So I was at a housewarming party in college, and me and this girl got to talking, and we seemed to be getting along. Well, she headed out to the backyard for a cigarette and dragged me along. This was back when lots of people still smoked, so it was pretty crowded.

 

We stood around for a bit. It was kind of chilly, but she said she liked it cold.

 

"So what do you like to do for fun?" I asked.

 

"Oh the usual, movies, hikes, traveling in time," she said.

 

I smiled -- she had a sense of humor and I was happy to play along.

 

"Past or future?" I asked.

 

"Past. Always the past."

 

"What's so great about the past?"

 

"Oh, it's just so much ..." she looked for the right word. "Freer," she said, and took a drag on her cigarette. "You can get away with much more than the present. It's less polluted. And the food is better. More natural."

 

"You're not worried going back? I mean, as a woman?"

 

She laughed and said, "Oh, usually I find it's okay as long as you know what you're doing and act confident."

 

"So, are there any downsides?" I asked, like a fool. Why keep on the negative, when things were going well?

 

"Just one," she said, and she stopped smiling. "Whenever you meet someone in the past, it's hard to shake the knowledge that they're long dead in the present. Puts a damper on things."

 

It was a funny thing to say, and there was a bit of an awkward pause. Then she stubbed out her cigarette, said she had to be going, and started to walk off.

 

"Off back to the past?" I said, trying to keep her.

 

"No," she said, "to the present." With that, she disappeared into the crowd.