The shared hallway stank of dope. From what little I hadseen of this area already, it didn’t surprise me at all that she had falleninto the clutches of this Aaron character. Maybe that had even been himoutside.
I knocked on the door, and she answered, baby girl clutchedto breast.
“Hi – Kacey?” I said, in that questioning way people do justto reassure themselves that they’ve got the right person. “I’ve come for theticket.”
“Come in,” she said. “I’m just finishing feeding the baby –you don’t mind, do you?”
“Of course not,” I said, and I followed her into the kitchenarea of the tiny flat. She put the baby over her shoulder, patted her back andput her down into a small playpen where she lay, smiling and gurgling, on herback. I guessed she must have been about three or four months old.
“I couldn’t believe it when I saw your post,” said Kacey. “Iwas gutted when Mum said she couldn’t babysit, but her new boyfriend’s takingher out.”
As she spoke, I was struck by how different this girl wasfrom the train wreck I was to encounter at the hospital three years in thefuture.
She was bubbly, bright and clean. Not only that, the flat,despite her having a baby, was also clean and tidy. I always felt you couldtell a lot from a person’s home. If they kept that in good order, it was likelytheir lives would be, too.
I found it disturbing, having the foreknowledge of how farshe would fall in such a short time. Seeing her like this made me ever moredetermined to make her listen. If ever there was a case of prevention beingbetter than cure, surely this was it.
She was still talking as these thoughts were going throughmy head.
“David – that’s my mum’s boyfriend – he said this was a conand no one would pay a hundred pounds for a ticket,” she continued.
“Don’t worry, it’s not a con,” I reassured her. “I’ve gotthe money right here.” I pulled out my purse and patted it. “But a cup ofcoffee and a chat would be nice if you can stretch to that?”
“I’d love that,” she said. “You wouldn’t believe how boredand lonely I get stuck at home on my own all the time. Yes, I get to go out tomother and baby groups and stuff, but it’s all baby talk there, you know?”
I didn’t know, but I could imagine. In the interests ofwinning her trust, I nodded my agreement.
“The evenings are the worst. Once Maddie goes down for theevening it’s just me and the TV.” She paused and then added. “Do you havekids?”
Should I lie? No – I might get tripped up by it. Best to behonest.
“No,” I replied. “I’ve never quite got round to it.”
“Not found the right man, yet, eh?” she asked.
“Something like that,” I replied, not really wanting to getinto the whole Rob thing.
“I thought I had,” she said. “My ex – Steven. At least untilI got pregnant. Then it all started to go wrong. He dumped me about two weeksbefore the baby was due. Said he wasn’t ready to be a dad and I haven’t seenhim since.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, which is pretty much my defaultresponse to being told anything like this. I can never think of anything elseto say.
“Don’t be,” she said. “He was a waste of space. Just after Itold him I was pregnant he gave up his job because he said he was going tobecome an artist. When that didn’t happen, he said he couldn’t support a childand that was the end of it. Next time I’m going to get myself a man with a bitmore about him.”
Which I knew was going to be very bad news and the verything I had come here to warn her about. Her last sentence had given me the perfectlead in for what I had come here to say.
“Yeah, about that,” I replied. “I’ll come clean with you – Idid have an ulterior motive for coming here today.”
“I knew it,” she said, her face falling. “David said thiswas too good to be true. Did Steven send you? Because if he did, then you cantell him it’s too late. I don’t want anything more to do with him.”
“Relax,” I said. Keen to reassure her, I opened my purse,counted out five twenty-pound notes and handed them to her.
“There,” I said. “It’s not a scam and don’t worry. I’venever met Steven.”
She passed the ticket over to me, and I tucked it back in mywallet. Business concluded, it was now time for the tricky bit.
“Thank you,” she said. “This money is going to come in veryhandy. You wouldn’t believe how many things you need for a baby.”
“So, I guess you’re wondering why else I’m here,” I said. “Ido need to give you a message, but it’s not from Steven.”
“Who from, then?” she said, looking intrigued.
Here goes, I thought. It’s now or never.
“From the future,” I declared, possibly slightlyoverdramatically.
“Really?” she said, raising her eyebrows. It was clear shewasn’t taking this seriously, but had I really expected her to?
“Look, just hear me out,” I said. Whatever I was going tosay, I had to get it across quickly before she dismissed me as some madwoman.There was no time for any long-winded explanation. I just had to spit it out.
“I’ve come here from three years in the future where you’relying in a hospital bed. You’re a junkie who has taken an overdose.”
“I’ve never taken drugs in my life,” she protested, a lookof disbelief, not to mention a little anger, on her face.
“And I hope you never will,” I said. Pressing on, I added,“It all depends on what you do this year.”
She opened her mouth as
