2032


Tabitha Scott McPherson was a very successful business woman. 

She was also twenty-nine years old with two kids and a husband. Even 

with her hectic work schedule she was able to be there for her kids. 

Tabby was even on the PTA. She couldn’t have been happier.



That’s where her father comes in. The fifty-one year old man 

always seemed sad and lonely. He had been this way for years. Tabby 

couldn’t figure out why. Every time she had addressed the issue he had 

become grumpy and distant.

	

At first Tabby thought her father was upset because of her 

mother’s death. Then Tabby thought, perhaps he was saddened by the loss 

of her mother’s best friend and the person whose middle name she 

shared. Then Tabby was sure his disposition was caused by the knowledge 

of her mother’s affair with her best friend. But, that had all happened 

fifteen years ago. Why wasn’t it over it? That idea was dropped.

	

The only other cause was Tabby’s husband, Tobey. Tabby’s father 

had always been opposed to Tobey. It had to do with Tobey’s career 

choices. Tobias Alan McPherson was a singer. A country singer to be 

exact. A very good one. In a couple of months his debut album was to 

come out.

	

Tabby had met Tobey freshman year in high school. They both 

were in chorus and band. Tabby had the musical gene in her family, 

though she didn’t know where it came from. Both of Tobey’s parents were 

singers.

	

Tabby and Tobey had become friends instantly. They didn’t start dating 
until senior year when Tobey asked Tabby to the prom. That night marked 
the beginning of their relationship.



Six years later they were married.



It was a beautiful ceremony. All of their relatives came. Tabby’s 
father walked her down the aisle and even smiled. He looked very proud 
of her. It was the look he gave her whenever she graduated form 
something or brought home an award. It always made her feel special. He 
gave her the "you done good" look.



After Tabby and Tobey’s honeymoon Tabby discovered she was pregnant.



Nine months later Christopher Alan McPherson was born. Tobey didn’t 
want his son to be named fully after him so instead they gave him 
Tobey’s middle name.



The name Chris had always sounded familiar to Tabby. The name obviously 
came from someone in the past. Someone who was perhaps acquainted with 
her father.



When Tabby had first told her father the child's name he had sighed and 
left the room. The name had brought him a memory, Tabby realized. 
Probably a good one. Possibly a bad. It was one of those things locked 
in his past. His hidden past.



A year after the baby’s birth Tabby’s business started rocketing 
skyward. Tobey had at that time started to get musical gigs at clubs. 
Tabby and Tobey were both very busy. Their moments together and alone 
were few. That’s why Tabby’s pregnancy was a shocker. 



Things were good and they only seemed to get better. Then Josephine 
Molly McPherson was born. She was a beautiful girl. She was born with a 
head full of blonde hair like her mother. She had the same sparkling 
blue eyes as her father. Although Joey (as they liked to call her) 
didn’t look much like her brother, Chris. Chris had the green eyes of 
his mother and the brown hair of his father.



When Tabby told her father about Josephine’s nickname he almost passed 
out from shock. Tabby could tell she had hit another memory with that 
name. The expression on his face was different then the one he held 
when Tabby told him about Chris. This expression showed regret.



Now it was four years since Joey’s birth. Tabby was in the attic of her 
father’s house. Her curiosity of his past had finally gotten her to 
venture to the attic. Even though she used to be terrified of the place 
as a child.



The first box Tabby came across was marked MISCELLANEOUS WORKS. She 
removed the tape and lifted the lids of the box. It contained several 
three ring binders and one subject notebooks. Tabby picked up the first 
notebook. The writing on the cover didn’t look familiar. The words were 
written much sloppier then anyone in her family wrote. It said on the 
cover SILLY FAN FICTION FROM THE NET. Then in smaller letters it read 
"fanfiction.net".



Tabby lifted the cardboard cover and read the first short story. The 
main characters were her father and four others. The names seemed oddly 
familiar. One word from the story stuck out like a sore thumb. *N SYNC. 
The word was comforting and it was angering.



That’s when Tabby realized some part of her father's past was her past 
also. When she was a baby, perhaps.



Tabby closed the notebook and set it aside. She picked up one of the 
binders. Her father’s name was written neatly in her mother’s 
handwriting on a label stuck to the cover.



Tabby lifted the lid revealing the first page. This was a photo album. 
The picture was of a little baby boy. The words underneath it read, 
"First day home". The words were followed by a date. Tabby’s eyes 
searched the page for the next picture.



By the time Tabby was done with the book she had seen her father 
blossom into a man of twenty. Still nothing fit together. Her only clue 
was that *N SYNC. What was *N SYNC? Why was it plaguing her mind this 
way?



Tabby took a deep breath and grabbed the next book. It was simply 
labeled "Josh". Tabby gasped. Josh was her mother’s best friend. Tabby 
hadn’t heard or spoken Josh’s name since the fatal accident.



Tabby opened the book and was greeted by a young looking Josh. He was 
probably in his teens then. The note beside the picture read, 
"Airhead’s eleventh grade school picture".



Tabby vaguely remembered her mother telling her about the old nickname 
for Josh. Although, she had never heard her mother speak the words to 
Josh.



A few pictures later, Tabby came across a picture of Josh and her 
mother. They each had an arm around the other and were smiling 
brightly. Tabby lightly presses a finger to her mother’s face, gently 
stroking it. Years had gone by since Tabby had even seen a picture of 
her mother. She almost forgot how beautiful her mother was.



