As long as you know when you are gonna die by Monika

Desmond Hume

Desmond Hume a uniquely special character.

I want to talk about The Constant.

Desmond went through a "wormhole" (or whatever you want to call it..a window..) surrounding the island along with Sayid and Frank. Frank went a little bit of course and a side effect occurred. Desmond traveled to his past or was it another way around?

Minkawski asked: It's happening to you too?

But it doesn't.

Minkawski recognizes everything and everyone around him. He remembers the incoming calls from Penny they all ignored. Unlike Desmond who has no idea where he is. Who doesn't recognize Sayid. Who is in fact in UK, in 1996.
So, what we have is Desmond living in UK, in 1996 who saw a glimpse of future.
He saw a helicopter, he saw the freighter, he doesn't know who Sayid is because he hasn't met him yet, he got the missing part of Faradays equation, went to Oxford and made mind traveling possible for Faraday to further experiment and improve. He doesn't seem to recognize Faraday in 2004 when they met by the helicopter but he remembers Jack? Come on..He met both of them in the past. He spent more time with Faraday and whilst his life was in danger. How is it possible he doesn't remember him? I understand why Daniel doesn't (he had brain damages, but he also had written If anything goes wrong Desmond Hume is my constant, meaning he always met him) but what is the deal with Des?

If WH,H then Desmond always went to see Faraday in Oxford, Desmond always gave him the info he picked from Future Desmond..But in this case it is not WH,H, or is it? Because Desmond first turned the infamous key, he gain his ability, he met Daniel, got on the helicopter with Frank and Sayid, he flashed, Talked to Daniel, then went to see him and delivered him a massage in 1996. If WH,H this is the event Desmond would remember. It is the type of event you remember. He remembers Miss Hawking and the ring..this is far more important, it is his life we are talking about here. And this event happened only months after the events with Hawking.

But on the other hand something did happen to Des in 1996 that got him dishonorably discharged from the army. He couldn't follow orders. Why? We all saw it, because he was flashing to the future and he was disoriented. That is the main reason. So this happened first. And if we followed his life linear what would we see? We would see Des in the army, having very vivid dreams..he would seem unconscious, then disoriented, he would sort of have this crazy idea that he needs to go to Oxford and find this Daniel Faraday, then he would need to find Penny..why? Because he needs her phone number, because he is in trouble and will not call her for another 8 years..but he needs her to promise him she will not change her number and that he will call her on Christmas Eve 2004. We would be curious, how he knows all these things, who is he, what is his agenda? Then we would see him on the island, meeting Daniel Faraday by the helicopter and we would wonder how it is none of them remembers?! (these events scream John Locke and his irrational behavior on the island, his lucid dreams, his weird comments)
So what was the trigger for Des in 1996 to start acting so weird? What was the trigger for his ability to see the future, lets face it he could see future back in 1996 in a manner of speaking. There was no trigger, well at least not in 1996, we are aware of. The trigger happened in 2004. So past Des somehow experienced the future events, meaning Past Des gained the same ability Future Des gained after turning the key.
There was a nice conversation between him and the man in the Garrison..
Man asked him why would he leave the book, why didn't he bring the book with him and Des said that he wanted to avoid the temptation because this is going to be the last book he reads before he dies.
Man: As long as YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE GONNA DIE.
Des just smiled...
Because he already knows when he is going to die and let me remind you it is 1996. He hasn't turned the key yet.

He also said to Penny he will not call her for another 8 years. But 4 years later she went to L.A. to see him. It just doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't she mention that crazy event? They both acted as if he never payed her a visit. As if they never had the weird conversation about her phone number at all, ever. I am telling you people, we have witnessed both realities but we are not aware of it. Because in each reality everything is similar with small changes..the outcome is the same, Desmond always left Penny, Desmond always ended up on the island but the obstacles on the road were different.
We have two different Desmonds. One who always went to see Daniel. And another who has no recollection of Daniels existence.

See you in ANOTHER LIFE. Because sometime in the future Desmond will except his role of unique person..