No One to Blame Ch. 01

"I tell you the hottest chicks, who just happened to be twins, in our or anyone's school are throwing a party and you're worried their parents are dropping the parental ball?"

"Sue me, I was up all night cramming so I'm a little sleep deprived!" That excuse is going to wear thin real quick if I don't get it together soon.

"So, you think you got a shot with either of the twins?" I asked even though I knew he didn't. Lexi and Jemma Henderson were in every guy's spank bank within a 30 mile radius. What those guys didn't know was that Lexi would come out of the closet in college and swear off men for the rest of her carpet munching life. Jemma would discover 'once you go black' your family disowns you.

"Hey you never know! I could be that mistake they made simply because they were drunk, it is a triple kegger!" Tony reasoned.

"You got a point there. So I guess we could show up late on Friday, party hard then go home to shower and change before coming back to do it all over again..

Just then the late bell sounded and the few students still in the hallway scattered like roaches.

"Okay, I'll pick you at 11pm Friday. Good luck on your history test!" Tony said before he ran off in the opposite direction.

Since today was Tuesday, that gave me a few days to correct a couple of things before the party.

The test was easier than I remember. I guess knowing I passed it the first time around had something to do with that.

With the final exam behind me, I could turn my attention to my current situation. In my previous lifetime I enlisted in the army at the suggestion of my school guidance counselor. I guess even he didn't believe I was college material.

There was a distinct possibility that something I might have been exposed to in the military could be the cause of me getting cancer. That alone was reason enough to not enlist. But my main reason was because I felt it was in my best interest to further my education.

Now I needed to let the recruiter know I changed my mind. I fully expect him to play on my insecurities to change my decision back. Insecurities I no longer have.

Recruiters are like car salesmen. They'll say whatever is necessary to get a gullible, eligible applicant to sign up.

The first time around I wanted an mos (military occupational specialist) that would have me working with computers. The recruiter, Sargent Shaw, talked me into becoming a Vulcan systems mechanic. The Vulcan was a 20mm gatling gun mounted on an APC (armored personnel carrier) built for air defense. Basically it shot down enemy aircraft and missiles using the FAR radar system. My job description was maintenance tech for the gun drive, radar and the computer system that married the two.

At 18 that sounded really cool and I signed a 3 year commitment that turned into 7 years. Problem was when I discharged and tried to parlay my military experience into a comparable job, I was told that while having a military background was a plus, it wasn't enough to work in the field of computer science or radar technician and that I would need to go to college and get at the very least, a 4 year degree.

That was not an option for me since at the time I was living on my own and paying rent. My mother had remarried and I didn't get along with her new husband. It was an old bull vs. new bull thing.

I know a lot of people who worked and at the same time went to school to get a degree. Back then I really didn't think I could pull that off living on my own and was afraid of failing.

No, this time around I'll go to college while still living at home with my mother. I wasn't sure what my field of study would be but I knew it wouldn't be in computer science. As an adult that lived through this once already, I now know my math skills aren't nearly good enough for a field saturated with nerds. I was now leaning towards finance since that would be the best way to take advantage of my knowledge of the future.

I took the school bus home for the last time and was the only kid not throwing paper out the window in celebration, as is a last day tradition.

I went straight to my room as soon as I got home. I was glad the house was empty as my mother was at work and my sister already went next door to her friend's house.

Looking through my cassettes I found a gem from my youth, 'Queen: bohemian rhapsody'. I popped it in my 80's boom box and went to lay on my bed.

'Is this the real life?

Is this just fantasy?

Caught in a landslide,

No escape from reality

Open your eyes,

Look up to the skies and see,

I'm just a poor boy, I need no sympathy,

Because I'm easy come, easy go,

Little high, little low,

Any way the wind blows doesn't really matter to

Me, to me

Mamaaa,

Just killed a man...'

*******************************************

1984 Fort Stewart Ga. Years later....

"So... you gonna do it? $5000 is a lot of money!" Said corporal Michael Higgins.

