Lou is married, in the closet, and facing bankruptcy in Carmel, California. It’s Christmas Eve and he must sell his house to pay his debts while he tries to cope with the mysterious voice in his head telling him it's time to go home. He has no idea what that means, but he's pretty sure the voice is a symptom of stress. His wife has left him for her longtime lover and when he goes to his favorite bar on Christmas Eve, all he’s hoping for is a friendly face to help him forget his problems.<br><br>When George joins him at the bar, claiming to be an old college buddy, Lou doesn’t remember him, but he can’t deny the instant attraction that springs up between them. George knows about the voice in Lou’s head, and claims to be from another world where he and Lou were bonded partners. He’s come back to help Lou remember who he is so they can be reunited.<br><br>Lou doesn’t believe a word of George’s story, but takes him home for the night to ease his own pain. The sex is so good he decides to go along with George’s delusions even though he suspects the guy is crazy. On the Carmel beach on Christmas day at sunset, George insists that the way home is within their grasp if Lou will just trust him. Lou wants to believe this strange man, but to do that he has to let go of everything he knows about how the world works.

About Time

“LA isn’t far,” George said, studying the rim of his oversized white mug. “If you ever want to check it out, I can show you how a poor but happy English teacher lives.”


“Might do that,” Lou said, relieved that George had stopped talking about alien worlds. “Once I sell the house and get myself situated.”


“You’re going along with the divorce?”


Lou toyed with his napkin. He had asked himself that so many times George’s question sounded like an echo. “I have nothing to fight with,” he said, “even if I wanted to. The truth is, Ann and I haven’t been close for years. We went through the motions.” He thought of the couples they socialized with. “Not that it’s so unusual.”


An awkward question after George’s confession the night before. Lou wondered if he was remembering it clearly. “I thought I did. We were good for a while. She put up with my…needs. As long as I took care of them out of town.”


Chapter 10