I slept for a long time after the check up. I did not remember when did I saw the robot and talked about time travel. Everything seemed to look blurred, my memory, my life, my experiences, was like a dream, which I never remember clearly.
The memory of some dreams started to appear in my mind, but they were not dreams from the last time I slept, they seemed not dreams I had before the car accident either. They were dreams from my 40 years unconsciousness. But...no one shall have a dream if they fainted.
I began to feel scared about it. Was I really unconscious at that time? Or I was... I didn't know... just something else?
The robot came in with delicious breakfast. I thank it.
'You're welcome,' it said, smiling at me.
I was still the same person, but I seemed to be different from 40 years ago. I was more outgoing at that time, but now, I was not really expecting to see my friends again.
My wife came in. She looked much older now.
'You are finally here, my dear,' she said, as tears fell from her eyes.
I did not know who to respond to her. I did not miss anyone, or feel anything because of people now. I did not even feel the difference of seeing a robot and my wife, but I would try my best not to show it.
'Oh dear,' I said,'I missed you so much.'
I lied.
She looked at me. I was scared that she knew I felt nothing.
She kissed me.
I kissed her.
The robot came in again.
'You are fine,' it said. 'You can leave the hospital tonight.'
My wife was so happy that she danced around the room, and I just stood there, doing nothing.
I did not tell my wife that I had signed up for trying a new invention to go to the past, I was so afraid that she would not want me to go. No one knew if I would vanish in front of her after I went into the machine, or another "me" would be here, replacing me.
I whispered to the robot and asked it not to tell my wife, it agreed.
The robot left.
My wife was looking at me, and I was looking at her, but we did not say anything for a long time.
'Things have changed a lot these days,' she started,'robots replaced most jobs so we only need to work for 2 hours a day.'
'Oh, that's good.'
Silence again.
A large gap grew between us.
She went to the washroom, and I called the robot immediately, asking it when could I go back to the past.
'You can do so now, come to meet me at the entrance of the hospital.'
I told my wife that I wanted to go shopping for new clothes, that I would be back home soon. She was worried that I did not know how to go home, but as I insisted on going, she left.
( I planned to write about time travel in this chapter, but I realised that I had a lot to say before the main character travels back to the past, and I think it's better to start a new chapter to talk about time travel)
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