JENNIFER continued her dissertation.
“For a while they were in the Roman Legions.” she said, “Martinius died a couple of months ago during a military campaign in Spain against the allies of Pompey…”
“Jennifer.” interrupted Clara, “If you’re done with using the outhouse, I’d think you’d go back to bed and let McFlius do his work. I’ll hear about the rest of your story in the morning.”
“But Clara…” demanded Jennifer.
“No buts.” said Clara, “Go back to bed.”
Sad faced. Jennifer said “Yes, ma’am.” And went back to the guestroom that she and Clara were sharing.
Meanwhile, McFlius said “I think I’d better get back to readying the kitchen. Now if you excuse me.”
“By all means.” said Clara, “Don’t let us stop you.”
At that they left and McFlius continued his work.
++++++
After using the outhouse, Clara returned to her room where see saw Jennifer sitting up in her bed pouting.
“Jennifer.” she asked, “What is it?”
“The fact that you had to send me back to bed.” said Jennifer, “I’m not a little girl any more. And it was the way you ordered me to do it.”
“Jennifer, it was for your own good.” said Clara, “When I got up, you weren’t in your bed and I had to go look for you. When I saw you in the kitchen next to some food I was frightened that you might’ve had a relapse and started to overeat again. It really scared me.”
“I’m sorry, Clara.” said Jennifer.
“And there’s another thing,” Clara went onto say, “I saw you talk to McFlius and it seems to me like you had love in your eyes when you and he were chatting.”
“Well he does look like Marty.”
“Well, he’s Marty’s ancestor and has another woman in his life. Get between those two and Marty will never be born.”
After some pondering, Jennifer said under protest “Yes ma’am.”
“Good.” said Clara, “Now let’s get some rest.”
Jennifer laid down in bed as Clara doused both candles and got in bed as well.
++++++
When dawn arrived, the servant girls came in with bowls of water and some towels.
“It’s to bath your hands in.” said one of them.
“Why thank you.” said Clara.
“I guess the faucet hasn’t been invented yet.” said Jennifer as she stuck her hand into a bowl.
“Faucet?” asked the servant girl.
“Oh, it’s…” said Jennifer, “Your descendants will know in about two thousand years.” Just then, the servant girls started to put their hands onto Clara and Jennifer and started to rub them. “Hey.” said Jennifer, “What are you doing?”
“Well you’re the guest of Caesar’s widow.” said the servant girl, “We have to treat the guests the same way we treat the host. So we’re helping you bathe your hands.”
“You mean wash them.” said Jennifer.
“Precisely.” said the girl.
Remembering her trip to Renaissance Italy months ago in which she lived in royalty, she said with a smile “At least I’m used to it.”
The servant girl who was bathing her hands gave Jennifer a peculiar look.
++++++
After changing out of their night gowns and into some stoles the two time travelers came into the dining hall and reclined at a table on some couches.
Calpurnia was already there and she asked “Well, did you two get good night sleeps?”
“Not bad for a first night.” said Clara.
“It’s unlike any summer camp I went too.” said Jennifer, “On a first night that is.”
Calpurnia and her two guests smiled at this remark.
Then, Calpurnia clapped her hands and said “Let’s have breakfast.”
Immediately, food was brought in. It comprised of fresh meat, fish, fruits, vegetables and bread.
Jennifer was impressed. “Wow!” she said “This would beat any ham and egg breakfast any day.”
Just then, the servants came in and started hovering over the three women like buzzards and began to cut their food.
“Hey now wait a minute…” said Jennifer, “I can…”
“It’s all right, Jennifer.” said Calpurnia, “It’s their job to do that.”
Then, Jennifer noticed something being poured into her food.
“Hey.” she asked, “What is that ?”
Both Calpurnia and Clara laughed.
“It’s honey.” said the servant.
“Honey?” asked Jennifer, “Don’t you use sugar?”
“What is sugar?” asked the servant.
“Well, it’s…” said Jennifer, “…something you haven’t heard of yet.”
Again, Clara and Calpurnia laughed.
“Some wine please.” said Calpurnia.
“Wine?” asked Jennifer, “In the morning?”
Clara put her hand onto Jennifer’s arm whispering “It’s alright, Jennifer. Remember, we’re now in the first century B.C. were Roman customs are different than ours.”
