reach maturity a tough ask. And with so many of them having criminal records, most would likely not want to risk going through a bank to actually turn them into cash. Maybe that’s why Hadron bet them.”

           Lucy theorized, “Did he realize that those bonds were a bad idea? Hadron was following Bill last we saw him. Maybe he was paranoid about the mob after doing some shady dealings himself, and used the game as a means to remove a real threat, by getting Baunder to see a shot at making amends—for a mistake he couldn’t buy his way out of. Hadron must have somehow discovered that Bill already had a target on his back. Hm… Or he could’ve simply wanted to get rid of the bonds altogether, officially, and in front of witnesses. Maybe he didn’t trust them with Sherman anymore, or not even his own friends and family. Obviously he meant to lose the bet, but that doesn’t answer much.”

           “The half in the hotel probably, really was missing,” Laurie guessed. “His safe had room for the other briefcase. I bet he was worried for decades someone would turn it in.”

           “These are all possibilities,” December agreed. “There’s still so much we don’t know about that night, and that’s the thing—what you saw was less than one hour of one day; a tiny slice of history in a story that likely has mysteries spanning years. Whatever you saw in Hadron, keep in mind that, as is the case with many people like him, he had positives and negatives, and worked in the environment and with the situations he was given. He still turned the city into a place we call home. I suppose it’s up to Mr. Suto and Chief Hawthorn here to decide how much further to investigate the unknowns.”

           “And what to share with you all, unfortunately,” Kiza said. “If we choose to look deeper, we may uncover things that would change the city’s future from this point.”

           “I’d also rather be spared from the wrath of the McMares,” December moaned. “They’d undoubtedly find a way to blame me for airing their dirty laundry.”

           “I might be stating the obvious here…” Wes looked over at Yosuke, who was currently fascinated by the room’s classical artwork. “But did you ask ‘Kaito’ what he saw? He must’ve spent more time in 1956 than we did, if he found both halves.”

           As Yosuke looked at the adults with an uncomfortable smile, Hawthorn replied, “We’ve decided not to put him through that kind of questioning—not when we could go back and find answers ourselves that involve… you know, Mafia-related activities.”

           Kiza put a hand on his son’s shoulder. “We got a lab working on a memory serum right now that’ll remove the worst of his experiences past the horizon.”

           Wes shrugged. “Eh, let it remain a mystery for us. Once I forget we went to the 50s, I’ll probably never think about the card game again. Barely knew about it, anyway.”

           “So… what happens now?” Lucy asked. “Do we just go our separate ways, back to our own lives, and wait until the amnesia kicks in? I feel like something’s missing.”

           “There is still the question of the No it All! revival,” Wes reluctantly admitted.

           “Oh, yeah… Aw, Chief Hawthorn, couldn’t you let Yosuke finish his show’s story? I know he’s been reprimanded, but I think he’d go home in a much better mood and truly put this behind him, if we just give him this one thing. Kiza could pay for it!”

           Mr. Suto grumbled and rubbed his neck. “Not that I couldn’t afford it, but like I told you, I already put a good deal of money into the show. Since he took my gold bars.”

           “Sorry, Dad…” Yosuke squeaked as December and Hawthorn mulled it over.

           “Tell you what,” December said with a sigh. “These bonds are worth a little over ten million. I don’t see what the other, say… sixty grand is needed for. Consider it an investment in local arts and culture. What do you think you can do with that much?”

           “More than enough!” Yosuke replied excitedly. “Thank you, Mrs. Mayor!”

           “Well. All right,” Hawthorn hesitantly agreed. “But we’ll monitor this project of yours. It better have only net benefits, or at least, leaves no major effects on history.”

           “Hey, congrats, Yosuke!” Laurie said supportively. “I’m sure Lucy and… one of my parents will be really excited to see a proper finale! What are you thinking of doing?”

           “Thanks, Laurie.” Yosuke smirked mischievously. “Ya know, you’re pretty cute!”

