wife. “I—I can’t say I understand. I think it’s different for fathers and mothers.”
“But—if you met her . . . ,” Mileva murmured. “Even just once . . .”
Jonah snapped his head toward Katherine, wondering if she’d heard the same crazy thing he had. Her eyes werewide and distressed, and she was mouthing the word What?
Jonah shook his head. Things were even worse than he thought. It wasn’t just time that was messed up. It was Einstein’s family.
How could Albert Einstein never have met his own daughter?
FIFTEEN
The train arrived a few moments later, and Mileva struggled into the nearest car. She sat by a window and waved and waved and waved to Albert.
Jonah and Katherine had to wait until the crush of people in front of them boarded before they could step in.
“Maybe it will be so crowded we’ll have to ride on the top of the train,” Jonah suggested hopefully to Katherine. He’d seen movies where people did this, and it always looked like a lot of fun.
“You’re crazy,” Katherine told him. “Besides, we have to keep an eye on Mileva. Something’s really off, you know?”
No kidding, Jonah thought.
“And what if some moment on the train is our only chance to get the Elucidator back?” Katherine asked.
Jonah hated it when Katherine was right.
Getting onto the train and staying near Mileva was even harder than Jonah expected. Just walking down the aisle without touching someone was like walking a tightrope. All the seats were taken, so at first Jonah and Katherine tried standing in the aisle near Mileva’s seat. But other people kept walking up and down the aisle: the ticket taker, a bunch of squirmy little kids, the little kids’ mother chasing them, and then travelers getting on and off at every stop. Jonah and Katherine constantly had to scurry out of the way to the end of the train car, press themselves against the wall so nobody touched them, and then hurry back so they didn’t miss anything with Mileva.
“I’m not going to be able to stand this for another minute, let alone all the way to Zurich and wherever else we’re going,” Katherine said after they’d had to squeeze themselves tightly against the wall to avoid being hit by a large man’s protruding stomach. He’d come within a button’s width of brushing Jonah’s arm.
“So you do want to ride on top of the train,” Jonah said.
“No,” Katherine said emphatically. She looked at her brother, then squinted thoughtfully toward Mileva’s seat. “But maybe . . . Spot me.”
Tugging Jonah along with her, she went back down the aisle to Mileva’s row.
Holding first on to Jonah’s shoulder, then the overheadluggage rack, she climbed onto the back of the row of seats opposite Mileva’s. The people sitting there—a man in a fancy suit and a woman in a lacy blouse—must have felt the pressure on the seats, because they both looked around curiously. But, seeing nothing unusual behind or above them, then they only shrugged and went back to facing forward.
Still holding on to the luggage rack for balance, Katherine tucked her legs under her body so she was half sitting, half crouching sideways on the top of the seats.
She pointed triumphantly at her own pose and then at Jonah, clearly trying to say, See? My idea worked! Now it’s your turn.
Jonah rolled his eyes, but he started gingerly trying to climb onto the back of the row Mileva was in. It was a little harder for him because he didn’t have anyone’s shoulder to hang on to. He couldn’t reach the luggage rack from the aisle, so he resorted to stepping onto the seat between Mileva and the elderly woman sitting beside her. It was only for an instant, and he made sure that his shoe didn’t touch either one of them.
Seconds later he, like Katherine, had reached a precarious perch atop the seat.
He looked at Katherine, and she was frowning and pointing at the seat where he’d stepped.
A small pile of dried mud clumps— er, no, dried
“But—if you met her . . . ,” Mileva murmured. “Even just once . . .”
Jonah snapped his head toward Katherine, wondering if she’d heard the same crazy thing he had. Her eyes werewide and distressed, and she was mouthing the word What?
Jonah shook his head. Things were even worse than he thought. It wasn’t just time that was messed up. It was Einstein’s family.
How could Albert Einstein never have met his own daughter?
FIFTEEN
The train arrived a few moments later, and Mileva struggled into the nearest car. She sat by a window and waved and waved and waved to Albert.
Jonah and Katherine had to wait until the crush of people in front of them boarded before they could step in.
“Maybe it will be so crowded we’ll have to ride on the top of the train,” Jonah suggested hopefully to Katherine. He’d seen movies where people did this, and it always looked like a lot of fun.
“You’re crazy,” Katherine told him. “Besides, we have to keep an eye on Mileva. Something’s really off, you know?”
No kidding, Jonah thought.
“And what if some moment on the train is our only chance to get the Elucidator back?” Katherine asked.
Jonah hated it when Katherine was right.
Getting onto the train and staying near Mileva was even harder than Jonah expected. Just walking down the aisle without touching someone was like walking a tightrope. All the seats were taken, so at first Jonah and Katherine tried standing in the aisle near Mileva’s seat. But other people kept walking up and down the aisle: the ticket taker, a bunch of squirmy little kids, the little kids’ mother chasing them, and then travelers getting on and off at every stop. Jonah and Katherine constantly had to scurry out of the way to the end of the train car, press themselves against the wall so nobody touched them, and then hurry back so they didn’t miss anything with Mileva.
“I’m not going to be able to stand this for another minute, let alone all the way to Zurich and wherever else we’re going,” Katherine said after they’d had to squeeze themselves tightly against the wall to avoid being hit by a large man’s protruding stomach. He’d come within a button’s width of brushing Jonah’s arm.
“So you do want to ride on top of the train,” Jonah said.
“No,” Katherine said emphatically. She looked at her brother, then squinted thoughtfully toward Mileva’s seat. “But maybe . . . Spot me.”
Tugging Jonah along with her, she went back down the aisle to Mileva’s row.
Holding first on to Jonah’s shoulder, then the overheadluggage rack, she climbed onto the back of the row of seats opposite Mileva’s. The people sitting there—a man in a fancy suit and a woman in a lacy blouse—must have felt the pressure on the seats, because they both looked around curiously. But, seeing nothing unusual behind or above them, then they only shrugged and went back to facing forward.
Still holding on to the luggage rack for balance, Katherine tucked her legs under her body so she was half sitting, half crouching sideways on the top of the seats.
She pointed triumphantly at her own pose and then at Jonah, clearly trying to say, See? My idea worked! Now it’s your turn.
Jonah rolled his eyes, but he started gingerly trying to climb onto the back of the row Mileva was in. It was a little harder for him because he didn’t have anyone’s shoulder to hang on to. He couldn’t reach the luggage rack from the aisle, so he resorted to stepping onto the seat between Mileva and the elderly woman sitting beside her. It was only for an instant, and he made sure that his shoe didn’t touch either one of them.
Seconds later he, like Katherine, had reached a precarious perch atop the seat.
He looked at Katherine, and she was frowning and pointing at the seat where he’d stepped.
A small pile of dried mud clumps— er, no, dried
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