In another time and place, Jack Maple smiled as he saw his call accepted. The computer on his desk was an old one, a real clunker by the standards of 2038, but he’d needed an old model to be backwards-compatible with the communication technology they were using in 2012. Besides, Ulric’s aunt Megamind had given the machine a little power boost – Jack had nothing to complain about.
The video opened, and his son’s familiar blue face appeared on the screen.
“Hey there, Ulric.” Jack settled back in his chair comfortably, ready to chat. “How are things going? It’s been a while since I heard from you or Gail.”
Ready as I can be. Heart rate spiking at the sound of Jack’s voice, Mira tugged at the fabric of her jeans. Looking over to the computer screen with Ulric and Joey sitting right beside her, Mira made a small smile. She glanced down to her hands settled in her lap before looking back up. Taking a breath, she scooted closer, peeking into the frame of the computer.
And there he was. Jack. Ulric’s dad. It was a different feeling. Felt like she was taking a look into the future, as where Jack sat it was twenty-some years later. She didn’t really know what to say. He was handsome; just like Ulric. “U-Uh…” Mira cracked a smile and briefly waved a hand. “…hi..?”
Now that the screen is up and he’s finally able to see his dad’s face, Ulric smiles nervously, arm sneaking around Mira’s waist. He settles Joey more firmly in his lap, meeting Jack’s eyes through the disconnect of the screen.
“Hey, dad.” God, he was nervous. It shows on his face, not taking his attention off of the man’s face. Seeing him the way Ulric remembered him, after talking to his past self, is more of a comfort than he could say. “Things’ve been going great.” There were a few issues, but other than that things had been going pretty well.
“Well, that’s a relief to hear.” Jack paused, tilting his head a little as he saw a dark-haired young woman peek into view in the video. “Oh. Uh … I’m guessing y-you’re Mira?"
Over the past months, he’d heard a great deal about the young woman Ulric had met in the past. Not every juicy detail, of course, but it had been easy for him to see how much Mira was coming to mean to his son. From what he could tell, Ulric was head over heels in love – and that worried Jack.
Yes, he wanted his son to be happy. And he was glad that Ulric had found someone to love, who (hopefully) loved him in return. But still, Jack couldn’t help wishing that Ulric had found his special someone in his own time, where he belonged. If he really was serious about this girl, what would it mean for the future?
But he didn’t bring that up now. For now, he just smiled.
Jack Maple 