           Laurie grimaced and grumbled. “Come on. Just when I was starting to like you…”

           “Hm…” Yosuke looked up at his dad. “Yeah… That might work. It can’t take too long, though—I really need to get back to school. Okay! Regular-length episode, live audience at the soundstage. It should fit into the budget, and be doable in… six weeks?”

           “Six weeks?” Lucy frowned. “Tch. We won’t remember anything about what we did by then, will we? I mean, I’d still want to go, but it just won’t be as… impactful.”

           “That’s okay. I’ll make sure you all get tickets. And you’ll remember how you helped make it happen next time you time travel and get your memories back.”

           “Next time?” Wes replied and looked at the chief. “Is this gonna be ongoing?”

           “Anything can happen, Colton,” Hawthorn said plainly. “Besides. You know you’ll take any new chance at visiting yesteryear. Now, are we ready to wrap things up, or…?”

           “Actually…” Wes’ tone suddenly became somber. “Can I talk you into letting me use the quartz a little longer? I promise, it’d be for… a net benefit. For someone else.”

           Wes unlocked the door to his studio and stepped inside at a most unusual hour, leaving the lights off as he went to his office. The decorative strings of colorful holiday LEDs were always on, and the video game-themed ornaments now already felt nostalgic.

           “Anyone here?” Wes called out, and sniffed. “Still has that new office smell…”

           Indeed, the layout hadn’t been finalized yet, and some cubicles remained in mid-construction. But his keys were the same. He got into his private corner office, which somehow felt both messy and barren. It was a holdover from his stays at his dad’s; he remained oddly hesitant to personalize a room. He sat at his desk, its chair brand-new and extra-plushy, and turned on the monitor. Its light hit a framed photo of the kids, with Jace and Warren at seven and missing teeth; Sally was the toddler in the middle.

           After shaking off the strangeness of seeing a date of December 26^th, 2017 on the clock in the corner of his desktop, and remembering that he was on a time limit, he got to searching—regretting that he hadn’t done so years ago. He found Gavin’s Facebook page, and while not a big fan of social media and seldom using it, tonight Wes was glad to see him online, perhaps already holiday-talking with friends he had kept in touch with.

           “Royal Valley Wes Colton?” he responded right away in the message window.

           Already feeling emotional, Wes shakily typed back, “Yep. What’s up?”

           “Dude! It’s been so long! I should’ve reached out. You never left the city, right?”

           Feeling that about-to-cry lump in his throat, he could only reply with, “No.”

           “I’m starting to doubt this is you. The Wes I knew wouldn’t shut up sometimes.”

           “No, it’s really me. Just not the greatest with reunions after so long.”

           “I hear ya, man. What made you suddenly look me up on this fine Boxing Day?”

           Wes shrugged and typed, “I think about people from the past this time of year.”

           “Yeah, that’s a common thing. Hey, I know it can be awkward, but do you want to video chat? Webcam, FaceTime, whatever. Got me curious what you look like now.”

           At first, Wes was about to brush off the offer; he liked internet face-to-face talks even less. But… this might be his only chance to see Gavin again, and as an adult.

           So, he was soon turning on his office lights—hoping no employees were around in the city that might notice—and chose to use his iPhone, since his computer webcam was pretty bad in the early post-garage RV Indie days. After a few rings, Gavin’s smiling face popped up on the small screen. At first, Wes was worried, unsure what to expect.

           But the younger of the Patiles seemed perfectly healthy, and had a rather youthful complexion that made him look not too dissimilar from the last time Wes had seen him. He was content, smiling, wearing an ugly sweater, and held a mug by a crackling fire.

           “Whoa. Hey, Wes! You’re looking pretty good, man. Got an air of maturity about you, not at all like that kid I last saw at our moving-away party in ’96. Is that an office?”

           “Y-yeah, I, uh…” Wes choked back and stifled any sad feelings, and managed a small smile. “I run a game studio with Jared now. We just got into our new place. I was so excited about it that I, um… Wanted to spend a few hours here tonight.”