"Yes, I already signed the contract two days ago. I just haven't said anything, you're the first to know." Sergeant Robert Spinelli answered.

"I got orders for Korea. I was hoping for Germany but the dice took a bad roll."

"Well, I heard that it's easy to increase rank in Korea. Plus it's only 18 months, then you get stationed stateside." Higgins replied, hoping to cheer up his friend.

After arriving in his new duty station, Sergeant Robert Spinelli learned there were other more personal benefits to a Korean deployment. He found that since most of the quality electronic equipment sold in the U.S was made in Korea, an integrated stereo system costing $2000 in the states would only cost $600 here.

He discovered the tailors here could make any suit identical to the designer's original for only $80, so he had 4 suits made.

But it was the cultural experiences that will stick with him for a lifetime. He found the Korean people to be very disciplined and hardworking. Very few were able to attend college, most worked in factories or warehouses making them equivalent to blue collar workers back home so he felt a familiarity, a kinship if you will. There was one major difference, unlike back home, almost everyone kept in shape. Exercising was a big part of Korean life. There were also taekwondo dojang on every other corner.

It was the latter that most interested the newly arrived soldier, so he enrolled in a dojang close to base and was not surprised to find 75% of the students were American soldiers. He took his training seriously and made black belt before his return to the states 18 months later.

Forgotten was the disappointment of being stationed in Korea instead of Germany. If asked he'd admit that Korea was the best thing that ever happened to him in the military.

The rest of his time in the military was less fulfilling. He joined a dojang in the states that helped ease the culture shock he was experiencing and found out that while in Korea his skill level was slightly above average, in the states he was much better than most of his American instructors.

*******************************************

June 1981 one day after history finals

The next morning I decided to head over to the recruiter and look him in the eye and let him know my decision.

His office was actually an old 'Photo Hut' that was located in the parking lot of the local strip mall.

His blinds were up so I could see he was alone but before I could knock he waved me in.

As I walked in he was pulling my file out.

"Mr. Spinelli! Good to see you. I wasn't expecting you till next week after you received your diploma. You're doing the right thing. Service to your country will provide you with all you'll need to become the type of man that employers are looking for." He rattled off his well practiced sales pitch as he reached to shake my hand.

"Sergeant Shaw, I could have done this over the phone but I figure this is something I preferred to do face to face. I've given this a lot of thought and decided to enroll in college and get a degree in business." I held up my hand when he went to speak and continued.

"I did the research and discovered that a large percentage of soldiers, when discharged at the end of their tour of duty, end up in the police department, fire Department or working as a security guard. I could apply for any one of those occupations right now without a military background. No, the only truly good reason to join the military is patriotism. Problem with that is, patriotism is a luxury I can ill afford at this time in my life. I have to do the work my family, generations before me, did not do. I will be the first in my family to continue my education after high school. So my decision has been made and is final. Like I said I felt I owed you the respect of telling you man to man." And before Sergeant Shaw could say a word in opposition, I stood and held out my hand for him to shake it.

He looked me in the eye for a short moment searching for my resolve, hoping it was not there but it was and when he saw it he reached across his desk and took my hand wishing me good luck.

Since I was only going to attend college in order to receive a business degree, I decided I would attend a local two year college to start. Besides, I didn't apply to any schools since I was thinking I was destined for the military. Only a local 2 year school would enroll a student on such short notice. I could and would apply to a better school in a year.

I now wished I had paid more attention to the stock market in my timeline. Having advanced knowledge of when to buy and when to sell stocks would have literally been invaluable. I do remember some things like how an early buy-in of Cisco systems, Microsoft or Steel connect would turn millionaires into billionaires. I just don't remember when their stock skyrocketed or how I came to know these things.. I felt strongly it was the early 1990's so I needed to invest in those stocks by the late 1980's. That gave me about 7 or 8 years to come up with the buy money. I actually had a pretty good plan to make a hefty sum in a short period of time. Strange...I can't get past how I was able to remember these facts and events.