Jennifer sat there recalling her trip to 15th century Italy where at one point she got drunk.
“I gather you trust me.” whispered Jennifer.
“I know it’s against my better judgment but I do.” said Clara.
The steward came in with a jar of wine and poured it into the flagons.
Calpurnia proposed a toast. “Here’s to the two time-I mean shepherdesses who help bring me home.”
“Hear, hear.” said the two time travelers.
“Excuse me.” said Jennifer, “But where are the spoons and forks?”
The servants gave Jennifer a peculiar stare.
Calpurnia whispered “Jennifer, we don’t use forks here in my century.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” whispered Jennifer.
“Just use your fingers.” said Calpurnia.
Jennifer and Clara did. Then, Jennifer looked up and saw McFlius standing by.
Clara noticed this and said “Jennifer, remember that talk we had last night?”
“You mean about falling in love with McFlius?” asked Jennifer.
“What?” asked Calpurnia.
“Calpurnia.” said Clara, “It’s a long story.”
Calpurnia looked at her servant and immediately knew what Clara was talking about.
Turning back to Jennifer, she asked “Is this true?”
Jennifer hesitated. Then she said “Yes.”
Calpurnia leaned over and whispered into Jennifer’s ear “I think we need to talk about this.”
“Alright.” said Jennifer, “Where?”
“How about my husband’s study?” said Calpurnia, “It will be nice and quiet and we can go there after breakfast.”
“Alright.” said Jennifer.
After that, the three began to eat.
++++++
After breakfast, Calpurnia and Jennifer had a woman-to-woman talk in Caesar’s study.
“Let me get this one thing straight.” said Calpurnia, “McFlius may look like Marty but he’s my late husband’s and now my servant. You are only a time traveler disguised as a shepherdess.”
“Thank you.” said Jennifer, “But I don’t need to be reminded that.”
“Plus the fact that you’re from the future.” said Calpurnia, “Chronologically, the years are wrong for the both of you. “
“The years are also wrong for both Dr. Brown and Clara.” said Jennifer, “Chronologically, Clara is older than her husband by well over a hundred years.”
“Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking.” said Calpurnia.
“Yes, ma’am.” said Jennifer.
“And what’s more,” Calpurnia went onto say, “McFlius is already betrothed to someone else.”
“By the arrangement of your husband, no doubt.”
“An arrangement that could’ve made it possible for Marty’s eventual birth.”
“Alright. So the woman McFlius is forced to marry is Marty’s great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, grandmother. So what? Calpurnia, I’m going to be here for a week. McFlius has a lifetime with whoever. Is one week going to hurt Marty’s existence?”
“It does if the betrothed is jealous. And I recall the story that Dr. Brown told me about you traveling back into your past to buy Marty a gift. You ran into your father before he married your mother. Your conversation with him got her jealous and caused her to break it off with him prevent you from ever being born.”
Jennifer sat back in horror. What if Marty did that to one of her ancestors?
“What am I going to do?” she asked.
“Well, I’ve got an idea.” said Calpurnia.
“And that is…”
“Teach me to drive.”
Jennifer sat back. “Now wait a minute.” she said, “I can’t do that. It’s enough that you know about the future but it’s another to learn a skill that you won’t need in this era.”
“But it’ll get your mind off of McFlius.” said Calpurnia.
Jennifer thought it over. Then, she said “Alright.”
They got up and left the study. Going to the back, Calpurnia dismissed the servants working back there so the two could have privacy when the DeLorean was wheeled out of storage. The car was still invisible as they both got in. Jennifer activated the hover device and the car flew out of the yard and over Rome until it reached the outskirts. She landed the car on a deserted road across the Tiber River. Both women switched sides as Calpurnia took the wheel with Jennifer on the passenger’s side.
Jennifer pointed to the two pedals underneath Calpurnia’s feet saying “The horizontal pedal is for the break. The vertical pedal is for the gas.” Giving her the keys she said “That’s for the ignition. Just put it in like that.” She directed her to where to put the key. “And now put your right foot on the gas pedal and turn the key.” Calpurnia did and the DeLorean roared to life. Calpurnia jumped but Jennifer said “That’s alright.”
“Now what?” asked Calpurnia.
