Chapter 3

There had been hundreds of times when Dan had wondered what his son would have been like had he lived. Which one of his parents would he have most resembled? Which of their character traits would he display? The hopes and dreams of the pregnancy had turned into unfulfilled promises. Now he was staring at a two years old Alex and all those questions could be answered. It was just too much.

The children had been moving towards their Daddy, but they had been stopped in their tracks by this display of emotion. Dan beckoned them forward and they approached hesitantly. He touched each of their faces and then hugged them tightly. He had tried to compose himself so as not to scare Grace and Alex, but he could not hold on anymore. Dan wasn't so much crying as wailing.

Sam had to step in and separate the bewildered children from their father. As she eased them away Grace held her father's hand.

"Don't cry Daddy. Men aren't supposed to cry."

Phyllis took over guiding the youngsters from the room which left Sam staring at Dan and at a complete loss as to how she should deal with this situation.

She had to bear in mind that he had suffered an injury. Sam took a deep breath and told herself that she could cope with this situation. Daniel was in charge in the home and she was wary of even making a suggestion, but she had to do something.

Nervously she started with a question. "What is making you so upset?"

"Everything is different. I don't know what is going on. Alex…Alex is alive."

There was no way that Dan could begin to describe all that had happened and how he was feeling.

"I'm sorry Sam. I need to get my head together and then we can have a proper talk. Let me see the kids again. I'm more in control now." Dan took a deep breath and managed a shaky smile for his wife.

Sam left to collect the children. The things Dan was saying were odd to say the least. She was frightened by the situation, but she had to stay strong for the kids. She explained to them that their father had hurt his head, but he was going to be fine. He may behave a bit oddly for a while, but he would be okay and they weren't to worry. Dan watched as his family cautiously came back into his presence. Grace and Alex sat primly on the sofa and studied their father.

He didn't want to sit politely with his kids he wanted to interact with them.

"Where are their toys? If they had some toys we could play together and relax."

Sam looked confused. "Toys aren't allowed in the lounge."

"Whose rule is that?" Dan asked and was told it was his. "Well today we change the rules."

"You can go and get one toy each and then bring it back in here." Sam told them.

Grace looked a bit stunned but then decided to seize the opportunity. She grabbed her brother's hand and led him away. On their return Grace had a doll and Alex had a toy car which was a replica of the black car which had brought Dan back from the hospital.

The children sat on the floor and Dan joined them. He asked Grace about her doll's name and he drove the toy car across the carpet. Alex gabbled his few words and when he touched his father, Dan's eyes misted with tears. Sam felt emotional too as she watched her husband playing with his son and daughter. He loved them and provided for them, but didn't play with them like this. It was a good thing some might say, but she found it disturbing.

Phyllis could hear the sound of laughter ringing out from the living room. She couldn't resist being a part of it and joined them on the pretext of asking if anyone wanted tea. The sight of Mr Ellis playing on the floor with his children was wonderful and she smiled as she reluctantly left to put the kettle on.

The usual routine was turned upside down. As Dan was told how the house was normally run he made changes. Sam was clearly upset by what was happening, but Phyllis seemed positively delighted.

"The kids eat in the kitchen and we eat at the dining table. I'm not keen on that idea. We're a family, we should eat together."

That evening the family sat together at the dining room table. Grace chattered, this was permitted despite Sam's worry that it would irritate Dan, and Alex made a mess which was alright, too. Perhaps they would eventually go back to their formal style of living, which most people observed, but for the moment the kids were having fun.

Dan helped put the children to bed, even telling them a story, and then he turned on the television eager to see what was on offer. The programmes were fairly limited and all appeared on the one channel. There was some sort of variety show with singing and dancing. All of the songs that he heard were new to him but had elements that he recognised from tunes from his world. Maybe he could make a fortune as a song writer by plundering the work of people who were not in the music business here. He did not think that this population was ready for punk or rap.

His thoughts veered from crazy, but fun ideas to deep concerns about what sort of place he was living in. The short time he had spent in his family home had revealed a number of truths. It seemed that he was a strict father and that this was the norm among people here. His wife was submissive and his children were meant to be of the seen and not heard type.