The night of the party, looking through my bedroom closet was a feast of memories. Sassoon jeans next to the Levi's, Chaps and Izod next to a 'Star Wars' shirt. When I got to the back of the closet I rediscovered my 'Members Only' jacket. I could easily remember how excited I was getting it for Christmas and thinking it was the coolest thing I owned. It wasn't meant to be worn in the dead of winter so I only started wearing it in March and April. The Izods were gifts from my cousin Donna for my 18th birthday. The 55 year old me was screaming 'hell no not pastels!'

I compromised and skipped over the pink one and grabbed the aqua blue one and a pair of Sassoon jeans and a pair of espadrilles.

Normally, an 18 year old going to a graduation party that lasted the whole weekend would not be having thoughts of getting home at a decent hour or the warm bed that awaits him. But that's exactly what I was anticipating. I could feel the younger me getting annoyed with the new shared dynamics, wanting to rid himself of the somber conservative thoughts that plagued his conscience. There was no escaping the fact that 18 year old Robert Spinelli was going to have a not so silent 55 year old chaperone!

I was a little put off by the fact that I couldn't remember much that happened at this party. My faulty recollection could just be that the party was wholly uneventful. But I couldn't help shake this uneasy feeling that told me otherwise.

After I was dressed, I blew dried my hair and doused myself in Aramis cologne (clearly my 18 year old self was hoping for a successful night). I was just finishing up when Tony pulled into the driveway. At 18 and done with school, I no longer had a curfew to worry about so I quickly stepped into the kitchen and announced my departure.

"I'm heading to the party now ma. I'll probably get home late to shower, change and head back out. So I'll most likely see you Sunday afternoon." I informed my mother.

"Okay, have a good time, just don't do anything you'll regret later." She knowingly advised.

******************************************

100 years prior

June 1881 California

Charles checked the rope to make sure each of the men's wrists were secured. He turned to the only female passenger on the stagecoach.

"I'm gonna leave you untied so you can untie the men folk once I'm long gone." He said a little bit distracted by the bead of sweat running down the woman's deep cleavage only to vanish in her abundant tit flesh below.

Mrs. Carol Tate was traveling alone and had no connection to either of the two men currently tied to each other.

"You'll find a gun, a canteen of water and some jerky, that should hold you until you reach town." Charles informed the men folk

"Madam, you can cut their bindings with this here sharpened rock. It will consume some time but will grant you desired results. If you head north for about 7 miles, you should arrive in Oakwood in time for supper. I'll be going south. If you get the urge to go after me instead of seeking safety, your provisions will run out before you see results. And I'll kill all three of you." Before mounting his stead Charles placed a note in the breast pocket of one of the men.

"Give this to the sheriff of Oakwood"

With the gold safely stored away he turned his horse south and made his getaway.

The note.

"I've labored long and hard for bread/ For honor and for riches/ But on my corns too long you've tread You fine haired Sons of Bitches."

Black Bart...

He rode until he was sure nobody saw him alter directions. Once satisfied, Charles E. Bowles aka/Black Bart, headed south west towards his home in 'Saddle ridge'. The take from this robbery was about $7500 in $50, $20, $10 and $5 gold pieces. Not his biggest job by far but a respectful hall non the less.

The note was something he recently started doing when he saw the newspapers couldn't get enough of the 'Gentleman bandit'.

He reached his homestead 6 hours later and dismounted on the edge of a clearing next to a lone white birch tree.

After pulling his shovel out of his pack, he began the arduous task of digging a hole right in front of that tree.

There wasn't another birch tree anywhere on his 10 acres. In fact the only reason this one was here was because Charles planted it about 15 years ago.

After 4 or 5 shovels of dirt were removed, Charles hit something metallic. Dropping to his knees with a hunting knife he dugout the exposed can, thereby exposing another two. There was just enough room inside the can for the gold coins. He buried the gold back in the ground and once his task was complete he went inside to scrounge up some grub.

