Forgotten Memories

He’s got a familiar face but I cannot place it from my memory. He smiles at me with love in his eyes but he is a stranger to me.

“Amanda. I have missed you so. Do you remember when we used to walk along the beach, picking seashells washed over by the sea?”

She stares.

“Our son has gotten a job in this advertising firm. He’s new and starting as a clerk but I’m sure he’ll be okay. He’s got ambition, our Davey does, so I’m sure he’ll go far.”

She frowns.

“Do you know that Mrs. Silva was picked up by the police the other day. It turned out that she’s a wanted woman for burning down a house. I knew there was something wrong with her what with her fascination with matches and always putting up a bonfire.”

She nods.

“The flowers in your garden are blooming now and everyone’s commenting on how beautiful they were. There’s yellow and red and pink and white and they make the house look so inviting.”

She struggles to understand what the man was saying. He seems to have that look in him. Like he’s almost at the end of his rope when he’s just about to lose hope in everything.

But the memory refused to flow and instead a white blank wall keeps on showing. She wonders if she’s losing her mind and was fretful because of it.

“I will come back again tomorrow at the same time. Maybe you will remember something then.”

She smiled and started to speak but no words come out of her mouth.

He walked away with a heavy heart, the weight of the world on his shoulder. He does not know how much longer he can keep on doing this, how much longer he can hold on.

As he walks inside the house they shared, her presence was palpable in this place. It is present in the picture frames she lovingly put up around the house ensuring a reminder is there in every corner. She’s there in the lovely books she kept in the library for times when she needed to be alone. He remembers her in the rocking chair she used to occupy on days when the rain keeps them in. It was all there around him, making it more difficult to come home each day.

But he knew he’d be lost without her presence, her memory erased from this place. No matter how much his heart is breaking, he cannot let her mind go to rest.

He finds himself again visiting her at the hospital. He wanted to keep her home so he can take care of her himself. But the doctors do not agree citing that she needed special attention.

There she is, framed by the light, seated near the window. She’s probably looking at the flowers again, the one that’s planted at the side of the hospital.

“Good morning Amanda! Did you have a good night sleep?”

She stares.

“Oh. I have so much news for you today and I’m sure you will enjoy them.”

She nods.

“It is my birthday today Amanda, I’m sure you would have remembered if you can. I baked a cake in the oven and brought them here so we can share it.”

She frowns.

“It is not much and I think I ruined it because it’s now in a haphazard shape. I was trying for a round cake but I think I somehow made it into an oblong.”

She smiled.

“Happy Birthday Paul. Thank you for visiting me. I have missed you so.”

And with those words, the dam of emotion started to crack. Tears started to fall endlessly as he held her in his warm embrace.

“Oh. Amanda. You remembered! Thank you. And I have missed you so much too.”

He hugged her fiercely, afraid to let her go. He’s fearful that she will forget him again. He lives for these moments of being remembered, the times her memory does not fail her.

But after a while she started to struggle and the fear started to creep in his heart once more.

“Let me go! Who are you? I don’t know you!”

“Amanda. It’s okay. It’s me Paul.”

“I don’t know you!”

“It’s okay. Hush now darling, everything’s going to be alright.”

She stared at him like he is a stranger. Each look is like a dagger in his heart. He will suffer all the days of her forgetting for that one moment of remembering.

His face seems familiar but I cannot place it in memory. He keeps on smiling like I'm supposed to know him but he is a stranger to me.


This is my entry to the short story contest at Write Stuff. Try your luck if you want to or read the other great stories written by fellow bloggers. The contest ends at 4pm Central on the 7th of September. The winner will be decided by the votes cast in. So do please have a read at all the entries and vote for the one that you like best.

Suspicion almost killed the cat

On the prompt "Dear Diary" from Sunday Scribblings,, I started writing and found myself almost completing an article before I figured that I should be writing something that actually happened to me. My imagination ran away ahead of me and I didn't want to waste my effort so I figured I might as well post it here.


I saw him today. At the corner of the street, waiting for the red light to turn green so he can cross over to the other side. He swept his wind-blown hair in a manner that is so like him that I can’t help but smile.

Walking a few steps behind, I allowed him to lose me in his sight as I don’t want him to realize that I am stalking him. I saw him turn left, walking in a haphazard fashion but in such a hurry that he would have passed his surroundings in a blur.

Then I realized belatedly that he is carrying flowers. I stopped in my tracks and my heart beat faster when it suddenly dawned on me that he might be meeting a woman for a rendezvous.

I felt a pain in my chest and I wondered if I am having a heart burn or a heart attack. Such was the pain that I had to stop and sit in a chair while I try to recover.

My phone rings as I was about to go. It was him, checking where I was. Maybe making sure that I do not discover him.

I stood up, determined to find him again. Going through the maze of the place, a throng of people are out and about. It is a place that one could get lost to if unfamiliar or if you’re not careful about the turns you make.

Framed by the sunlight, I saw him seated at our usual place. I walked slowly, savoring the picture he portrays.

