Chapter 17

The trip had been interesting in so many ways. Meeting Bertie, seeing Serena again and driving the car. Dan's journey down the bumpy lane had made him wonder about the suspension used on vehicles. He had been interested in the engines but now it seemed that he ought to look at everything about the automobiles being made, starting with the chassis.

There were two reasons for Dan to start this project. Firstly, it was his job to make cars better and it would be good for him to work on something new. Secondly, the trials which would inevitably follow would give him and Martin a reason to take further test drives into the country.

He had spent more time at the workshop and had seen the leaf springs which were being used on cars. It was time to introduce the coil spring and shock absorbers. He sketched out a twin tube shock absorber showing the compression and extension cycles and set about getting prototypes made.

The engineers with whom he worked were fascinated by the concept and were eager to get a working model so that they could experiment, tweak and refine Dan's idea.

"You are going through a purple patch at the moment." Martin commented having inspected the drawings that his colleague had produced.

It was easy when you had seen the future Dan thought, but he accepted the praise. He could do nothing else.

Having been away from home a few times recently Dan wanted to spend some more time with his children. If he spent time at home he got to see and play with Grace and Alex. He loved his kids and was constantly amazed that his son was with him in this world. The downside of remaining close to home was that it obviously irritated Sam.

When he had gone back to work after his accident there had been a period of calm. His wife had not liked her routine being disturbed, but with him out of the house she could go back to normal. Some of the strange changes Dan had introduced, like the family eating together, had remained in place, but his displays of emotion had, thankfully, abated.

He went out to play cards with Martin every week but apart from that Dan was at home. Toys would be strewn about the lounge floor where he would be sprawled without his tie or jacket. Sam left the room when they were playing, unable to cope with the informality of the scene. Phyllis smiling and encouraging their games was deeply annoying too.

He had tried to get on better with his wife. Dan invited her to join him and the children and even suggested board games which were not so rough and tumble. She attempted a couple of times, but grew frustrated with the children's incessant chatter. They were either at a toddler group or Phyllis was with them most days. Sam did the minimum required to call herself a mother.

His attempts at chatting, asking about her life and her dreams, had been met with shock and then anger. Sam seemed to think that he was trying to catch her out in some way.

"Tell me some more about the meetings you go to."

"Why do you want to know about that?"

"Because that's what married people do, Sam. They share their news, dreams and troubles. It brings them closer together. I think we would benefit from that."

"We haven't got any troubles, have we?"

Once more on the defensive, Dan found it hard to talk to his wife. He had to pick his words really carefully.

"No, we don't. Apart from my hospital visit. What I'm saying, is that if anything were wrong, we should be able to talk about it."

"I'll remember that."

"Is there anything that you want to ask me? I know that you aren't interested in my work. All the technical stuff. There must be other things to talk about."

After a long, agonising silence, that Dan was determined not to break, Sam mustered her courage.

"What happened that day? When you were found on the lawn."

"I wish I knew Sam. If I could remember anything about it, I would tell you, but there is nothing. I left the house to go to work and the next thing I knew, I was in the hospital. Doctor Frobisher said that I had a lump on my head and that gave me concussion. That's what has caused me to forget that morning."

"You, said some strange things when I came to visit. Talking about my clothes and asking if I was playing a trick on you."

"I was just confused. Waking up in hospital with no idea why I was there, made me a bit disorientated. I'm getting back to normal now, though."

The look on her face made him realise that she didn't think things were normal. Every conversation like this ended the same She repeated that she was quite happy with her life and him like a mantra. The more she said it the more she was likely to believe it. There had been little physical contact between the couple since the accident.

He had wondered about their sex life. They had made love at least twice. Grace and Alex were proof of that. Dan suspected that Sam's attitude was to lay back and think of England. Suffering an indignity that her husband foisted upon her. If he bumped against her when he rolled over in bed, he would feel her flinch.

Dan threw himself into work and also had his meetings with the anti OWG group to distract him. There were just a few hours each evening when he was alone with his wife and that was bearable. They would sit, mostly in silence, watching the television. The plays and films with their moral messages were interspersed with news and propaganda in the guise of documentaries. The OWG was everywhere.

The song and dance shows were his favourite. Dan would sit and try to think of tunes from his world which were like the ones here. Certain choruses and phrases reminded him of things he had heard. Tapping his feet and drumming on his legs, he would get excited as a familiar tune emerged.

Sam would stare at him with barely disguised disgust.

"Don't you like music?" Dan asked.

"Yes."

"Are there any tunes that you really like."

"Some. I don't like the opera much. I prefer something short and cheery."

So, this Sam was into pop music. At least there was something that she liked. He and the children irritated her and she was unfulfilled by her life. Dan did feel sorry for her, but also annoyed by her. She was a bit pathetic.

He liked to keep as busy as possible to stop his mind wandering to the other world. Dan conjured brief images of the other him eating with his family and touching his wife. The thoughts were disturbing and upsetting and something that his counterpart was probably experiencing too.

He had meditated when he had quiet moments and he had wracked his brain as he lay awake at night. Nothing had come back to him about the events which had led to him being in this strange world. He had asked Sam to show him exactly where he had been found and he had examined the ground in minute detail. He could find no anomaly.

He would at some point go back and see Dr Frobisher at the hospital. Maybe there had been some other injury which he did not know about which could offer some insight. Dan had liked the man too. He had been kind and had given off a trustworthy vibe. He might even be able to tell him about the other world.

Since his arrival Dan had not told anyone what had happened to him. It would be difficult for a person from his old life to believe him and they had a lot more science and technology to guide them. Here he would be considered quite mad. Martin would think he was joking, Sam would have him committed and Phyllis would simply make him a cup of tea.

There were times when Dan felt alone and lost as he tried to live someone else's life. It would be good to be able to tell his story. So far, he had never spoken the words parallel universe out loud. Had he come here by accident or was there some design involved? If he had been transferred by someone who would that be?

He wondered if he was reading too much into the event. Maybe it was a freak accident which had seen him fall from one world into another. If it was a deliberate act surely, he would have received some guidance or instructions about what he was supposed to do. The weight of expectation pressed down on him as he pondered on the things he knew and how he could use them to help the cause.