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“Do you remember this hospital? A year ago, Victoria drove you here. You were in bad shape. A bottle of whiskey and a fistful of pills…You were in a coma.”
“I’m telling you, I don’t remember,” Jeremy replied mournfully.
“Fuck,” Pierre whispered. “Okay, what do you remember?”
“The bottle, the joints, the pills, my living room.”
“And before that? Do you remember your life before the attempt?”
“Yes, everything.”
“And nothing after that?”
“No. I’ve told you ten times.”
“Sorry. I know it’s annoying.” Pierre sighed. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Cheer up. The tests all came back fine. Of course, the doctor didn’t really dive in. He said something about ‘likely psychosomatic causes.’ Your attempt must be the key. I thought it wasn’t a problem for you. You never talk about it.”
“It’s true,” said Victoria, “but maybe that’s because it was a problem.”
“What’s strange is the selective side of the amnesia.” Pierre paused. “In fact…you don’t know me.”
“Only by sight, from high school.”
“By sight,” Pierre repeated. “Me? Your best friend? I took care of you during your recovery. I got you home every time you got toasted…and you don’t know me. Only by sight.”
“I’m sorry.” Pierre’s presence irritated Jeremy. His questions, his exasperated affection. He wanted to be alone with Victoria, to talk to her, hold her.
“Pierre, could you give us a minute alone?” Jeremy asked dryly.
Pierre looked up, surprised.
“Of course,” he replied, trying to hide his annoyance. Then to Victoria, he said, “Don’t hesitate to call if you have news. Don’t leave me in the dark.”
Pierre’s last comment touched Jeremy. He held out his hand. Pierre shook it, leaned over, and kissed him on his cheek. “When you’re your normal self, we kiss.”
Jeremy, uncomfortable with this level of intimacy, increased the pressure of his hand.
After Pierre left, Victoria snuggled up to Jeremy, touching his face. Once again, happiness filled him.
“So, how is it my baby can’t remember me?”
“To forget you I’d have to forget the first twenty years of my life. On the other hand, I have no memory of us living together. So to see you here next to me, it’s almost…supernatural. If you tell me what’s happened over the last year, maybe that would help.”
“It seems silly for me to tell you about things we did together not that long ago, but okay. Here we go.”
She lay down next to him, took his hand, and stared at the ceiling.
“Stop me if something comes back to you,” she whispered. “Everything started during that fight with Hugo, my…fiancé…after you told me you loved me. You were on the ground, and he was out of his mind with anger. He screamed at you. He insulted you, made fun of you, and I started to defend you. I was disgusted by his brutality. He got louder, and he started saying God knows what. He even accused me of teasing you. You know, he was very impulsive. I was scared of his temper. But anyway, I told him what you said moved me tremendously.”
She laughed. “He got mad and threw a fit. That’s when I understood I couldn’t build a life with someone so…primitive. I wasn’t really in love with him. He was a pretty boy. The kind all the girls like. Foolishly, I was proud he’d chosen me. I was like that at the time.”
She lowered her voice to hide her embarrassment. “After that, I ditched Hugo and went home. And I thought about everything that had happened. About you and the way your lips quivered when you spoke. About your words, your love, so absolute. About our childhood games. I won’t lie. You weren’t really my type. You were an
old romance, a friend. I knew you were crazy about me, and I found that charming. I liked big guys, varsity players, even if I couldn’t exchange tender words with them.
“To hear your declaration—so sweet—your love and your sensitivity. It sort of clicked! Without knowing why, I had to see you. Now I think it was a premonition. I knew your address. I’d seen you watching me from your balcony often enough. Your door wasn’t locked. I called your name. When you didn’t answer, I went into the living room. And I saw you there on your couch with a bottle of whiskey beside you and the pills. I knew right away. I called an ambulance.”
She paused a moment, disturbed by the images her story brought back to life.