As I come closer, I suddenly became aware of the flowers at one of the seats. I was confused but I seated myself beside him.

My confusion was doubled when he presented the flowers to me, a brilliant smile pasted on his face.

It then suddenly dawned on me. I have forgotten that we agreed to meet that day, he was insistent that there be no delay.

I felt chagrin that I thought the worse when he was thinking about me.

The next part of it was a blur. I saw him reach inside his pocket and in his hands I saw a small black box. He opened it and there I saw the most beautiful ring in the world.

He has asked me to marry him on that day, the day when my trust was sorely tested. A test that I easily failed.

As embarrassed as I was about my suspicions, I still wholeheartedly said, “Yes.”

Sorry

The smell of her favorite perfume wafted through the air. Her temper rises as she looks for her daughter.

“Angelica! You’re playing with my perfume again!”

“No Mama, I was not.”

“That is a very expensive perfume and you’re playing with it.”

“No Mama. I was not playing!”, her daughter insists.

Her temper rises further and she holds her daughter steady and spanked her for lying and wasting her perfume.

As she starts to calm down, she notices a card lying inside her daughter’s room. She opened the card and felt a heart-wrenching pain when she saw a Mother’s Day card with the smell of her perfume on the paper.

What have I done?, she asked herself.

She went out and looked for her daughter again, her heart filled with endless guilt.

As she embraces her in her arms, tears kept on falling down her face. And the only thing that she could say was “Sorry”.



-- dedicated to my twin sister Malou and my pretty little niece Louise

Strangers

The ray of the early morning sun feels good on my skin. I squint my eyes to hide from the sunlight. A slight breeze blows, playing with the skirt of the woman in front of me. Today seems to be different. I woke up with a feeling that something good will happen today. I do not remember any special occasion, no forgotten birthdays or anniversaries. And yet, I feel like today is meant to be celebrated. A smile plays on my lips and it brought a glow on my face. I feel good, light hearted and generally content.

I waited at the bus stop for several minutes. When my bus did arrive, it was full and I had to wait for another one. I shifted on my feet, eager to get to where I am going. Minutes pass by, cars moving swiftly before my eyes. My mind is engaged on thoughts that refuse to be formed, result of a mind that is still half-asleep. As I look up I saw my bus arriving. This time it was not so full and I was able to board ahead of the others.

The variety of faces and expressions one can see is part of the things I like in a crowd. Someone yawning, a woman trying to look indifferent but managing to look bored. A man is nodding his head in sleep. Three teenagers chatting loudly about nothing and everything. A grandmother reads newspaper, a guy listening to rock music. Bland expressions, not a single smile on a passenger’s face.

Suddenly, I met the eyes of a stranger. Eyes peering at me in a way that brought chills down my spine. A familiar face? Somehow, I knew I have seen him before but I cannot place him in my memory. I broke the eye contact and tried to look unaffected. When I look back at him again, he is still staring at me with an intensity that I find disturbing. Do I know this man? I am sure I would not have forgotten him. He has a good face, not one you will forget so easily. Slightly long brown hair, curling lazily at his shoulder. He has the look of a confident man who has no care in the world. He sports a smile that puts a glint in his brown eyes, red lips and a proud nose. This is a man who is self assured, good looking and he knows it. But not arrogant. He has a warm smile that invites conversation or a smile back. I find myself reciprocating his smile.

A woman in front of me is alighting so I am able to take her seat. Although our stare is broken, I can still feel his eyes behind my back. I closed my tired eyes to give them a short rest. Lost between the plane of sleep and wakefulness, I allowed myself to close out the crowd. Now, their sound is like a distant noise, still there but no longer in focus. My mind still refuses to give coherent thoughts. The strong espresso I had did not really help in waking up my senses.

The strong sensation of being watched made me open my eyes. The stranger is now sitting in front of me. Again, he gave me that devastating smile that brings butterflies to my stomach and a flutter in my heart. We stare at each other like lovers returning in each other’s arms, speaking to one another through our eyes.

Dismay filled my whole body when I saw that I have almost reached my destination. I look up at him and he realised that we will be parting soon. He tried to speak but he was interrupted by the woman beside him who was intent on alighting from the bus. I look at him again, my eyes beseeching him to do something. He held one of my hands, silently asking me to stay. I gave him a sweet, sad smile already regretting his loss. But he tugged my hand again insisting that I stay.

-0-

The sky is full of stars tonight. The moon hides behind a group of clouds. There is a warm breeze blowing my hair and refreshing my face. The streetlights and the lights from surrounding skyscrapers illuminate the night. Sweet music coming from a distant place hinting of love lost and yearnings. Muted conversations add a friendly tone to the night.
My hand is laced with my lover’s hand, not wanting to let go even for a minute. Staring into his eyes, I again feel the love that he has given me freely. He still brings butterflies to my stomach and fills my whole being with excitement. We complete each other and fill the void in each other’s lives. Lovers and friends, we have long ago ceased to be strangers.


I posted this entry in Friendster on May 2005. Saw it again today and I thought I'd post it here. Nope, it is not a personal story but the work of a creative mind. =)