Page 21 of Ideal Life

Sometimes when Talia watched their videos, she wondered if she was doing life wrong. Sure, she was building what she hoped was a company that could change the world. But Talia was young and single and childless. Shouldn’t she be out traveling the world instead of just watching her sister do it? Shouldn’t Talia also be scuba diving in the Maldives or dancing in the streets of Rio de Janeiro during Carnival or strolling through the cobblestone paths of small villages in Provence and drinking wine with the local vintners?

Her social media was full of not only Libby but also other women her age fulfilling their wanderlust and looking stunning while doing it. Talia looked down at her Ideal Life hoodie and jeans and frowned. Your Gossipy Tech BFF had liked her casual “confidence,” but still… Maybe she ought to try just a tiny bit more. Talia could go over to the mall after work and pick up some better clothes? Also some makeup and skin-care products?

But then their breakfast arrived. Talia drowned both her pancakes and sausages in maple syrup. The potatoes, however, were doused in ketchup instead.

I’ll buy myself a new wardrobe after the Omni acquisition closes, Talia told herself as she took a big, sticky bite. And she’d plan a vacation then, too. She could ask Libby for recommendations.

When Talia and her parents finished eating, she wasn’t ready for their time together to end, and she did still want to order the other things on the menu that she’d been eyeing.

It was okay to use the watch for this, right? She didn’t think she would accidentally cause war to break out on Mars if she went back in time an hour and ate some bacon.

Besides, it was a logical fallacy to think that any single event could change the future. This was something Sam had told her last year, when he was rereading War and Peace (yes, rereading).

Tolstoy had pointed out the human tendency to think of cause and effect too simplistically. When a player lost in chess, for example, he tried to identify the mistake he made. But in assuming a single causal relationship, he failed to see all the tiny little decisions that both he and his opponent made—not to mention external factors like how a cloud parted and let the sunlight glare directly in his eyes for a second, breaking his concentration near the start of the game, or how the barista had broken up with her girlfriend the night before and, distracted, accidentally put two shots of espresso into the chess player’s opponent’s coffee that morning, thereby increasing his mental sharpness.

This was probably an overly philosophical way to think about the question of rewinding (especially since all Talia wanted right now was a chance at some bacon), but the point was, picking something else to eat was an inconsequential change. Life was full of thousands of small choices every day.

She nodded to herself, okay with her decision, and turned the watch’s dial.

Everything went in reverse until Talia and her parents were back to holding menus. There was no food yet.

She also had her glasses back on again, a fact she was quickly reminded of because the bumblebee floated regally into her field of vision, her crown sparkling but her face showing some concern, like a mother fussing over a child.

Ideal Life Queen Elizabeth: Are you feeling all right, Talia? Your body temperature is slightly elevated, and your resting heart rate is thirty beats per minute faster. I also notice theta wave fluctuations in your brain. Please let me know if I may be of assistance.

“I’m fine, just excited.” Talia took her glasses off and turned to her parents and the waiter. “Sorry, I’m testing out some new software, but I’ll put these away for now.” She did, however, make a mental note to keep an eye on whether Queen Elizabeth reacted every time Talia used the watch. If she kept using the watch.

The waiter arrived at the table, and her mom and dad put in their orders. Then it was Talia’s turn.

“I’ll have the Nutella stack, please,” she said. Pancakes smothered in chocolate hazelnut spread with bacon layered in between sounded like the perfect round two of breakfast.

Plus, Talia was starving. The last breakfast was no longer in her stomach, so there was no problem of already being stuffed even though she was pigging out again.

The waiter filled everyone’s coffee cups, just as before. Then her mom’s questions about the Omni merger celebration began again.

“Start from the beginning,” Vera said. “I want to imagine what it was like when you walked into the restaurant. Were you wearing a pretty dress?”

“Sorry to disappoint,” Talia said. “I threw a blazer over my T-shirt and jeans. But Sam looked nice! He had on a great tuxedo jacket that he’d modernized.”

“Sam was there?” Vera said, nearly spilling her coffee. “Why didn’t you lead with that?”

Dave shot his conspiratorial smile at Talia.

“Yes, Sam was there, and he helped calm my nerves.”

“And you walked into the restaurant together?” her mom asked. “Are there photos?”

“It wasn’t prom, honey,” Dave said.

“There were photos—” Talia said.

“See?” Vera smirked.

Talia noted to herself that this conversation was going exactly like it had the first time around. Even though she’d invoked Tolstoy a few minutes ago to give herself some philosophical backup for rewinding, this repeated chatter from her mom still gave Talia some comfort.

“But there weren’t any ‘grand entrance’ photos of me and Sam, Mom. I meant there was a whole press junket thing where I took pictures with the Omni execs and the VCs.”

“What a shame,” Vera said. “I bet those executives and investors were all pasty from being in front of their computers all day. The reporters should have taken photos of Sam instead. He is a very handsome young man—strong arms from lifting boxes of books all day, nice tan from long walks on the beach…”