“People think they own time. They have watches and clocks and digital pulses. But they are wrong. Time owns them."
In this very strange pronouncement, Cooney explains her rationale behind the story. People are slaves to time, helpless to change it even a little bit. Building on this idea, she imagines what would happen if time suddenly decided to exercise its full power and make humanity serve it.
“I'll take you to Mickey D's," said Sean. "I'll buy you a hamburger."
Annie was not thrilled. Sean's offer did not compare to offers made in other centuries.
"And fries," Sean said. "And a vanilla milkshake."
Annie remained unthrilled.
"Okay, okay. You can have a Big Mac."
Romance in my century, she thought, is pitiful.”
Annie spends the majority of her time reading Victorian romance novels, so her expectations surrounding romance are high. As a teenager, Sean has no idea what Annie thinks is suitable in their relationship. If she asks him to surprise her, he takes her to McDonald's. Needless to say this is not impressive to Annie. She longs for another time when social convention was more strict.
“Strat yearned to imagine her without even the thin white dress, but it would not be honorable, so he prevented himself from having such a fantasy.”
When Stratton meets Annie, he's immediately attracted to her. In his defense, she's wearing clothes so revealing for his time that he's never seen so much of a woman. His propriety, however, is so deeply ingrained in him that he does not permit the thoughts to linger. There may be more to his sexual repression than meets the eye.
“Who was Florinda, and why did she faint so often that she needed a special couch on which to do it?”
Annie is not prepared for the dramatic entrance of Florinda into her 19th century social life. Delicate as a flower, Florinda quickly wins Stratton's affections, though she does not do it to hurt Annie. Annie, on the other hand, is more than a little spiteful toward Florinda. She simply can't compete with Florinda's childlike dependency.