           “Cool, man. Congrats. Tell me about your games and I’ll give ‘em a try.”

           “You live in Phoenix now, right? Strange seeing you in a sweater next to a fire.”

           “Ah, not really. It gets pretty chilly here in winter. What else is new in your life?”

           “I’ll tell you, but I’m also wondering how Vanni’s doing. You two still close?”

           “Er… I mean, I guess? She was here for Christmas and left in the morning. We still get along, but… Well, we don’t chat as much anymore. We kinda got our own lives.”

           “I know how it is,” Wes said. He then lied to make gradual estrangement feel like a relatable thing, “Me and Lucy were distant for a while. I’m glad we worked on that.”

           “You did?” He grew a little solemn. “Got any tips, Wes? I’d hate to lose her.”

           Back in 2024, Wes quietly watched Vanni pound away at the buttons and flick the joystick of his Donkey Kong cabinet as he leaned against his office’s indoor window on a sunny Sunday afternoon. She was really in the zone, just as he remembered seeing her sometimes as a kid, usually at the mall arcade but once at Galaxy Hub, too.

           “Damn…” she huffed after getting another game over. “Man, I’m really rusty. I wanted to show you the kill screen, but I’m stuck on level twenty. Whew…”

           “That’s okay, I’ve seen it on YouTube. There was one other thing I was thinking we could do before you head out, anyway…” Wes trailed off as she finally did the thing he’d been waiting for, in removing her jacket to reveal the ink on her arms once more.

           He quickly spotted that feared Gavin tattoo, and while it didn’t come as a surprise, he still felt a familiar pit in his stomach all over again. The difference from last time, was that now he felt personally involved; like he’d been in a position where he could have changed something, but failed. Feeling this in his core, he spluttered on some air.

           “Always did work up a sweat with DK,” Vanni puffed out as she held her jacket over her shoulder. “What’d you have planned, Wes? … Hey, you all right?”

           “I… I, ah…” He let out one last cough. “I’m fine. Head over to the game TV in the lounge. I think you’ll like the little surprise I have planned. Assuming it still works…”

           Vanni gave him a “whatever, weirdo” look and did as she was asked. Wes went into his office, grabbed a few wires and some controllers from the shelf where his big award was already gathering dust, and on the way out took his encased Super Nintendo off the wall, where it hung next to the 1999 Haunted Manor shirt Jace got for him.

           After Wes joined Vanni and turned on the TV, he said, “This is kind of a secret, and I haven’t opened it up in over a decade, but…” He pulled up on the back of the SNES display, popping off the Plexiglas that protected the yellowed console. “Be free…”

           Vanni gave him a big grin and pulled a chair closer to the TV. “Aw, hell yes. Now it feels like I’m really back home. Maybe you can finally beat me at something.”

           A half hour into the 16-bit gaming session, Vanni was sipping from a cold soda can and a pile of gray carts from Wes’ old collection was forming near the console as they burned through them, playing fast but competitive rounds of two-player games.

           She then abruptly paused the action. “Wes? I’m not sure why I didn’t tell you this last week, but in the hospital, Gav admitted something else. Said you got in touch out of the blue back in 2017. You apparently convinced him to make sure we never lost touch.”

           “I did?” Wes replied with a mix of humility and genuine surprise.

           Vanni smiled warmly and showed off a phone picture. “I kept up on my Phoenix visits—even went with his family to King Arcade in early 2023. This… is the last photo I have of us, before… he got sick.” Wes gazed at the happy faces of Vanni, Gavin, his wife, and their two young kids in the park. “But I’m so glad that we got pretty close again over those last years. He insisted it was because of you, so… Thank you. So, so much.”

           “I…” Wes felt emotions rising up again, but less intensely. “You’re welcome. I learned what good advice can do from both you and Jace… Vanni?” He turned red and rubbed his neck. “I know I can never replace Gavin. And this is sort of a nebulous, kind of embarrassing idea. But if you ever need to feel some ‘big sister energy’ again, well…”

           A twitch of deep sentiment hit the corner of Vanni’s smile. She reached over, put Wes in a playful, harmless chokehold, and unexpectedly gave him an actual noogie.