“See these levers?” asked Jennifer indicating one of the levers on Calpurnia’s right side.
“Yes.” she said.
“The front lever is for the parking break.” said Jennifer, “The back lever is for shifting gears. And if you notice there are letters to indicate which position you put your car in. The letter ‘P’ is for parking; ‘N’ is for neutral; ‘R’ is for reverse; ‘D’ is for driving and we’ll discuss the rest later. Now Calpurnia, I want you to take the parking break lever…”
Calpurnia did. But she was wiggling at it.
“Calpurnia.” asked Jennifer, “What are you doing?”
“You said take the parking break lever.” said Calpurnia, “But I’m having a rough time removing it from it’s sheath.”
“No.” said Jennifer, “You don’t remove the lever…”
“But you said…”
“You do this.” said Jennifer putting her hand on the break, pushing the button inside it and pressing it forward. The car lurched. “Calpurnia.” she said, “Put your foot on the break pedal.”
“Which one is it?” asked Calpurnia.
“The horizontal one.” said Jennifer, “Like I told you.”
Calpurnia put her foot on the horizontal pedal and the car stopped dead in it’s tracks.
“There.” she said. She turned to Jennifer who right now seemed to age thirty years in thirty seconds.
“Calpurnia.” said Jennifer, “As the widow of one of history’s greatest statesman, you get a lot of respect. But as taxi driver”, then using a Chinese accent she said “There’s so much I much teach you grasshopper.”
Calpurnia gave Jennifer a peculiar stare.
++++++
Clara, looking for Jennifer, ran into McFlius.
“McFlius.” she asked, “Have you seen Jennifer?”
“Not since breakfast.” he said.
Just then Lorrainia came in.
“I can’t find Calpurnia.” she said.
“You can’t?” asked McFlius.
“No.” said Lorrainia.
“When did you see her last?” asked Clara.
“Right after breakfast.” said Lorrainia, “She took your friend into her husband’s study for some reason.”
“Alright.” said McFlius, “We’ll search the premises.”
Immediately, a search was started.
++++++
After organizing the search, McFlius ran into Priscilla his betrothed.
“You love that shepherdess don’t you.” she said very icily.
“She’s only a visitor.” said McFlius, “There is no love interest in her.”
“But I’ve seen the look on her face whenever she looks at you.” said Priscilla, “Who are you interested in me or that shepherdess.”
“You.” assured by McFlius.
“Are you saying this on your own or are you saying this because our late master arranged it that way?” demanded Priscilla.
“Which one is it?” asked Calpurnia.
“The horizontal one.” said Jennifer, “Like I told you.”
Calpurnia put her foot on the horizontal pedal and the car stopped dead in it’s tracks.
“There.” she said. She turned to Jennifer who right now seemed to age thirty years in thirty seconds.
“Calpurnia.” said Jennifer, “As the widow of one of history’s greatest statesman, you get a lot of respect. But as taxi driver”, then using a Chinese accent she said “There’s so much I much teach you grasshopper.”
Calpurnia gave Jennifer a peculiar stare.
++++++
Clara, looking for Jennifer, ran into McFlius.
“McFlius.” she asked, “Have you seen Jennifer?”
“Not since breakfast.” he said.
Just then Lorrainia came in.
“I can’t find Calpurnia.” she said.
“You can’t?” asked McFlius.
“No.” said Lorrainia.
“When did you see her last?” asked Clara.
“Right after breakfast.” said Lorrainia, “She took your friend into her husband’s study for some reason.”
“Alright.” said McFlius, “We’ll search the premises.”
Immediately, a search was started.
++++++
After organizing the search, McFlius ran into Priscilla his betrothed.
“You love that shepherdess don’t you.” she said very icily.
“She’s only a visitor.” said McFlius, “There is no love interest in her.”
“But I’ve seen the look on her face whenever she looks at you.” said Priscilla, “Who are you interested in me or that shepherdess.”
“You.” assured by McFlius.
“Are you saying this on your own or are you saying this because our late master arranged it that way?” demanded Priscilla.
“I love you.” said McFlius.
“Then prove it.” said Priscilla, “Stay away from that shepherdess or it’s over.”
McFlius stood there speechless. All of a sudden it was a love triangle.