The Successful Life of Jack Rybicki: A Middle Falls Time Travel Story (The Middle Falls Time Travel Series Book 11) Read online

  Table of Contents

  The Middle Falls Time Travel Series

  Copyright

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  The Many Short Lives of Charles Waters

  Author’s Note

  The Middle Falls Time Travel Series

  The Unusual Second Life of Thomas Weaver

  The Redemption of Michael Hollister

  The Life and Death of Dominick Davidner

  The Final Life of Nathaniel Moon

  The Emancipation of Veronica McAllister

  The Changing Lives of Joe Hart

  The Vigilante Life of Scott McKenzie

  The Reset Life of Cassandra Collins

  The Tribulations of Ned Summers

  The Empathetic Life of Rebecca Wright

  The Successful Life of Jack Rybicki

  The Many Short Lives of Charles Waters

  Copyright

  The Successful Life of Jack Rybicki

  By Shawn Inmon

  ©·by Shawn Inmon 2019

  This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission of the authors, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  Published by Pertime Publishing, 2019

  Chapter One

  Jack Rybicki soared into the air. At the very apex of his jump, his fingertips caught the spinning end of the football. At that same moment, Tim Ryder’s shoulder pads slammed into Jack’s cleats, windmilling him to the ground in a heap.

  Jack landed on his back, staring at the blue sky. He wasn’t capable of thinking at the moment. He only wanted to pull some air back into his lungs.

  Coach Bulski ran onto the field, blowing his whistle like it might stop time itself. When he reached the scrum around Jack, he grabbed two players by the shoulder pads and tossed them aside. He knelt beside Jack’s helmet, looked into his star receiver’s eyes and said, “Rybicki! You okay?”

  “If I die,” Jack said, “don’t let Thomson have my locker, okay? He hasn’t done one damn thing to deserve it.”

  Bulski slapped Jack’s helmet hard enough to cause his ears to ring and said, “Smart ass. I thought you might be hurt for once.”

  Jack sat halfway up and two teammates pulled him the rest of the way to his feet. “Nah, I’m fine, coach.”

  “Take a breather, Rybicki. Thomson, get your ass in here.” Bulski turned to glare at Dennis Taylor, his starting quarterback. “Taylor, one of these days you’re going to get someone killed, throwing high across the middle like that. I’d rather have it be third-and-ten than first and ten with an injured receiver. Especially Rybicki. Got it?”

  “Got it, coach. Sorry,” Taylor said.

  It was a hot August day in 1975 in Middle Falls, Oregon. Gerald Ford was president. Kiss Alive and Bohemian Rhapsody ruled the airwaves, at least on KMFR, the local AM/FM combo. The war in Vietnam was over and no one had found an excuse to start a new conflict yet.

  It was a good time to come of age.

  It was always a good time to be Jack Rybicki.

  Jack was a few days away from the start of his senior year at Middle Falls High; he had Kay, the girl he loved, and a good job working at his dad’s garage on nights and weekends. He hadn’t given much thought as to what might lie beyond the horizon of graduation, and he was content with that.

  The only disruption to this bliss was the two-a-day football practices sandwiched around helping out his best friend Ronny Thomson at Ronny’s family farm. That meant his Monday through Friday schedule included football practice from ten to noon, haying at the Thomson farm from one to four, then hitting the second practice from four-thirty to six.

  He was seventeen years old and in great physical condition, but even so, that schedule had him in bed long before Johnny Carson came on each night.

  Coach Bulski loved the kids that worked on the farms, though. “You’ll be in the best shape of your life, if it doesn’t kill you,” he was fond of saying.

  Jack jogged over to a low wooden bench, took off his helmet and sat down with a small groan. Jen Taylor, a freshman and the starting quarterback’s little sister, brought a water bottle over.

  “Thanks, Jen. You think your brother is trying to kill me out there?”

  “I think he doesn’t know the proper arm angle to get on his throws, so he floats everything.” She shrugged and walked away.

  Why do I feel like we may have the wrong Taylor throwing me the ball?

  Behind him, Jack heard voices, so he glanced over his shoulder. Zack Weaver, a tall, athletic senior, strolled alongside the practice field, his arm casually draped around the hip of a pretty blonde girl.

  “Weaver,” Jack shouted. “Why don’t you do the right thing for once and come out for football? Fast as you are, there’s no way they could cover both of us. We might win the league this year.”

  Zack stopped and pivoted toward Jack, bringing the blonde girl along with him, like a slow motion ballet. To Jack, it almost looked like he was considering coming out for the team.

