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Carefully, she stood and watched as the wave of water sloshed down toward the taps. The noise it made was deafening. She stood in the middle of the bath, naked and dripping. Once she had dried herself off and stepped into her fluffy bathrobe, Lorelei took a deep breath and made her way down the stairs.
“There you are,” Vince looked up at her and grinned. “Come, sit. It’s ready to be served.”
Lorelei did as she was told. She sat in front of her place setting and watched as Vince pulled a glass dish from the oven heaping with a mix of steaming, melted cheese and tomato sauce, covering thick strands of pasta. He put the dish in the center of the table then began serving it.
Since she’d gotten home, there had been so much weighing on her. It had taken its toll, physically and mentally. Now she found herself without an appetite and almost no cravings. Luckily for her, Vince hadn’t taken it personally. He’d explained that usually she was the one who did the cooking, so he didn’t blame her for finding his food unappealing. They’d shared some laughs over that, at least.
After Vince piled pasta onto her plate, he sat beside her and began to eat. Lorelei couldn’t bring herself to pick up her fork, let alone try a taste. There were too many thoughts whizzing about her mind, keeping her distracted. Flashes of memories were the only things she had left. Unfamiliar faces with unfamiliar words. More than that, she knew her husband was hiding things from her.
“What’s the matter?” Vince asked, dabbing the corners of his mouth with a napkin. “Is it no good?”
“It’s fine,” she replied.
“Something’s wrong. What is it? You can tell me.”
Lorelei looked into her husband’s eyes. Splinters of memories flitted through her mind. Images of his laughing face, his eyes surrounded by happy wrinkles.
Now, as she looked at him, all she could see was worry. It was written all over his face, the questions had burned themselves into his skin.Where has my wife gone?Will our lives ever return to normal?How long is this going to last?
Lorelei couldn’t help but feel guilty for bringing this to him. She’d lost every important memory of their life together and she had no idea how she was going to get them back.
“Honey?”
Vince’s voice brought her back to the present. She blinked rapidly and forced her eyes to focus.
“I’m here,” she said, breathing heavily.
“What is it?” His hand reached across to hers and clutched it, his fingers wrapping around her palm to squeeze it tightly.
“I’m just trying to remember.” Tears filled her eyes, causing her vision to blur.
Vince’s other hand reached for her cheek. The backs of his fingers brushed her skin. “Don’t force it. We have all the time in the world. I’m not going anywhere.”
Lorelei couldn’t help but feel that was a lie. There was only so much of this he was going to be able to tolerate. She didn’t know when he would give up on her. It might take two, five, or ten years … or it could be as little as six months. There was an expiration date on their relationship now. She could feel it looming, somewhere in the distant future, and the pressure was overwhelming.
There was one question she’d been scared to ask him. It was something he’d wanted to keep secret, trying to bury far enough down that Lorelei would never find out about it.
The girl.
Every now and then, she felt something was missing. Someone.
She could see the girl’s face in her mind, clear as day, as if she were sitting at the table with them. Her wavy, golden-brown hair was long and luscious. Her wide jaw, ski-slope nose, and pale skin elevated her to model standards of beauty. The girl’s deep blue eyes refused to budge from Lorelei’s mind. They were penetrating, calling out to her from the blackness.
“Who was she?” Lorelei blurted. She hadn’t meant to ask it so bluntly. Nervously, she glanced at her husband.
His lips were pressed tightly together. He looked down to his food and picked up his knife and fork.
“You know who I’m talking about,” Lorelei said. “That girl. The young one.”
Vince squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled through his nose.
“It’s okay,” Lorelei said. “I want to know.”
“You don’t,” Vince snapped. “That was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in my entire life. She’s gone and she’s never coming back. You don’t have to worry.”
Lorelei folded her hands into her lap. Those deep blue eyes and the girl’s smiling lips pulsed behind her eyes. They were taunting her, teasing her, reminding her of everything she’d lost.
“That’s a shame.” Lorelei sighed.
