"Alfred, wake up!" The voice from the watch was persistent and immediately woke Alfred from a deep sleep.
Alfred looked at his watch. It made a smiley face.
"It is 5 am," the watch said.
Alfred tried going back to sleep.
"C'mon!"
The voice jolted him out of bed.
" It is late in my world. Wash your face and come out of the house. We are taking a long walk."
Ingrid was still asleep on the other side of the bed. He slowly went his way towards the bathroom and cleaned himself. He rummaged through the drawer and wore his jogging pants and hoodies. He looked for his rubber shoes under the bed, tied the shoelace after fitting and slowly sneaked out of the house trying to avoid unnescesary noises. Outside, the surroundings were still dark but the streak of morning light was already visible on the horizon.
Alfred followed the specific direction the watch had given him. They talked as they walked around the streets.
"Where are we going?" Alfred asked.
" You need to trust me Alfred. "
" What is this all about? " he clarified.
" You need not know everything at one instance. It is better this way."
The light on his watch circled a couple of times.
"Have you told Ingrid the truth?"
"Yes, in fact she was confused as I was last night. She heard everything."
"That would benefit her."
"Why do you have to include Ingrid in all this? In what way would she benefit from all this? She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Gone are the days she was a picture of a happy woman."
The watch did not answer at once. But the voice that answered back was subtle.
"She was always a part of the plan. I am sorry she was unhappy. There is a silver lining to all of this."
Alfred was furious.
"I did not sign up for this."
"You did, Alfred. You know your father is sick and you need the money."
"When would this end?"
The watch was blunt with its response. "Everything is just beginning Alfred. It is a Domino effect. When the first one falls, the second and third will find their way to weave the structured narrative of this timeline. It is a pretty tough story but this is all worth it. I cannot tell you about the grand plan though."
"What if I want out? "
The watch gave a red light. "You can't."
The watch warned.
"You have to play your part or be the casualty. There are more humans like you that are dependent on your action. They will suffer too. From now you must not only think of yourself. Every move you make has a consequence. It is called the 'Butterfly Effect.' A flap of your wings can be felt a universe away. Whatever you do will have dire consequences on the people around you."
Alfred grabbed his hair.
"Tell me what to do?"
"You just have to listen and follow. A few moments from now you will witness a terrible death. You must stand closely and watch. You must control your emotions at all costs."
"Who is it?"
The watch fell silent.
"You question will have consequent answers Alfred. Just walk and you will have your answers later on."
Alfred followed the direction. The sun is already up and the streets are already filled with people from all walks of life. Most have gone out to have their Sunday leisure walk.
"You can wait at the coffee shop."
Alfred ordered coffee and donuts then looked for a table overlooking the intersection.
Ingrid woke up late and immediately went to the bathroom to clean herself. After getting dressed she went out of the room to look for Alfred but he is already gone. Miranda came out of her room dressed in the yellow coat Alfred gave to her.
"Ingrid, How do I look?" she twirls in front of the mirror.
Ingrid was ecstatic that the dress was like a tailor fit for her.
"That is so regal, Mama."
Miranda smiled and took her bag from the table. "I never looked this good since I can remember for how long. Where's Alfred?"
Ingrid shook her head.
"I haven't seen him since I woke up this morning. He must be doing his brisk walking routine outside."
Alfred's mother could not wait to go out. Sunday mass is something that she cannot live without and part of that was socializing with the rest of the church members.
"God has his eyes on him. Don't worry. I've seen him grow and he has learned so much to make that change in himself. He cannot be an angry man forever just thinking about the loss of his father."
Ingrid sighed.
She was confused. In fact the last talk he had with Alfred the night before did not end well and she knew the distance would only grow wider as the day progressed.
Miranda took notice of her sadness. She returned to her seat on the dining table.
"What is it Ingrid? You know I hate it when you make that face on me."
Ingrid sat on the chair opposite Miranda. Her brow furrowed by anxiety.
"Alfred seems different lately."
Miranda surmised, "Is that why I heard some unhealthy discussions inside the car yesterday?"
Ingrid nodded."Yes,...guess...we have been lying to each other of late."
"How come?"
"It all started at the Restaurant when a man asked him to get something...a hard drive to be exact... in exchange for money and now the police have called us both in the precinct for questioning."
"Why didn't you tell me all about it? " Miranda looked worried.
Ingrid looked away. "I am sorry Mama. You know Alfred. He doesn't want you involved in all this. It is better we deal with it ourselves. Can we just forget we ever talk about this?"
Miranda touched her forehead with her left palm.
"No, Ingrid. What does he need the money for?"
Ingrid was shaking a bit and stuttered. She started a fire and now she feels burned by it.
"It's a long story. Oh, forgive me Alfred. " Ingrid murmured as she made the sign of the cross.
Miranda acted ready to hear more." Ingrid. Tell me. And be honest about it. "
"It just bothers me….he said… he said the money is for you."
Miranda seemed confused.
"But I did not ask him for anything!"
"He knows you would come back from the doctor….and not tell the truth...he said you will hide all about the sickness."
Miranda's eyes widened. Alfred somehow knew she lied too?
"But…how come he knew? "
" I don't know Mama. But something odd is happening. He's confessed all sorts of weird stuff and I don't understand any of it"
" Like what Ingrid? "
" That this moment is a deja vu. This… feeling and seeing things that happened before. "
" For chrissake! Is he going crazy! " Miranda shouted.
Ingrid suddenly cried.
" He claimed Papa was alive.Something changed in the past… that erased him! And he blamed himself for causing it. "
That shook Miranda to the core. No words came out from her tongue. Her eyes glistened from the well of tears. The fringe story was not something she is not ready to handle at that moment.
Then Ingrid begged for the truth.
"Mama, is it really cancer? He said Dad has it too… "
Alfred knew?
How?
Miranda looked away and stood up extremely offended.
"I am late for church. My sickness is my business.... alone! You both are lunatic! "
"Mama, please don't go."
Alfred told Ingrid not to let Miranda go. An ominous plea Ingrid cannot quite grasp.
Miranda cried from the rush of emotional tension she felt.
"Why? Because he cares? Just this sudden he cared about me when he spent the rest of his young life hating me about his father!"
Miranda stood up to leave and slammed the door behind her. But just the same she asked again how Alfred knew her sickness. Can he read her mind? Deja vu? If Alfred thinks she should not exist, what happened to her? Yes, it is cancer alright but she did not tell anyone of it. She doesn't have the courage to tell them straight face. Maybe it was a step back, in fact, in a stage that can only be described as denial. Maybe given the right time she will tell her son and daughter-in-law about it. How? Miranda asked again. How? She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she walked unmindful of the steps she took.
She crossed the busy intersection halfway near the church where cars drove to its top speed. She was seen in a hurry and all she could think of at that moment is how to make sense of everything she heard earlier. But all of it suddenly ended when a fast moving black Mercedes Benz bumped her off, cracking her head in the pavement. From inside the coffee shop, Alfred watched in horror as her mother's life suddenly ended that fateful morning.
"Wake up, Alfred," the voice said as his watch made a repetitive red warning tone.