Alternative Universes

The old TV series Star Trek used to play around with the concept of alternative universes. In one lived a “good” Kirk and Spock; in the other, a “bad” Kirk and Spock. Sometimes, it’s tempting to consider another pathway for ourselves or others. Is there a Lori who stayed behind in Pontiac, IL instead of moving with her family to Winter Haven, FL? If so, would she have stayed with the same set of friends, many of whom indulged in habits not shared in the Florida existence? Would the Illinois Lori have smoked in the bathroom and casually dated boys? The Florida Lori did neither. Or is there a Lori who stayed in Japan, never to return to the U.S.—or perhaps a Lori who impulsively followed her heart to England, never to return?

I’d like to think that I am essentially the same person in either universe. But there are people whose lives were dramatically changed in seconds. One of these I’ll call “Tammy.” She’d visit the school library almost every day, wanting to visit. I couldn’t get much work done, and finally found her an alternative waiting place when she came back from the sheltered workplace early. I felt pretty guilty about this, because Tammy had only one good hand, the other curled under, almost useless. And she limped awkwardly, almost sideways. She wore thick glasses and had difficulty talking. I figured she must have been born with a very unfortunate birth defect. Instead, I discovered months later that Tammy had the misfortune of being born to very cruel parents who threw their baby against the wall when they grew tired of her crying. When I think of Tammy, I truly wish the dubious laws of science presented in Star Trek were true. It would be lovely to imagine a Tammy who could walk straight and tall, without a limp. A Tammy who didn’t need thick glasses and could talk clearly. A Tammy who possessed two useful hands. But such an alternatively happy ending could only occur in science fiction.