           “You don’t know what you just signed up for.” She chuckled. “But, you will.”

           He gasped as she released him. “Gah! I don’t think I’ve ever gotten one of those!”

           “By the way… was that vending machine with the cold drinks here last time?”

           “Ah, no,” he replied, looking over at the big chilly box. “It’s a recent donation.”

           “She seriously did that?” Lucy laughed after Wes gave her the summary of the ‘play date’ later that night, during a visit to her house as Warren and the rest of their group watched a movie in Jace’s room. “Vanni’s not modest about her feelings, huh?”

           “The right advice at the right time…” Wes scoured a photo album on the couch, looking for a certain picture. “Jace taught me that, but I’ll never not feel like I could’ve done more. At least while I have time-travel memories. And they’re starting to fade.”

           “Same here.” Lucy stood against her built-in wall bookshelf with arms crossed. “I still remember all the stuff we did and where we went, but the details are getting blurry. But, Wes, you know you can’t change everything. What you pulled off, within the set of rules Hawthorn gave you… One hour, make sure the kids still exist, don’t talk to anyone else… It sounds like you did the most you could, and did make a big difference.”

           Wes paused his album search and revealed, “I have to tell you something, Luce. I took after you, too, and rebelled a little.” She looked at him curiously, and he explained, “I told him to take good care of himself… a few times. Maybe emphasized it too much. I had to, even though I said I wouldn’t. But I guess that didn’t change anything, anyway.”

           “Oh, Wes…” Lucy sighed, and gave him one of her rare little sister hugs. “You always did see the people from your childhood as precious. But, think about it. If there were ever an older sibling full of advice to give, it’d be her. I bet that Gavin got an earful over the years, and even still… What picture are you looking for, by the way?”

           Sensing he was close, Wes turned the page, saw what he’d hoped still existed, and peeled away the plastic to take it out and show Lucy. “The only one we have with him in it. It’s all the kids at the ’96 Laser Chase, suited up before the big game. I thought I’d get a blown-up copy and hang it in my office.” Feeling a little better once Lucy responded with a smile, he added, “One other thing. After I fully forget our trip, I really won’t want to go to the No it All! taping. So, you better do what you can to drag me out to it.”

           “You know it, bro. As long as Kiza and Yosuke get us our tickets. They better…”

           Five weeks later, with summer break reaching its end, Lex, Lucy, Laurie, Sadie, Sally, Jace—and all of his gang, and most reluctantly of all Wes, were let into the King Arcade soundstage one evening after the rest of the park closed for a special one-night only event. The No it All! set had been lovingly recreated, looking even more accurate than Kiza’s version… not that anyone in the audience remembered it anymore. The seating was only a few rows deep, and while every spot was sold or given away, it did take a little doing to fill them, since the show ran a single season in semi-obscurity.

           “Oh, this is so exciting!” Lex exclaimed, who along with Lucy were among two dozen or so in attendance that really wanted to see this finale. “Look, Luce! They have real network-quality cameras. And even ‘Applause’ and ‘Laughter’ signs.”

           “Good,” Wes muttered. “I wouldn’t know when to do those otherwise.”

           “Tsk, Wes,” Sadie chided at his side. “Try to enjoy the cheesiness. They’ll probably even play into it. If nothing else, you gotta admit it’s cool to see a TV episode shot here.”

           “How did all of us get roped into this, though?” Jamie groaned.

           Toby postulated as he texted on his phone, “I heard they kept lowering the ticket prices to sell out, so… Jace and Laurie’s parents must’ve ended up getting them cheap.”

           “I’ve never seen a TV show get filmed before, so this is neat!” Austin replied.

           “I was bored, anyway.” Chad yawned. “If it’s that bad, I’ll just make fun of it.”

           “I hope this makes Izuki-san happy,” Emiko murmured. “He seemed a little sad.”

