Jewel and I stop dead in our tracks as we face our mother who's frail and bald with a Hawaiian print scarf over her head. At first we think we're totally busted until she bursts out laughing. Initially we're confused but everything makes sense after we see the brownie. This is when our mother asks if we're really dressed in spacesuits or if she's seeing things because of her "medicine." Jewel doesn't quite know what to say because she's incapable of lying. I, on the other hand, quickly point to the edible as if to insinuate this is all in her head.

"Great!" mom immediately gasps. "I love it when my dope is laced with something extra. It's even better when my daughters are part of my hallucinations."

Jewel and I smile. It's kind of nice to connect with mom in this way even if she's high as a kite. When mom asks why we're dressed in spacesuits Jewel doesn't hesitate to tell the truth and throughout the process mentions something new. Apparently, the driver of the Cadillac is Paul's professor. From what I remember, this is the man who accompanied Paul on his fishing trip and the only one to come back alive.

"What is he trying to communicate with these letters?" mom asks as if captivated by a really good movie.

"I'm not at liberty to say," Jewel confesses. "Even if you forget this entire conversation, I'm  obligated to protect you with my silence."

I look at Jewel and can tell her heart is breaking. It's evident she wants to divulge but something's stopping her. I can't help but wonder what she's truly afraid of.

Just then, I see a glimmer of hope across Jewel's face. She looks up at mom and asks, "Is there a way for us to go back in time and prevent your cancer?"

Mom is touched by the gesture. In case you haven't noticed, Jewel is the noble one because no matter how crazy she sounds or appears, she's always trying to do the right thing. Unfortunately, mom tells us there's no way to prevent her illness because it's genetic. She does, however, wish that she never forced our dad to quit smoking weed back in the day. Supposedly when they were dating mom was the straight-laced one who never touched drugs and dad was the rebel. Mom gave an ultimatum for dad to "quit grass" and other substances before getting married because she was afraid he'd turn into Dick Cheney. What she didn't realize was that (a.) dad ended up like Dick Cheney anyway and (b.) weed is actually harmless and a lot of fun. I guess mom figures if she's going to die anyway she'd rather get stoned with the love of her life.

Upon hearing this I can't help but ask, "Why don't you just talk to dad?" In my humble opinion this feels more like a conversation than an elaborate time travel pursuit.  This is when our mom is forced to state the obvious: dad is simply not the same man she met. Jewel and I think of dad as a working class Mitch McConnell with the temper of Mel Gibson, but I guess he wasn't always this way. Mom even describes dad's younger essence as magical but I guess his charm dissolved over time. Mom admits she blames herself for this, so she feels the only way to repair dad is to change the past.  She proposes we go back in time and convince her to try smoking weed, or better yet give her an edible brownie. Jewel and I ultimately agree to do this for mom if she promises not to tell dad she saw us (even though she believes this is all a hallucination). This is when mom throws us an unexpected curve ball and says she'll agree to the terms under the condition that we must get stoned with her right now.

Jewel and I look at one another. It's obvious we both think this is a terrible idea. Time traveling sober is enough of a mind trip. Adding a psycho-active drug that's possibly laced with a hallucinogenic into the mix feels like a recipe for disaster.

Just then we hear a toilet flush from inside one of the bathrooms. This is when dad calls out for mom from inside the house. Our mom tells dad she's out on the deck and asks if he'd like to join her. Typically dad never agrees to sit on the deck after dark, however for some reason tonight he agrees. He says he'll be out in a minute after he finishes bandaging his foot.

Mom gives us the brownie as if to say it's now or never. We either get stoned and she forever holds the peace or we don't and she spills the beans. In the spirit of the night already being weird enough, I decide to say screw it and bite into the brownie. Jewel does the same and we army crawl across the yard as we hear dad's footsteps approaching the deck.