It's a Start

I pulled on my jacket and admired my white nails that I painted just yesterday. The six o’clock mark was coming up and it was time for another fun night at work.

Arriving home last night, I sat on the couch with Craig for a little while and told him about work. It was then that I realized that I didn’t know the stranger’s name that I met, which was odd since he knew my name.

Craig was almost done packing and he would probably be putting those boxes in the back of his car soon. It was sad to think about him leaving and I really didn’t want him to, but I guess we had to go our ways. Every day I saw his face, the overwhelming guilt washed over me and I just wanted to remember everything– every touch, every hug, every kiss, every conversation, and everything about him. I was beginning to think that I wanted his fiancé back more than he did.

I added a little more makeup under my eyes, hiding the dark circles, and made sure I had everything I needed for work. “I’m heading out, Craig!” My head leaned against the bathroom door where he was taking a shower.

“Alright! Have fun!” He called back. “Andrea, wait!” I turned back around as the water shut off and the door opened a second later with him flashing me. My hands abruptly covered my eyes with a giggle and he laughed embarrassingly. “Sorry. Um, you have an appointment with Dr. Carr tomorrow at eleven thirty.”

“Okay,” I laughed a little since I was still covering my eyes. I slowly dropped them when he told me to and he was hiding his lower half behind the door, his hair dripping.

“Do you want me to go with you?” I nodded and gave him a smile before walking down the hall and outside.

Of course I wanted him to go with me. What if we obtained news about my amnesia and Dr. Carr told us that my memory was going to come back? He had to be there for the good news. I didn’t have time to think about the negative part because I had to focus on work. When I stepped out of the room, there weren’t that many people compared to last night so Mindy and I got to talk more.

She asked me what was up with me again. I sighed, rubbing my head and leaning against the back counter with the corner of the register digging into my back. She wiped down the counter after handing two beers to a young girl. She had to be younger than me.

“So, what? Are you a mom, junkie, druggie looking for money to get more dope? Come on, I won’t judge.” She insisted while I chewed away at my cheek. That was also a bad habit.

I played with the hem of my shorts and stared down at my shoes. Gathering my thoughts was pretty hard because I had to think of what to tell her. Do I tell her about Craig and how awful I feel because of it all? What about my parents and how they didn’t come to my rescue?

“Andrea? If it’s that hard to talk about, then tell me when you’re ready. I don’t want to force you, sweetheart.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s about time I talk about it.” I shrugged as she put her arms around me and rubbed my back soothingly. She took me into the back room and someone else took over for us. She sat me down on the couch and crossed her legs, turning her upper body toward me. “I lost my memory,” is how it started. Once I spilled everything onto the table, she was on the verge of tears.

“I’m a fucking tough-ass-cookie and that’s the first time I’ve wanted nothing more than to cry.” She mumbled with her chin on my shoulder in another hug. I was crying to, but I tried not to mess up my mascara. “You’re strong, Andrea, I can see it in you. Fuck, poor Craig,” she muttered to herself, shaking her head slowly.

It felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. Finally! Someone else besides Craig and I knew of my condition. Mindy was a good person to tell because like she said– she wouldn’t judge.

We went back out to the bar and got back to work. Moby was taking a break from standing, sipping on a beer at the counter closest to the backroom. He asked us if we were okay and I nodded, hugging him back when he put his arm around my waist. These were people I could trust, maybe the first ones outside of Andrea’s old life. I felt pretty damn good about that.

Around eight thirty, I watched the clock closely and decided to take my break then. The stranger and I were due to meet again tonight and oddly, I was eager to see him. I slipped on my jacket and grabbed my bag to head outside toward the street. All the while, I was looking up at the top of the structure to see if I could spot him.

“You never told me your name last night,” I said while strutting toward the wall that he was leaning against.

Once I was stood in front of him with my arms crossed, he smiled at me and stood straight, towering over me again. “John,” he stuck out his large hand. “John Cornelius O’Callaghan V.”

“Are you always this formal with strangers?” I laughed lightly while shaking his hand.