           The lights dimmed, and the theme song began to play. The applause light didn’t fire up at first, but that didn’t keep the most ardent fans from clapping and hollering. Without any sort of introduction, they got right into the episode, with Kaito entering through the front door after the guitar riff. He stayed in character and didn’t look at the audience as they cheered and the cameras focused on his smiling face, but inside, he was definitely relishing in the chance at being on the set again after nearly thirty years.

           “Wow! He has to be Izuki’s son,” Lucy told Lex over the noise. “Spitting image!”

           “Family! I’m home! You’ll never guess the trouble I got into at school!” Kaito said.

           Alicia entered the living room, graciously accepting her own applause—some of which might’ve been for the effort behind making her look young again—before giving her snobby teen sister response, “Did you finally get expelled for allll the stuff you did?”

           Kaito smirked. “The principal would have to catch me first, sis! Get a load of this.”

           Before he could regale, the parents walked in from the kitchen. George and Zora soaked in the claps and did both break character a little, with chuckles escaping their lips as they stole a few glances at the audience. When things quieted again, Dad spoke first.

           “Kaito, whatever it is you did can wait. We have… complicated news to share.”

           Yosuke put on a serious face for one of those awkward-tone-shift melodramatic moments on a sitcom, replying, “What’s wrong…? Are you getting a divorce?”

           “No, Kaito,” Mom said. “You see, dear, they finally found your missing biological father.” She paused for murmurs and playful gasps. “He was lost in the jungles of Papua New Guinea all these years, living out of the wreckage of his plane. And now he’s here.”

           Kaito remained pensive and stared at his dad when he entered from the dining room and received the most applause yet, as the audience believed he was a grown Izuki.

           “Hello, Son,” Kiza said. “Do you remember me? It’s been a long time.”

           “I, uh…” Kaito replied nervously and looked around at both his families.

           “Honey, you may have to decide who you want to stay with,” Mom explained.

           “No!” he got out his ‘motto.’ “I can’t decide something like that! I’m going to the park so I can think about all this. And don’t follow me! It’s outside and far away!”

           The audience, in on the joke, gave this a laugh but also seemed invested in the finale-appropriate plot. Kaito’s dad looked at the adoptive family, telling them, “Thank you for taking care of him. I think we need to work together to help him through this.”

           “While he does annoy me,” Alicia said, “I’ll always do what I can to help my bro.”

           Twenty minutes of sitcom hijinks and drama morsels followed, with scenes also taking place in wheeled-over sets for the kitchen and Kaito’s room. The running theme had him being unusually aloof, and coming up with new excuses to avoid talking about things that got more ridiculous over time. Towards the end, in the last minutes of the show, Kaito let his dad into his cool 90s room to have a side-by-side chat on the bed.

           “How are you doing, Son?” Kiza asked Yosuke… and likely in a personal way.

           “I don’t know what to do, Dad. I’ve lived here for so long, and I love this place!”

           “It is a tough problem,” he replied and patted Kaito on the head. “And I bet you must be used to easy and simple answers,” he added, getting some audience chortles.

           “The Donelly family put up with me. I don’t want to just leave them now!”

           “They told me a lot about you. And I have to ask. Why say ‘no’ all the time?”

           Kaito rubbed his chin like he’d never considered it. “I don’t want to do what others tell us to. I want to experience things my way and grow up different from everyone else!”

           “I can respect that.” Kiza got up and headed to the door. “If you’ve come to love this family, maybe you should stay. But even if you do, do you want me in your life?”

           Kaito thought it over, and—maybe?—for the first time in the show, said, “Yes!”

           The audience burst out into “aww”s as the reunited dad and kid hugged, which was sweet, even Wes could admit… But any possibility of a difficult decision needing to be made was rendered unnecessary when the rest of the Donelly clan burst in the room.

           “Kaito, guess what!” Alicia exclaimed. “The next-door neighbors, whose son you always considered your nemesis, are moving away! Do you know what this means?”

