“Mommy, wake up!” It was a warm spring day in the year 2029, and a small girl stomped her feet impatiently. “Mommy, come downstairs QUICK! Look and see what he did this time!” Sleepily, Bridget got out of bed. She looked around, confused. What was this room? Where was her bunk bed at home, with her little sister sleeping on the top? And who was this tiny brown haired, blue eyed girl in front of her? Bridget had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, and everything looked as though she was watching it from a higher point of view.

Muffled screams came from somewhere downstairs. Taking her by the hand, the young girl led Bridget downstairs. School pictures lined the hallway, showing three children at various ages, along with framed pictures showing a family of five in vacation spots, on Easter, and at an amusement park. Bridget was surprised to see herself in all of them, looking like an older version of the 12-year-old self she’d left behind. Among the things in the frames, Bridget was pleased to discover, was a college diploma with her name on it. “Mommy, stop looking at those pictures! You will never guess what Jonathan did to Hannah! She’s lucky I was there; oh; just wait until he sees you coming down the stairs!” All Bridget could do was nod. The little girl’s name was Lindsey, as Bridget noticed from all the sparkly art pieces on the refrigerator with her name on it. As they passed by the family calendar, Bridget came to full realization; she was 32 years old, and it was 2029!

“I know it looks bad,” 8-year-old Jonathan said, “but I didn’t do it on purpose! Hannah was crawling around, and I didn’t know she crawled into the cupboard and, well…”Cries erupted from the closet, followed by a guilty look from Jonathan. His green eyes only stared at the floor, too ashamed to look at anyone. Trying to come to her senses, Bridget decided to act like their mother…it was what they were calling her, after all. “Let’s just all calm down,” Bridget said calmly, unlocking the closet easily. She lifted one year old Hannah off the floor of the closet, tears streaming down her chubby cheeks. “No one’s in trouble here,” Bridget said. “Accidents happen. And now, Lindsey, could you, um, show me the kitchen?” She could tell the perky five year old was the type who liked to be in charge. “Mommy, you’re so silly! C’mon, let’s go.” The bunch all came into the kitchen, which was large and brightly lit. The refrigerator was covered in artwork by the children, and next to it was a magnet. It read: Pediatric Physical Therapy, done with a smile. You’re taken care of at The Care Center of Cleveland! Underneath this, there was an address and phone number, along with her name and her friend Olivia’s. Bridget couldn’t suppress her smile. So she’d landed her dream job after all! Bridget slipped the magnet into her pocket. After Lindsey had given a full tour of the house, the doorbell rang. Standing in the doorway were two people who looked oddly familiar. Bridget realized at once- her friends Ellen and Lauren! She ran forward and hugged them both, glad to see someone she knew. “We came from Boston to see you!” exclaimed Ellen. “Oh, the kids are getting so big. I’d love to talk longer, but you’ve got to get to work!” Bridget remembered the hours on the magnet- 9 to 2 p.m. “Ellen and I can get Jonathan and Lindsey to school and watch Mackenzie like we planned. The house is beautiful!” Lauren gushed. “Mind if we stay here while you’re gone?” Bridget’s head was spinning with excitement. What would her building look like? “Sure, guys. Make yourselves at home! I’ll go get ready.”

Bridget somehow made it to work without smashing into anyone on the road; driving was really hard when you hadn’t learned how! The Cleveland Care Center was everything Bridget imagined it would be. Several different therapy rooms were in the building, stocked with everything she needed. The best part, by far, though, was Bridget’s office. Because she was co-founder of the CCC, Bridget’s office was enormous. Huge, sparkling windows overlooked the busy road below, cars racing in all directions. All the walls were painted a soft green, and a modern light fixture hung from the ceiling. Futuristic technology was all over, machines with strange controls that she could hardly wait to learn how to use. Bridget sat in her massage chair and sighed with pleasure. This didn’t last long, of course, because soon someone was calling her name with a question.

Her friend, Olivia, was also there, along with several other people who now worked for them. The whole place was very nice, and everyone there greeted Bridget as she walked through the halls. Quite pleased with herself, Bridget saw that she and Olivia had created a very successful business! The waiting room was filled up already with customers, and Bridget talked with all of them. Her “first day” at work went by like a blur. She even talked to her husband on the phone, whose name was Collin. Framed pictures of him and her children were in her spacious office. Bridget also found out that Collin was a heart surgeon, and was on a business trip in Atlanta. “I’ll be back before you know it,” he promised. “Tell the kids I say hi!” Bridget said goodbye and hung up on her new touch screen phone. She breathed a sigh of relief. He seemed like a nice guy! Looking around, something dawned on her. Her life was everything she wanted it to be. Bridget’s life wasn’t exactly glamorous, but to her, it was perfect.

After a cautious drive home, Bridget spent the rest of the night with her kids and of course, Lauren and Ellen. They all had a great time talking and laughing, remembering when they were kids. Of course, for Bridget, this was yesterday. The three of them put the protesting children to bed, and Bridget showed her friends the guest beds. “Good night!” she called to them. Bridget climbed into her comfy bed and drifted off to sleep.

“Beep! Beep! Beep!” The shrill sound of an alarm clock woke Bridget up. She rolled over, now even more confused than the last time she’d been awakened. In place of Lindsey was Maeve, climbing down from the top of their bunk bed. Bridget shot up in her bed. Examining herself, she saw that she was 12 again! “What’s with you?” Maeve questioned. Bridget was running all over the bedroom, making sure it really was her room again. “Oh, nothing!” Bridget replied. Maeve rolled her eyes. “I’m not even going to ask. Way too tired!” The sound of breakfast bowls clacked from the kitchen downstairs. “I wish it were Saturday!” moaned Maeve. “If only we could just fast forward through the week, wouldn’t that be nice? Too bad we can’t change time.” Bridget smiled to herself. If only Maeve knew…