trusted you. When I gave you my hat, I was hoping you would remember, and your memory, paired with this hat, would seal the bond between two worlds. And you know what you did, Jack? You forgot. You forgot my hat, threw it in the closet, shut the door, sealed the time loop with me in it, and left me here to rot. It has been too many years, and now it’s finally time for someone else to take my place. That’s where your grandson comes in handy," ended Michael with a mischievous smile.
"Look, Michael," exhaled Jack tiredly, with a touch of shame, "Michael, let him go. Punishing my grandson for my wrongdoing is not a reliable way to undo the long-forgotten past. I am truly sorry about what happened, but I swear I don’t remember anything after we parted. Please tell me you understand! It’s my memory… You think it doesn’t hold water, I know, but, understanding the circumstances of this conversation, I swear I’m telling the truth. Punishing my grandson for a mistake I made, while, mind you, not even knowing I was making it, is cruel. It’s not something the Michael I still remember would have done."
Michael stood there for a while. Processing. Calculating. Weighing. Thinking. Feeling…
"We have five days, Jack. Five days and the universe will collapse," said Michael with so little hope.
"That’s still more than we had at that hospital, isn't it? And probably more than I’ll ever remember," smiled Jack, extending his hand for Michael to shake.
After a long pause, Michael finally shook it off.
Right there, with a simple handshake, a new-old friendship rekindled. Only this time it had many years to come.