STALKER

Chapter 80 - 3rd April, 2023

I just realised we are in the future now.

It's been 8 months since I last wrote an entry in this journal. It was one of the things I decided to let go of after the shit hit the fan with John and Weirdo.

There were other things I changed as well. The main one being myself. I quit working at the club. I miss the place but I didn't want to bump into Peter. He wasn't Weirdo anymore and the one I missed was Weirdo.

As far as the world, my family, and friends were concerned I'd  found a  new, totally unexpected occupation. I have my own small surprisingly successful business. What sort of business you may ask, what sort of freaky thing would a time-traveller with an increasingly long list of powers use as a cover for having pots of money?   Well remember the plants I bought for the dining room, they ended up being a revelation.

I didn't know at the time that my weird powers included having a green thumb. Bored and lost after the kerfuffle I started to pay more attention to the plants and they went nuts. It appears any plant I take care of, water, talk to, flourishes, and by flourish I mean grow at a ridiculous rate and thrive. Before to long the plants I bought were so large and lush they no longer fit on the gantry. I got more to replace them and it happened again. I took cuttings they shot up immediately. I experimented with seeds, everything took off and grew and grew.

On my jumps I started collecting plants, seed pods, random cuttings, basically anything that happened to cross my path.  As my travels went to weird and wonderful places the collection of strange plants was spectacular after a while.  Being totally ignorant about such things I had inadvertently bought back some rare, old plants that were unfashionable except to keen gardeners.  That's where it all started.  Now "Blast from the Past" is a niche company for rare and unusual plants.

Half my garden now is taken up by a greenhouse. Grandmother wouldn't be pleased her precious flower beds are gone. I grow the most delicate rare plants there. To be honest I spend more time with them than humans these days. I charge ridiculous amounts of money for my plants, which guarantees them a good home. No idiot pays that much money and then doesn't shower the plant with love.

It's a solitary occupation,  I don't miss the chaos of working at the club anymore. I don't think I miss people much.  Not all people, I still have my favourites.

The people I do love, my family and friends all seem to my adopted my house as their second home. The house is a happy one again. My friends are over for game nights, dinner, and drop in for a coffee with me while I tend my plants and berate me for having the audacity to charge so much for them. The family dinners now alternate between my parent's home and here. Mum drops in constantly, she loves puttering around the greenhouse with me. We watch Kdramas together regularly.  I would love to tell her I no longer need to use subtitles but then I would have to explain why.   If I told her how different the Joseon period was from the version she loves to watch on TV she'd be so pissed. 

 She often tells me I've changed, how I've finally grown up. And there's always the question of have I got a girlfriend.  I give her the same answer every time.  I'm dating and no there's no one special in my life, which is true.   I'm casually dating a couple of ladies who are happy to keep it that way...casual with benefits.

The house remains the same apart from the box room where I now store a fabulous collection of wine, one of the trappings of being a well-heeled young entrepreneur. Yes, I'm full of shit.  This leads me to the fact that granddad is still here...barely. I rarely see him. Sometimes I get a glimpse of him watching me. I don't acknowledge him at all.  We have nothing to do with each other any longer and if I have my way he will be gone soon.  It's not that I hate him. I still wear his ring and watch because they feel right, his memories tick over in my head.  I can't hate him. I can even understand him and his never-ending pain but I can't have him poisoning my life with it.  I'd like to think maybe I could help him find some peace.