Slam

Sam goes to live with Alicia. His mum insists that it doesn’t have to be forever and he needn’t worry about the future right now. Instead, Sam has to learn to take things day by day. He is taken to Alicia’s house by his mum and Mark, who sit with him for a while until Alicia makes it clear she wants them to leave. Alicia seems happy with the thought of living with her son and his father. Sam still doesn’t know how to feel.

Sam awakes in the middle of the night to the baby crying and Alicia telling him to get up. Sam realizes he is in the first future that he went to, except this time, there isn’t any confusion or feelings of being lost. He gets up and tends to the baby, knowing exactly what to do, and gets back into bed with Alicia. Sam thinks about how his relationship and situation isn’t perfect, but it definitely isn’t as bad as it seemed when he saw it the first time. A few days later, at college, Sam is approached by Alicia’s ex-boyfriend. He claims to be the real father of Alicia’s child, and Sam can sense that he wants to get in a fight, so kicks him preemptively. Sam heads home riled up and irate, certain that it all makes sense now, but when he confronts Alicia, she points out that the math doesn’t compute. Sam suddenly feels foolish and guilty, and Alicia is hurt by his mistrust. A large argument follows, which Sam notes as the first of many. Sam heads out on his skateboard, and when he comes back, his mum is there with Rufus, having sent Alicia out for a walk. The moment is identical to his second vision of the future.

Sam’s dad finally calls him to meet the baby, and they arrange to meet at a pub with Rufus in tow. Sam’s dad annoys him at first, making crass jokes and telling Sam he has no chance with Alicia, but then Sam’s dad starts talking frankly about the reality of teenage relationships and how they often don’t last. With a baby, the likelihood is even lower, because it’s nothing but stress and focusing on the child, and Sam and Alicia do not know each other very well—much like Sam’s own parents when he was born. Earlier that day, Sam had been talking to Tony Hawk, who told him about his own father and how he died of cancer; Sam didn’t understand it then, but after talking to his dad, he realizes that maybe his father does have some value in his life. When Sam gets home, though, the thoughts of his relationship as temporary lead to a fight with Alicia, and another one a few days later. The more they fight, the easier it becomes to fight, and soon it is happening every day. Sam moves back home. He has mixed feelings about separating from Alicia and being away from his son, and wonders what to do with his time when he isn’t with Roof.

Sam reads about teenage parenthood on the internet and finds out that it’s quite common; in fact, Britain has the highest rates of teenage pregnancy in Europe. Sam realizes that this statistic is considered shameful, and that his own situation is seen as such. He reads a report that states that 80% of teenage fathers lose touch with their children within 15 years, and he becomes angry at the idea of Alicia letting that happen to him. He immediately makes his way to her house and knocks on the door of the bathroom while Alicia is taking a bath. Their conversation leads to a misunderstanding, with Alicia thinking that Sam is already seeing other girls. She threatens never to let Sam see Rufus again, but her mum intervenes and calms everyone down. Her mum explains that things get difficult and sometimes after over a decade of these challenges, some men give up. Sam realizes he has no way of skipping ahead to the future to find out if that will be him. Sam, Alicia, and Andrea go to look in on Rufus as he sleeps, and Sam wishes he could freeze the moment forever.

Sam is narrating the story of this pivotal period in his life from the age of 18, two years after the events took place, and he notes that the story’s end is still a long way away. He tries to answer what he thinks might be the reader’s lingering questions, starting with how his sister’s birth turned out. Everything went fine, and he remembers the conversation he had with his mum and Mark in the hospital when they realized just how complicated their family tree had become. Sam feels grateful to have the parents he has, and wouldn’t have it any other way. He mentions the day he had to take Rufus for his immunization, but Rufus panicked and they ended up leaving. Sam hopes that as he can learn from his mistakes and do things better the next time around. As for Alicia, Sam admits that they slept together one more time, they were caught by Alicia’s mother, who proceeded to lecture them about getting stuck with someone that they weren’t meant to be with. Ultimately, both Sam and Alicia realize she is right and decide to focus on their son. Sam concludes by stating that he feels as though he’s doing well in the life he has, but that it still isn’t the life he would have chosen.

Sam finds himself in the future once again, and this time, a few more years have passed, although he isn’t sure how many. He’s on the bus with a pretty girl, who he presumes is his girlfriend, and they’re on their way to meet Alicia and her new boyfriend. They meet at a Chinese restaurant and everyone seems friendly and satisfied, although Sam learns that he is extremely busy with school, a job, raising his son, and helping with his sister. He also learns that he no longer skates. He thinks about all the work he will need to do to get to this future and realizes that he will be able to do it, or else he wouldn’t be seeing it. It seems to Sam that this was Tony Hawk’s point all along.