The next picture had Josh, Caroline (Tabby’s mother), her father, and 
Caroline’s sister, Tabby’s Aunt Gloria. They were in the pool having a 
chicken fight. Gloria was on Josh’s shoulders and Caroline was on 
Tabby’s father’s shoulders. Tabby giggled at their expressions. They 
were so happy, young, and full of life.



A lone tear trailed down Tabby’s cheek.



It was hours later when Tabby was done with the box. She put the 
contents in neatly and closed it up. Tabby grabbed the next box. It was 
labeled HOME VIDEOS. Tabby eagerly opened the lid. She wanted some 
explanations. The last box has showed her that *N SYNC was a musical 
group that her father used to be apart of. She also was brought back to 
some memories of her own. They was faint, but they also answered the 
role in her life the four men possessed.



Now, Tabby wondered what happened to *N SYNC. Plus her main question 
was left unanswered. Why does her father act the way he does? The new 
information about *N SYNC made Tabby wonder if the group was part of 
her father’s problems.



The box contained many VHS tapes. There were also c.ds and cassette 
tapes. Most of the things centered around the five, young, good looking 
guys of *N SYNC.



Tabby placed the lid back on the box and set the box aside. She decided 
to search more upstairs before watching the tapes.



The next box was composed of mostly happy teenybopper magazines. *N 
SYNC was plastered on the cover of all of them. As Tabby dug deeper 
into the box she found some newspaper articles.



The first article was from the cover page of a newspaper. The headline 
read, "*N SYNC singer found murdered in New York alley".



Tabby stared blankly at the paper. Memories of that time period flooded 
back to her. They weren’t well defined because Tabby was only five 
years old at the time.



It was her father’s twenty-seventh birthday party. Lots of people were 
drunk. Including her Unkie Joey. It was very late when her parents 
brought her home. Tabby remembered that her father fought with Unkie 
Joey. He wanted Joey to go home before he got completely smashed. Joey 
eventually gave in. It was after Tabby and her parents had already 
left, though. Joey didn’t have a ride so he walked. His apartment was 
only a couple of blocks away.



That was the last time Tabby had seen Unkie Joey alive. It marked not 
only the ending of his life, but the ending of *N SYNC as well. Ever 
since then her father had felt guilty about not suggesting Unkie Joey 
ride home with them. That explained the regretful look at the mention 
of Josephine.



Tabby wondered why her father never mentioned any of this? She was 
alive. He must have thought she’d forgotten. After all she named two 
children after two of the five without knowing it. She certainly didn’t 
leave any clues that she remembered.



Tabby carefully set the newspaper back in the box. She closed the box 
and put it back in its exact place. Then Tabby grabbed the home videos 
box and went downstairs, closing the attic door.



Tabby walked further downstairs until she was on the first floor. She 
walked slowly into the living room. Her father was sleeping in a chair. 
He must have just gotten home. It was dark outside.



Tabby said a silent goodbye to him and walked into the hallway. She was 
almost to the door.



"Tabitha Scott Timberlake!", her father shouted from the other room. 
Tabby sighed. This was bad. He was always very mad when he refused to 
use her married name.



Tabby turned around and headed back into the living room.



"Hey, daddy". She smiled at her father. He was now sitting up straight 
in his chair. Tabby noticed he was wearing the sweater she bought him 
for Christmas and a pair of blue jeans. He was losing weight again 
which worried Tabby. His once blonde hair was now mixed with curly gray 
hairs and his eyes were covered with reading glasses. A book laid on 
the rug beside the chair. Tabby guessed he had fallen asleep reading 
and dropped the book. He must have known she was in the attic, looking 
around without his permission.



"What were you doing in the attic?", Justin (her father) asked. His 
voice was stern like he was preparing to give her a good lecture.



"I was just strolling down memory lane". Tabby sat down on the couch 
next to the chair.



"You have photo albums at your house, Tabby".



"I was trying to stroll down your memory lane". Justin stared at his 
daughter. His face was blank, it held no expression or emotion.



"Why?", he said after a few moments.



"I needed to know. I need to know your past. The past you keep from 
harbored in secret from everyone including your own daughter".



"I have my reasons for keeping it a secret".



"What reasons?".



"It’s painful". Tabby got off the couch and retrieved the box she left 
in the doorway to the living room. "What’s in the box?". Tabby sat on 
the couch and set the box in her father’s lap. Justin gave Tabby a 
questioning look. Tabby simply nodded her head in the direction of the 
box.



Justin lifted the lid and looked over the contents. He picked up a c.d. 
"We were so young". A single tear slid down his cheek. He wiped it away 
quickly and set the c.d back in the box.



"I was going to watch some of the tapes. I want you to see them too, 
daddy. I think you need this more then I do. If that’s even possible".



Justin’s eyes floated to Tabby briefly before returning to the box. He 
picked up a tape and handed it to Tabby. She received the unspoken 
message and walked to the VCR. She turned on the t.v and put the tape 
in the VCR.



It was hours later when Tabby pulled the tape out of the VCR. She 
looked at her father. His eyes were read and his cheeks were tear 
stained.



Tabby returned to her seat and softly patted her father’s hand. Justin 
turned his head and looked Tabby in the eyes.



"So, you want answers, huh?". Tabby simply nodded.

TO BE CONTINUED...