******************************************

1981 night of the party

Tony and I got to the party just after 11pm and there were at the very least 200 teens already there. Some were hooked up and making out in corners, in bushes and in any unoccupied room, some were in groups of innocent conversation (likely talking about the college's they got accepted to) and some were partaking in drinking games.

I already told Tony I wasn't going to drink tonight and that he could if he wanted to since I would drive. Because he only lived four blocks from me, I could drop him and his car off then walk the few blocks home. He was more than grateful. I was still feeling a little bit off because I couldn't remember much about how tonight played out the first time around. It was like there was a blank spot in my memory. I chalked it up to maybe drinking too much the first time around. So this time I will retain my wits.

Tony got in a conversation with two of his teammates on varsity basketball, so I took the opportunity to mingle with some people I haven't seen since that night. It's funny how we always feel the need to promise we'll keep in contact with each other after graduation but never do.

I was talking to Dawn Creston, who I knew from my English class, about life after high school. Dawn had gotten a volleyball scholarship and was going to an Ivy League school. I was listening to her tell me about how her grandmother attended the same school 40 years earlier, when I noticed another girl I knew Gina Antonelli being escorted upstairs by none other than Kurt Petersen, the bully from earlier.

'What is she doing with him?' I wondered. At first I just assumed it was just another girl attracted to a so-called 'bad boy'. That was until I saw Kurt give a hand signal to two other equally shady characters. They immediately followed the couple up the stairs.

That's when it all came back to me and I felt ill. I grabbed the back of the couch to keep from falling down. My head was spinning and my breathing was shallow. Dawn asked me how much I had to drink.

In my original timeline I saw them go up the same as I just did, and even then I knew something wasn't right but chose to say nothing, not realizing just how bad it was going to be for her. We later found out the three of them raped and sodomized her repeatedly. A week later she committed suicide. I must have suppressed the memory out of guilt for not doing something to stop it from happening.

Well not this time. "Dawn I know this is going to sound crazy but I think those three guys are going to try and rape that girl they're with" I said pointing out the group heading upstairs.

"I know her that's Gina Antonelli, she lives two blocks from me. What do we do?" Dawn asked in a panic.

"You see my friend Tony over there? Go to him and tell him and the guys he's talking to what's about to happen and that I went up to stop them. Once they head up after me, tell anyone else that will listen, I need witnesses. Okay?" As soon as she said yes I took off up the stairs. I wasn't sure I could stop them by myself but I could pause their plans until help arrived.

When I reached the top of the landing I turned down the same hallway they did. Because of their head start they already worked out who would stand watch first while the other two forced themselves onto the naive young woman.

Acting as if I was looking for my girlfriend, I started checking rooms one door at a time until I reached the one being guarded by a 6' 2" 230 lbs sack of shit.

"Have you seen a redhead about 5' 2" come this way? She had on a..." I was stopped mid sentence when I tried to walk right passed big and dumb.

"Your girl ain't in there! Now beat it before I beat you!" He threatened.

But something I didn't anticipate occurred. In the blink of an eye, all my taekwondo training came back to me from my previous life.

Muscle memory from the previous timeline melded with my current muscles. So my reaction time wasn't instantaneous but I still had the element of surprise on my side.

As he went to reach out to 'palm block' me from entering, I grabbed his wrist and twisted it out of the way and front thrust kicked him in the solar plexus, sending him flying through the bedroom door.

The door laid split in two on the bedroom floor with Kurt's buddy sprawled out on top of it. Inside the bedroom Kurt and his other accomplice were in the process of stripping a reluctant Gina.

Just as I was entering the room, Tony arrived with two of his teammates.

"Dawn gave me the heads up. Jesus is that Gina? Hey fuck nuts get the fuck off of her." Tony yelled as I marched over to Kurt, grabbed him by his ankle and yanked him off Gina then off the bed causing him to faceplant on the wooden floor. I continued dragging him until he was out in the hallway where party goers were gathering to see what was happening. I heard murmuring in the crowd with most in agreement that whatever happened, Kurt was probably to blame and that it was about time he got his ass kicked.