  “You know what, Rybicki? I do love to run. But I prefer it when it’s guys in shorts chasing me and not overgrown farm boys trying to separate my head from my neck. I’ve already got my scholarship from OSU. I think I’ll stick with that. Thanks for asking, though.”

  Zack buried his face in the girl’s neck. She giggled, shivered a little at his touch, then they walked away toward the parking lot where Zack’s Camaro sat.

  Can’t argue with that. Bastard.

  Jack knew he was fast, but not fast enough to keep up with Weaver in the 440 or 880. He also kn
ew that although he was the best player on the football team, there wouldn’t be any scholarships waiting for him at the end of his senior year.

  All over America, there were young men who were the best player in their little town that would never step on a college gridiron. Jack was one of those. It didn’t bother him a bit.

  “Hey, Coach! I got my brains back where they belong. Lemme in, will ya?”

  Coach Bulski blew a sharp retort on his whistle and waved Jack back onto the field.

  An hour later, as tired as a young man can be, he emerged from the Middle Falls locker room, his hair still wet from the shower and the air around him smelling like the inexpensive cologne he had slapped on.

  Going into his senior year, he didn’t have a car of his own. But his dad owned Rybicki Repair, and there were always old cars around that he could drive. He rarely had to resort to asking his parents if he could borrow the family car.

  Today, he was driving a ‘68 Nova his dad had bought when the previous owner hadn’t wanted to spend the money on a new transmission. It wasn’t beautiful—it had one yellow door, while the rest of the car was blue, and there were dents and primer spots in half a dozen places—but it ran, and that was good enough for Jack.

  Kay was sitting on the hood of the Nova, tanned legs crossed and a small smile on her face. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was feathered on the sides, and she wore a white peasant blouse and white shorts.

  Seeing her always made Jack’s heart beat a little faster.

  “Survive another two-a-day?”

  Jack patted his chest, his shoulders, and finally his head. “All present and accounted for, so I guess so. Today’s the last of them. After this, doing one practice a day will seem like a vacation.”

  “You wanna hang out a little tonight?”

  “I always want to hang out with you. On the other hand, I might nod off after five minutes. I’m whipped.”

  “Let’s do it tomorrow, then. Okay?”

  “Okay, Kay. Or, Kay, okay.”

  “Never get tired of that one, do you?”

  She slid off the hood, which put her right in front of Jack. Kay barely came to Jack’s shoulder. She leaned into him so that her whole body lightly touched his.

  “You are bringing me back to life.”

  “That is not hard, Mr. Rybicki. But, we’ll wait for tomorrow.” She brushed her lips against his and walked to her own car, an older Datsun b-210.

  Jack stood still, watching her hips swaying as she walked.

  “I am one lucky boy,” Jack said to himself.

  Chapter Two

  The next day was a Saturday, so Jack spent the day working in his father Alek’s repair shop. His father’s name was actually Aleksy, but people in Middle Falls seemed to have trouble remembering that, so outside the family home, he had become Alek.

  Jack had been working in the repair shop in one capacity or another since he was five years old. Working on engines, straightening dents, and painting were all second nature to him.

  There had never been a formal discussion about it, but both Alek and Jack knew that Jack would slowly take over the business after he graduated. Jack had concentrated on sports and girls more than he had his studies, so his grade point average would never get him into college.

  Alek was fifty-three, though, and more than thirty years spent hunched over and crawling under thousands of cars had taken their toll. He looked forward to the time he could pass his air compressor and tools on to his son.

  Jack rolled down the tall door that led to their main bay, then started picking up tools and putting them away. This was a small ritual that he and Alek enjoyed at the end of every day. The shop was quiet and it was just the two of them.

  “Saturday night,” Alek observed. “Big plans? Going to spend time with that little girlfriend, I’d bet.”

  “That is the plan, Pops.”

  Alek chuckled. “That is always the plan.”

  “You were seventeen once, right?”

  Alek had been pushing a broom around, but stopped. He leaned his chin on the handle and let himself go idle. His eyes became unfocused.

  Jack noticed. “Who was she, Pop? Mama?”

  Alek brought himself back to Middle Falls. He frowned. “Yes, of course, your mama. Who else?”

  “That’s what I’m asking Pops. Who else?”

  “None of your damned business, that’s who. Your mama is the only woman for me. You know that.”

  “I know, I know. For a second there, though, you looked like you might be looking through your memory at someone else.”

  Alek shook a grease-stained finger at Jack. “You just mind yourself. And, don’t go getting that cute little girlfriend of yours pregnant.”

  Jack didn’t bother to put up an argument. He was honest with his parents, and he and Kay had been sexually active since the beginning of the summer. If his father had asked him directly, he would have told him, which is why Alek didn’t ask.

