It was 3 am, but Delilah couldn't sleep. Insomnia had become her constant companion, accompanied by the usual self-deprecating thoughts—"Why" can't I be like her?" "I wish I was prettier." "Will I make it some day?" Her mind kept lingering over such questions. Her overthinking was, however, interrupted by a knock on her door. Her entire neighborhood was eerily silent. Before she could comprehend what was happening, there was another thud. She finally forced herself to her feet and walked towards the door. She could hear her heart beating in her chest as she approached the door. She was surprised to see a woman standing there. Blonde hair, dark eyes, and a calm demeanor, the woman seemed to be in her mid-30s. She looked awfully familiar, but Delilah couldn't make out where she had seen her. "Who are you?" Delilah asked her.
"I am Delilah, my dear," the woman replied.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"
"I wouldn't say we're unfamiliar."
Delilah was in an ambiguous state. She observed the woman closely and suddenly came to a realization—she looked very similar to her. But how was this possible? She thought to herself, "Was this a prank?"
The woman studied Delilah's expression and said, "I am your new assistant. Your father hired me. He must have told you about it". Delilah remembered the last conversation she had with her father. He had told her that he would hire an assistant for her to ensure the smooth functioning of her business and also to manage her personal affairs. "Oh yes, Father mentioned that you'd be arriving soon. Welcome. Please come in."
"How is Ileana doing?" The woman asked.
"How do you know my mother?"
She took a pause and said, "Your father... He mentioned her."
Delilah responded, "Oh, she's doing fine. Come, I'll take you to your room." They proceed to go upstairs and enter a room. "Please make yourself at home. You can start working from tomorrow." "Thank you," said the woman.
The next day the woman went to Delilah's office with her. They worked together the whole day. A few days went by, and Delilah realized that the woman was of great help. But there was this odd dialogue she often repeated: whenever Delilah would complain about how she felt everyone was ahead of her, that she wasn't doing much or that she wasn't enough and felt like quitting, the woman would always say, "You are going to make it; your future self will be proud of you."
"How can you say that with such conviction?" Delilah questioned.
"Trust me, I know it," said the woman.
Whenever she was around her, Delilah always felt as if she'd known her for ages. They were similar in more than a single way, and the odd feeling of familiarity barely made any sense, so she didn't give it much thought. One fine day, Delilah went to the woman's room to ask her about some paperwork. She stumbled upon an open blue bag, but what stood out to her was a necklace. It resembled the one she wore every day—the one that was a gift from her father. Close to the necklace, she found a letter from her mother, the exact same one that she received on her 18th birthday. Delilah was taken aback. The woman entered the room and asked
"Delilah, what are you doing in my room?"
"Enough with the lies!!" She screamed as she held the necklace and the letter in her hand, "You're going to explain to me what the hell this means right now!"
"Delilah, calm down; let me explain."
"Are you stalking me? Do you want to kill me? I can't believe you. I gave you a job and a place in my house, and you lied to me"!
"Please sit down for a minute. I'll explain everything, I promise."
"You better start explaining."
"The truth is... I am your future version."
"That can't be true."
"Believe what you like, but it's true. I am who you are going to be in 10 years. Our company is going to become the world's best tech firm. We were actually able to make a device that helps people meet their younger selves so that they can offer words of encouragement to keep them going. You see, the actions of your younger self are what will form your future identity".
Delilah was astonished. She couldn't believe what she had heard. "You're not kidding me, are you?"
"What other explanation is there for the necklace and the letter?"
"So you're telling me that I'm going to keep running this company? How is that possible? I feel like giving up in this very instant."
"That is because you don't give up. Yes, you feel like quitting right now, and yes, life might not be all sunshine and rainbows currently, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't get better. Delilah, you are very strong. Your resilience and courage will lead you to become a great human. Never lose faith in yourself, dear. I'm so proud of you".
Delilah's vision became blurry as tears started rolling down her face. "I think I really needed that. Recently I've been questioning everything about my life; I've been feeling clueless. You've no idea how much this means to me." She says as she hugs the woman tightly. "Can you tell me more about what my future will look like?"
The woman replied, "I'm sorry, dear, that is all I can tell you because if I say anything further, it might not end up happening. But I'll give you this: keep going; let nothing and no one stop you from getting the life of your dreams. I have to leave now." She said as she loosened her grasp.
"Why are you leaving now?"
"It's the rule. If I reveal my true identity to anyone, my time here is over. And I just did that so… It's time for me to go. However, it's not goodbye after all. Good luck, Delilah. I hope we meet again." With that, she disappeared into thin air.
10 years later—
Delilah walked into her office. Her smile exuded confidence and calmness. Her coworkers noticed that there was this newly found optimism in her attitude; they wondered what changed her. But little did they know, it was HER who changed her.
"I'd like to congratulate you all for the success of this project. This project is our biggest one to date, and I am beyond grateful for all your hard work. Let's hope that we keep achieving great milestones in the future"!
She went back to her cabin and stared at the device in her hand and said firmly, "I made it."
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