【时间旅行者的妻子】56（在线收听）

“（You can still be cool ）when you’re dead. In fact, it’s much easier, because you aren’t getting old and fat and losing your hair.” 　Clare hums the beginning of “When I’m 64.” She moves her rook forward five spaces. I can checkmate her now, and I point this out to her and she hastily takes back the move. 　“So why do you like Paul?” I ask her. I look up in time to see her blushing fervently. 　“He’s so... beautiful,” Clare says. There’s something about the way she says it that makes me feel strange. I study the board, and it occurs to me that Clare could checkmate me if she took my bishop with her knight. I wonder if I should tell her this. If she was a little younger, I would. Twelve is old enough to fend for yourself. Clare is staring dreamily at the board. It dawns on me that I am jealous. Jesus. I can’t believe I’m feeling jealous of a multimillionaire rock star geezer old enough to be Clare’s dad. 　“Hmpf,” I say. 　Clare looks up, smiling mischievously. “Who do you like?” 　You, I think but don’t say. “You mean when I was your age?” 　“Um, yeah. When were you my age?” 　I weigh the value and potential of this nugget before I dole it out. “I was your age in 1975. I’m eight years older than you.” 　“So you’re twenty?” 　“Well, no, I’m thirty-six.” Old enough to be your dad. 　Clare furrows her brow. Math is not her strongest subject. “But if you were twelve in 1975....” 　“Oh, sorry. You’re right. I mean, I myself am thirty-six, but somewhere out there”—I wave my hand toward the south—“I’m twenty. In real time.” 　Clare strives to digest this. “So there are two of you?” 　“Not exactly. There’s always only one me, but when I’m time traveling sometimes I go somewhere I already am, and yeah, then you could say there are two. Or more.” 　“How come I never see more than one?”