  “So what are you two doing, then? Tell me you’re not going to sit at her house, eat her parents’ food, and watch their television?”

  “No, we’re going fishing.”

  “Good for you,” Alek said, laying a hand on Jack’s shoulder. His other hand reached into the pocket of his overalls and produced a five-dollar bill. “Take her out and get some food on the way.”

  “It’s okay, I’ve got money.”

  “You keep your money. You work hard. I can buy you a hamburger.”

  “Thanks, Pops.” Jack slipped the bill into his front pocket. “I’m going to take the Nova, okay?”

  Alek was walking away, but raised his hand and waved it.

  Jack slipped behind the wheel of the ’68 Nova and turned the key. “You may not be much on the outside yet, but we’ve got everything right under the hood.”

  Jack drove straight home, grabbed a quick shower, then headed for the back door. As he moved through the kitchen, his mother Lena stepped into his path.

  “Always in such a hurry,” she said. “I know, a pretty girl calls, you come running. Not staying for dinner?”

  “Can’t, Mama, going to be late picking up Kay.”

  “Fine. Go, go.”

  As Jack made to leave, Lena slipped a roast beef sandwich into his hands. “Here. You’ll need this.”

  Jack kissed Lena on the cheek, accepted the roast beef sandwich wrapped in a paper towel, and sprinted for the door. With his metabolism, he could eat the sandwich and still be ready for a burger and fries in half an hour.

  Ten minutes later, he pulled up in front of Kay’s house. Kay was outside, talking to her mother and looking at the rosebushes that ran along the front of the house. When she saw Jack, she waved to her mom and jumped in the passenger seat.

  “Ready Butch?” Jack asked.

  “Ready, Sundance,” Kay answered, pushing an imaginary cowboy hat low over her eyes with a grin.

  Jack made sure he pulled away from the house at a safe speed, knowing he was under the watchful eye of Kay’s mom.

  “Good boy,” Kay said, patting him on the knee.

  Jack fished into his front pocket and came out with the five-dollar bill. “We’re going to stop by Artie’s, courtesy of Alek Rybicki,” he said.

  “I knew I loved your Pop!”

  “We’ll get something to go, then head out to the river.”

  “This sounds like a perfect Saturday night.”

  “This is why you are the perfect girl. You’re not just beautiful, but you’ll hold a fishing pole, too.”

  “As long as you put the worm on and take the fish off if I catch something.”

  “At your command,” Jack said, turning into Artie’s. He used the speaker to order burgers, fries, and chocolate shakes for both of them, then pulled Kay close to him.

  “I missed you the last few weeks,” Kay said.

  “All behind us, now. We can start catching up tonight.”

  An uncertain look flashed across Kay’s face, but she brightened again.
r />   Their food arrived quickly and they ate as they drove the Forest Service Road toward the river. Jack’s favorite fishing spot was at the end of a dirt road turnoff a few miles down the gravel road.

  Jack parked, then grabbed both poles and his tackle box and headed for the river. Kay got the blanket and followed behind. While Jack baited the hooks, she spread the blanket out.

  There was a long line of rocks that ran across the river here, effectively damming it up and creating a pool that slowly spilled over and headed away from them. It was the final dog days of August, and although it was warm, the sting had gone out of the heat. The river made a musical tinkling sound as it dropped over the rocks and summer birds serenaded them sweetly.

  Jack cast out into the pooled water upstream for both of them, then handed one pole to Kay.

  “If we cast at least once, then we can honestly say we went fishing, right?”

  “Right,” Kay said, but worry tugged at the corner of her mouth.

  “Hey,” Jack said, noticing immediately. “What could be wrong on a perfect day like this?”

  Kay met his eyes. She didn’t hesitate.

  “I’m late.”

  Chapter Three

  Jack nearly made a joke about how it was impossible for them to be late when they just got there, but he saw Kay’s face. There was fear, hope, uncertainty, all mixed into an expression he had never seen before.

  No time for joking.

  Jack sat up straight and leaned in toward Kay. “How late are you?”

  “Ten days.”

  That information meant nothing to Jack. Like most teenage boys, he was essentially ignorant of the near-supernatural functioning of a woman’s body.

  Kay took pity on him. “I’m one of those regular girls. Pretty much like clockwork. Until ten days ago.”

  “Do you feel pregnant?” As soon as he said it, he felt foolish, but it had already escaped his lips.

  “No. But, I’ve never been pregnant, so I wouldn’t know.”

  “So, what do we do now?”

  “Mom’s got an appointment scheduled at the hospital on Monday.”

  Jack nodded, then the reality of that sentence landed on him. “What? You told your mom?”