           Yosuke smiled for the audience and looked back at his dad. “Now you can move here! And I get to have two awesome bedrooms!” And then they shared a high-five.

           To finish off the finale, all five actors looked into the camera, gave thumbs ups or otherwise assertive poses, and sang a little discordantly, “And he’s the Nooo it Allll!”

           They locked themselves into a brief freeze frame for the credits, and the lights shut off amid applause and some lingering laughter for the preceding sitcom-campiness.

           Moments later, the lights came back on, and the cast stood in a line and bowed before engaging with the audience via their already-wired microphones.

           Elise was the first to speak to the fans, “Thank you for coming, everyone! It was a lot of fun. Tonight feels like a high school reunion, where it’s just the students and no staff. No one else from the original team was involved, or here, but they are in spirit.”

           “We worked on the script together, and chose to unapologetically stay true to those easy solutions,” Zora said. “Sometimes the world needs a little comfort food.”

           “I’m happy you enjoyed the show,” Kiza added. “And that I got to do it ‘again.’”

           “I, um…” Yosuke thought of how best to say what he wanted to within the rules of the lie. “The best part of a show are the reruns. They’re reliable. Always there for you.”

           “My students are going to kick out of this,” George said with a hearty dad laugh.

           As the cast got into sharing their experiences for a few minutes, Jace, Laurie, and Warren, seated next to one another, finally let out a few chuckles of their own.

           “That was the lamest thing ever,” Warren whispered. “But… why did I… like it?”

           “I know, right?” Laurie moaned. “It’s weirdly, just… hard to actually hate.”

           Watching Kiza and Yosuke laugh together as they took questions, Jace replied quietly and thoughtfully, “Must be cool, doing this sort of thing with your dad…”

           In the back, Millie and Nyra, in attendance without the others knowing, slipped away into the night a little early. Outside the building, Millie turned to her girlfriend.

           “Well. Did you enjoy it?” she asked. “It was pretty much just like I remembered.”

           “Mm-hm…” Nyra replied as her eyes absorbed the texts on her phone. “It was a cute resolution to the case, too. Wes and team did great… Tch… Should I even bother?”

           “What is it? Those texts you were getting… They weren’t from the future, right?”

           “Been back two weeks, and now this… One of our inmates is asking for you, Mill.”

           “Me? Really?” Millie put a hand up to her chin. “I’ve never met a prisoner before. Eh, why not? I’m a little curious. The building’s just on the ‘other side’ anyway, right?”

           With a groan, Nyra took out her blue quartz and made a portal straight into the police building lobby in 2886, where it was another busy night. In her civilian clothes, she gave some waves to the co-workers she knew as she led Millie to the elevators.

           “I’d be surprised if he actually does talk to you,” Nyra said and hit the button. “He lost his cyborg police frame when we locked him up, but we aren’t monsters; we did still replace his damaged voice module. Thing is, he never actually uses it. He doesn’t speak.”

           “Police frame?” Millie wondered as they entered the elevator and headed to the sub-levels. “This guy was one of your officers? What’d he… Oh… It’s that cop, isn’t it?”

           “You have no memories of him, but he’d remember you… And your friends.”

           The dim subterranean jail and its cells were the last place either of them expected to visit that night, but here they were nonetheless. As a cyborg guard stood nearby, Nyra used her credentials to unlock a reinforced door, leaving just the titanium bars in place.

           “Hello, Cal,” she said to the augmented but average-sized man inside. “You’re out of here in four months. But if your first words from that voice box we gave you are a threat to me or my partner here… I’ll personally see to it that your stay is extended.”

           Cal chortled darkly and jolted over to the bars, getting a flinch out of Millie. “You don’t even know who I am…” he told her gutturally. “But, soon… everyone will.”

           “Lovely,” Nyra scoffed and slammed the door in his face. “And a waste of time.”

           “As an investigative journalist, I’m used to it,” Millie said. But the brief encounter did shake something down in her core, so she hummed the No it All! theme for comfort.