The announcer told the television viewers that the One World news was on next. What followed was basically just a list of all the things that the One World Government had achieved lately. There was information on crop yields and productivity. The male newsreader confirmed solemnly that the population had only grown by 6% in the last year and that this was just within prescribed parameters.

The bulletin stopped just short of being a propaganda programme. Facts and figures were reported with some criticism of failures to meet targets. There was no exaltation of the One World Government, but the summary at the end was that they were continuing to do a good job. Dan guessed from the content of the news that there was not much overt dissent to the way things were run.

The next show was a documentary about a bucolic farm on which they were growing a new strain of wheat. The yields were going to be better and everyone would benefit as a result. Dan sat up and stared rapt as a steam driven tractor appeared on screen.

"Do they use those machines on all the farms?" he asked Sam.

"Yes, well the big ones. Some of the small farms don't have the big machines."

Sam wasn't sure what was going on in her husband's head. She had decided that she would just go along with whatever his latest whim might be. If he asked her a strange question she should just answer as best she could. She would do whatever it took to help him get better. She would pour him a small glass of brandy to relax him before he went to bed.

The thought of going to bed with Sam was troubling Dan. This woman looked like his wife, but she did not act like her. He had no idea whether their relationship was loving or distant. He definitely wasn't ready for any sort of physical interaction. He wanted to get to know this Sam before he took it to the next stage. When he found a pair of pyjamas on the end of the bed he put them on rather than sleep naked like he would normally do.

Dan and Sam lay in the darkness of the bedroom with a wall of tension between them.

"Give me a bit of time." Dan said. "I will remember things and find my way again. If I ask weird things just help me where you can. On that subject, perhaps you can tell me if I go out to work and, if so, what I do."

Sam took a few deep breaths to calm her rising panic. He couldn't even recall what his job was.

You work for the OWG. Well, everyone works for the OWG, your job, is overseen by one of the ministries. You are in the design department of the Ministry for Transport."

Having been asked to elaborate on the types of transport, Sam had said that he was concerned with motor vehicles. Trains, shipping and air travel had their own departments and steam vehicles were largely unregulated as they were used in the labour zones.

Dan said goodnight at this point as that was quite enough information to be taking in. He would work out a strategy over the next few days which would allow him to learn more about this world and his place in it. The best thing was to run with the head injury causing memory loss angle. It would make him sound like a mad man if he professed to have arrived from a parallel universe.

How he got here and whether he would ever go back were big questions, but he had little chance of finding the answers. Dan's energy would be better focused on trying to live where he was. rather than pining for his past. And was he really pining for it? He now had his son and there was an element of excitement about what he might discover here.

The doctor had said that he should stay at home for two weeks and that would at least give him some time for investigations. He needed to learn about this society and the appropriate behaviours and manners. Things were formal and he did not think it would be a good idea to draw attention to himself until he was more au fait with his surroundings.

In the morning he would go for a walk and get his bearings and maybe find a library. There was no internet here that he could see, so he would do some research by poring over articles. He was looking forward to making notes in a pad as he was surrounded by books. He was planning to remain low profile for the time being, so hiding out in the library would be ideal.

There was no computer in the home and there was a distinct lack of technology. There was some sort of washing machine and the square television. There was an, old style, telephone which was not cordless. Dan was frustrated that he couldn't gain the information that he needed immediately, but it was making him think of alternatives which was interesting.

In his world Phyllis had been an intelligent, hardworking, and valued member of the company he had worked for. Why in this place was she a maid? It was likely that he would see other people that he knew, but at least he would know their names even if they were not where he expected to see them.

Dan slept because he was very tired. He had thought that all the turmoil in his brain would keep him awake, but exhaustion had triumphed. He woke early and went to the kitchen in search of food. Phyllis was already there. She had left after dinner the night before and here she was again. How long were her days? She was in her late fifties and would surely have been heading for a comfortable retirement back on his earth.

"Good morning Sir. You are up early. What can I get for you?"

Dan asked for coffee but was told they only had tea. What type of world didn't have coffee? There was a newspaper on the kitchen table and he pored over it eager to learn as much as he could. It was mainly statistics like the news bulletin the night before. Phyllis watched him and despite her lowly position she decided to speak.

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but I am willing, happy, to help you until your memory comes back. Please feel free to ask me anything." Dan was very grateful and told her so.