AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"All I can think about is that I always wanted to leave home and that idea never set well with my father. In Cuba, family comes first, and you have to keep your people close."
He nodded his head, understanding.
"I remember when I was a little girl, ten, maybe eleven years old, and a man from our neighborhood moved to Los Angeles. He came back a year later a big shot film maker. He worked in a studio and had all these fancy clothes. That was the first time I thought I could be an artist myself, but I knew Cuba didn’t hold a lot of chances for me. "
James drank a sip of his wine and smiled. There was a calmness on his face that made me relax. Again, I realized how lucky I was to have this man on my side. How could I not marry him when just one look was enough to give me everything I didn't even know I needed? It seemed like a natural choice to me.
"Rita, this is fantastic."
"You didn't know this?"
"No, I mean, the vivacity you have in remembering this. It means your neocortex and amygdala were not affected by the accident."
Involuntarily, I smiled. Was this our life? He spoke like a genius, and I pretended to understand what he was saying? Did we sit around the dinner table while he told me about work and I smiled, fascinated by him?
"James, you know I only finished high school. How do you expect me to know what a neocortex is?" I laughed over the rim of my wine glass. He shifted uncomfortably, and I realized that I made him uncomfortable. "I'm sorry... I know this might be hard for you too."
"No, no! That's not it. I just wish I could do more for you."
The server placed the food in front of us. I wanted to dive in first, but James stopped me.
"Please, let me do it, Rita." His manners and will to make me feel special kept taking me by surprise. I couldn’t help but feel proud to be his date tonight.
He put the salad on the side of my plate and then handed it back to me. I didn’t remember ever having any Italian food other than pizza, but I guessed that he knew what I liked and what I didn’t.
"Thank you. James, you think we can talk about what happened to my head?"
I bit into one of the bruschetta, and I was pleasantly surprised with the explosion of aromas. It tasted light and savory and... expensive. I had a feeling James had a taste for expensive restaurants.
"Sure, umm, we were in Boston for a conference I had there with the Brain Genesis Medical Association and the National Surgery Association, and we had just left the venue. I don't know what happened, but I stopped to take a phone call; you weren't paying attention and ran into the street."
I was fazed by what he was saying. What the hell had I done?
"I ran in front of a car?"
"No, but you got scared by one and... the next thing I knew, I saw you going down. I think you passed out."
"Oh my God."
"I really want to take you in to Chicago General and run some tests next week."
"Yeah, I... I ran in front of a car?" A feeling of shame burst out and went straight to my cheeks. I couldn’t imagine what I put him through and now he had to deal with my memory loss. The tears gathered in my eyes because this man didn't lose his patience or his calm for a second, and I'd been expecting it since I opened my eyes. Instead, all I had been given was affection and kindness.
"Rita, don't. Have I said anything to make you sad?"
"No, but I feel like an idiot for doing something so foolish. Oh, how I've embarrassed you." I put my cold hands on my cheeks to try and cool down and keep my tears in, but one escaped anyway and ran down my cheek.
All I could think was that maybe he was with a colleague that saw his stupid, crazy wife walk straight into the Boston traffic.
"No, hey, dear!" He got up and came to kneel at my side. His hands were rubbing my thighs, trying to calm me down. "What are you talking about?"
"You were there to attend a fancy event for doctors, with your stupid wife who can't even cross the street right. And now you have to take care of me like I’m an infant because I lost my fucking memory! How the fuck am I supposed to feel if not ashamed that I'm dragging you into this?"
"Rita, don't be ridiculous; you had an accident, and there is nothing to be ashamed of."
He was still on one knee holding me, grounding me while I went through this nervous breakdown, like a lighthouse in stormy sea. We didn’t break our eye contact until the waiter cleared his throat next to us. That was when I remembered where we were, and when I looked up, I saw everyone in the restaurant watching us.
Great, my apology for embarrassing him only brought more embarrassment.