“Only pretty ones.” I immediately blushed and moved toward the wall to look down at the street of cars. “No thanks, I quit,” he replied when I offered a fresh pack of cigarettes.

“You were smoking one last night?” He was, right? He definitely was.

He nodded, “I was, but I quit a while ago. I just needed an excuse to talk to you.”

An intrigued smile came on my face as I stared at him. “What would you do if you came over here like last night and saw that I was some weird looking hooker?”

“Well, I’d probably get laid, so that would be a bonus for me,” he shrugged, looking straight ahead while I laughed. “What would you do if I came over here like last night and you found out that I was some sex-crazed rapist?”

“Probably kick you in the crotch and punch you in the nose.” The stick sat between my lips for a brief moment before I pulled it away and blew the smoke out. The entire time he was watching me closely.

“What if I caught you, though?”

“Scream.”

“Covered your mouth?”

“Bite you.”

“You still wouldn’t get away. I’m pretty strong.”

“Really?” I questioned with testy eyes. He nodded confidently. “Big Moby would notice that something was up and he’d find me and crush you.”

The boy laughed, “Who the hell is Big Moby, your pet whale?”

“My boss.” I clarified.

“Why is his name ‘Big Moby’?”

I breathed in and out, flicking the ash off over the edge. “I’ve heard he has a big penis, but I’ve never seen it and I don’t plan on it.” Credit to Mindy, by the way.

John laughed loudly and I almost imagined the whole town hearing it. The people walking below us probably could. I watched him smile big, eyes crinkling in the corners again and it caused me to smile a little. “You’re funny, Andrea. I like that.”

“Thanks.” The last of my cigarette burned and I stubbed it out, throwing it somewhere else. John and I were silent for a few minutes, maybe both of us thinking quietly while looking around the town.

“Are you going to tell me your story now?”

I was about to say something, but my phone vibrated in my bag and Mindy had sent me a text. Big crowd coming and I need your help. “Sorry, I have to go back to work.” I backed away from him with a small wave.

“Andrea, wait,” he called behind me and I stopped. He jogged over to me and looked around for a second. “Do you– would you maybe want to get lunch tomorrow?”

Shivers went down my back and I nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Awesome, um, can I have your number so I can let you know where we could eat?”

Shame washed over me and I scrunched my nose. “I don’t know my number.”

He didn’t question me after a look of confusion crossed his face. “That’s alright, I’m sure I can find it somewhere.” He held out his hand and I tapped my hands on my thighs while watching him search through my phone to find my number. Once he did, he took a similar phone out and typed it in, saving it as Andrea. “Cool, so I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Talk to you later,” I said while stepping backwards and getting back to work.

Mindy was right; the group was big. They were thirsty, wanting anything we had available. I tried to keep up and I did, happily sighing when the place cooled down. Moby sent me a big smile as I cleaned off the counter and I had a feeling that was because of the group that just passed through. When the place started dying down, I came out from behind the bar and cleaned off the tables like I was supposed to. A rag tucked in my back pocket; I picked up the empty glasses and brought them behind the counter to put in the bucket full of soapy water.

Mindy was sat at an empty table, leaning back in the chair while playing around with the ring on her finger. She was happily married– something I didn’t mention before that I forgot about. I’d never seen what her husband looked like until tonight when he came in through the front doors and greeted Mindy with a kiss.

For a brief moment I envied her because she was happy, but I pushed those thoughts out of my head when she came over with him and introduced us. He greeted me with a loose handshake and friendly smile before Moby came over and clapped him on the back. Mindy smiled a little and had me follow her to get her things.

I put my jacket on and pulled my hair out from under. “Thanks for helping today, girly. I’m glad Mobs hired you.” She said before hugging me around the shoulders while she held her bag. I thanked her and she gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’ll see you on Monday, yeah?” I nodded and grabbed my bag, saying goodbye to Moby, Jasper (Mindy’s husband), and Mindy before going out the backdoor.

The drive home was quiet and I was looking forward to going to sleep straight away.