Synopsis:
The Parkers are alerted to a crashing sound in Jennifer's room. Upon
entering the discover bags of groceries and half eaten junk food scattered
about. Jennifer emerges from her bathroom looking very pail and thin. Before she
could explain anything, she passes out and is rushed to the hospital.
Meanwhile back in 44 B.C., Calpurnia had returned after putting a note in the DeLorean that was buried in the catacomb. Upon arriving home she sees Octavius accuse Mark Antony of using Julius Caesar's funeral to improve his own ambition. Calpurnia, left the estate of her late husband to Antony, takes Octavius aside and tells him that he still had some growing up to do before inheriting the empire left behind by Julius. After a little chat with Antony, Calpurnia calls her servant Lorrainia and goes out shopping.
Back in 1988, the Parkers learn that their daughter has bulimia, an eating disorder that could be deadly. The doctor tells the parents that she's to spend a few nights in the hospital and undergo therapy or it'll go uncheck and she'll die. They visit their daughter in her who is now in seriously ill. She tells them that she's been eating this way for months ever since her break-up and subsequent reconciliation with Marty.
The next day, Marty gets the word that Jennifer's in the hospital. After school, he goes over there to visit her. She tells Marty more than she told her parents about her eating because it involved her near rape with Count Tannenio. Realizing that her whole ordeal that lead to her bulimia had started with that trip to 1978, Marty blames himself for letting Jim Jandick get to him and wants to make up for it.
That evening after work, he goes over to Doc's house and tells him everything. Doc tells Marty to stop blaming himself and buy her a gift, like flowers. Marty considers this. However, the next day in Western Civilization class, Marty and his class are shown pictures of Roman jewelry. He sees the picture of a bracelet similar to the one he saw when he back to Ancient Rome in 44 B. C. The instructor said that in ancient times, Roman men bought such items for their loved ones when they were ill.
Hitting on the idea, Marty goes over to Doc's house with some money to give him so he could go back in time and buy the bracelet for him. But when he arrives, there's no one at home. So Marty takes upon himself to go back in time and buy the gift. So he goes home and gets his Roman servant's tunic so he could wear it when he was back in Ancient Rome.
However, when he arrives at Doc's house, Jules and Verne catch him in the act of setting the time circuits for 44 B.C. and makes him take them with him. Marty agrees on the condition that they stay in the car while he goes over to the jewelers to buy the gift. When they arrive there in 44 B.C., Marty leaves the boys in the car and goes in. Once inside, he runs into Calpurnia and her servant Lorrainia. After a conversation, Calpurnia tells Marty that the bracelet he's trying to buy could be the same one that he saw in class so he should ask the jeweler to order another one similar to the one he saw. Marty does and learns that it would take a week for a new one to arrive which is no problem for Marty being that he has a time machine. All he has to do is go one week ahead in time and pick it up before going back to the future and give it to Jennifer.
After putting the new bracelet on order, Marty returns to the DeLorean only to discover Jules and Verne are missing. After asking around, Marty spies the boys hiding behind a group a people in front of the jeweler's shop. Marty calls out only to have the boys duck into the store. Marty follows them in there where Calpurnia and Lorriania are still in there. Marty asks the two about the boys when the cashier catches them. Marty retrieves them and introduces them to Calpurnia. After a short conversation, Marty returns with the boys to the DeLorean only to have the boys escape. Marty catches up with them. This time, he finds them with Calpurnia who hits on an idea of having them stay the week in the past. Marty agrees and after the servants take the boys on a tour of the ancient city, they return home to spend the night in Caesar's house.
However, one of the servants happens to be working for Brutus and Cassius and when he hears that one of the boys' name is Jules, he thinks that the late dictator had a son by Calpurnia and sends a message to the conspirators. An attack force for the night is issued and in the cloak of darkness, Calpurnia and the boys are kidnapped.
At dawn, the servants find their mistress gone along with Jules and Verne and a search party is arranged. Mark Antony and Octavius, who have been at odds ever since the death of Julius Caesar over control of Rome and the late leader's property, join forces to find the widow and those two boys. Citizens are questioned to no avail. When Cicero is questioned, he admits that he has no knowledge of the kidnapping. Believing that he's covering up something, Antony orders his execution.
Meanwhile, Marty conducts his own investigation by talking to Brutus's wife Portia. She tells him that she has received letters from her husband on the whereabouts of his victims and is given a map of the conspirators' hiding place. It's on a galley near Salona. He's to come alone or the hostages die. Using the DeLorean, Marty arrives there and realizes that Brutus still had a score to settle with him.
Background: This story heralds the
return of Calpurnia, the widow of Julius Caesar and she'll be featured in this
story and the next two as well as this is going to be like a three part story
like the stories "Time Travel to a Hard Day's Night."
and "Joyride to the Past" were like a two
part story. If you recall, Calpurnia was "introduced" in "Back to
the Ides Of March" even though she was really the wife of Julius
Caesar. And now she'll have a recurring role in my stories just like the Beatles
and the Jandicks have recurring roles.
If you notice, Mark
Antony, Octavius Caesar, Calpurnia and Ancient Rome are
already in the story before Marty, Jules and Verne arrive. Some of the
activities are based on the writings of the Greek biographer Plutarch.(45-120
A.D) called Lives. It is a book about the lives of Mark Antony, Brutus,
Julius Caesar, Coriolanus, Demosthenes, to name a few.
Bulimia is an eating disorder more deadlier than alcoholism. In writing this three part saga, I am making a statement that it not only hurts the victim involved but everyone involved. In reading it, you'll see how it hurts others as well as Jennifer-by having it set off a chain reaction of events that finally brings her to her senses.
For more information on bulimia and how you could get help if your are a victim go to http://www.raderprograms.com/
