She remembered her parents, her sisters, her colleagues at work, and even the name of her primary school teacher. But him? The love of her life, the man she would have married if not for the accident—he was a blank slate in her mind. Anthony struggled to wrap his head around it, his gaze fixed on the doctor, still unable to fully comprehend the situation.

The doctor performed a series of memory tests on her after hearing about the incident from the previous night. Unlike typical memory tests that involve showing pictures of loved ones, this one was more straightforward. The doctor had asked her a few random questions, and when she asked, “Where is my mum?” it was a good sign—she wasn’t suffering from permanent memory loss.

After the session, the doctor reassured Anthony that she had only experienced partial memory loss. “We just need to give her time,” he explained. “If we rush her, it might trigger more trauma, like the episode you witnessed last night.” Anthony nodded, still grappling with disbelief over the doctor’s words.

Once the doctor deemed it appropriate, he allowed her mother and sister to see her first. After a while, he instructed one of the nurses to fetch Anthony. Before the nurse left, the doctor informed her that someone was coming in to see her. He encouraged her not to be scared, explaining that they just needed to know if this person was someone she recognized. She nodded, signaling her understanding.

When Anthony entered the room, he felt a mix of hope and dread. Her reaction was calmer than the night before; she didn’t scream, but confusion was evident in her eyes. He entered with a smile, hoping that the one-in-a-million grin she used to adore would spark a memory. Instead, her expression was distant, as if she were staring at a stranger.

The doctor broke the silence, asking her if she could recognize the person standing before her. “Yes,” she replied. Anthony’s heart surged with hope, but it shattered moments later when she added, “Yesterday night in my room, he was the one that made me scream.”

The doctor’s brow furrowed as he asked her where she recognized him from. Anthony’s heart sank further, feeling the weight of her words. She had no recollection of their love, only the fear that had gripped her the night before.

But for her, it was everything. She had never felt such pleasure in her life. The way he placed his head between her legs, using his tongue to stimulate her, felt magical. She was on an exhilarating high, and she couldn’t help but exclaim, “I feel on top of the world! Please don’t stop!” as she bit her tongue and curled her legs around his neck, lost in the moment.

In the midst of this euphoric haze, she slowly began to wake up. The moment he noticed her stirring, he snapped out of his thoughts and moved closer to her. But as she opened her eyes and saw him, she screamed in fright. Confused, he tried to calm her down. “Baby, it’s me, Anthony. It’s okay,” he said softly, but she continued to scream as if she had seen a ghost.

Her cries brought the nurses rushing into the room. They quickly assessed the situation and told him to leave so they could help her calm down. From his expression, they could see he was reluctant to go, so one of the nurses discreetly led him outside, pretending she needed to discuss something important about her health. Though hesitant, he followed her.

Once outside, the nurses worked to soothe her. Although her screams had subsided, she remained visibly confused and frightened.

Meanwhile, Anthony stood just outside the door, his focus solely on her. He stared through the ajar door, barely processing what the nurse was saying. His heart raced with worry. What had caused her to scream like that? The words she had shouted echoed in his mind, leaving him baffled.

As the nurses managed to calm her down, he tried to slip back into the room, but the other two nurses blocked his way. They insisted it was best for her to be alone for now. He wanted to argue, but their firm demeanor left him no choice. The last thing he wanted was to worsen her condition, so he reluctantly stepped back.

He was taken to the reception area to wait until daybreak. At this point, sleep was impossible. His mind raced with questions: What could have made her scream when she saw him? Was she having a nightmare, or was this a common reaction for someone waking up from a coma? The uncertainty gnawed at him, but amidst the worry, there was a flicker of hope—she was awake.

Once home, he headed straight to his wardrobe, retrieving a camera that held precious moments of their life together. He carefully removed the memory card, inserted it into a card reader, and connected it to his laptop. The memory card contained three folders labeled: Best Moments, Fooling Around, and For the Kids. He stared at the folders for a moment, his heart racing, before clicking on the “For the Kids” folder.

Inside were about ten video clips, each titled with a different name. He clicked on one labeled “Pregnancy Reaction.” As the video began to play, tears streamed down his face, memories flooding back of the moment that led to the recording.

They had just finished making love, lying next to each other in the dim light of the room, completely vulnerable. She turned to him, a playful smile on her face, and said, “We haven’t used condoms for days, and I’m off my pills. I hope you’re not planning on getting me pregnant.”

“What if I do?” he replied, teasingly.

She laughed but then grew serious, expressing her fears about being a mother. Suddenly, she sat up, still naked, and said, “Show me your reaction if I tell you I’m pregnant.”

As he started to rise, she added, “Let me grab the camera. We should record this—create some pre-pregnancy memories.”

While she fetched the camera, he tied his robe, anticipation bubbling within him. The video captured their laughter, their love, and the playful banter that defined their relationship. As the clip ended, he wiped the tears from his eyes, closed his laptop, and lay back on the bed, drifting into a troubled sleep.

Three hours later, he returned to the hospital, his heart still heavy. Before heading to her room, he stopped by the doctor’s office. He laid out some of the items he had brought, seeking the doctor’s advice on which memories to share first.

The doctor cautioned against overwhelming her with too many memories at once, explaining that it could lead to a nervous breakdown. Instead, he suggested starting with smaller, more manageable memories—like how they met or their first kiss.

With that guidance, Anthony knew exactly which folder to show her first: the “Fooling Around” folder, filled with pictures from their early days as friends before they started dating. Although he wasn’t a picture person, she had a passion for photography. “Life is all about memories,” she would often say. “Capturing those moments is what makes it worth living.”

One particular picture in the folder made him chuckle through his tears. It was a snapshot he had taken of her in a public restroom during a date. She had needed to pee, but when she got there, she discovered she wasn’t just doing number one—she was doing number two. While she was in the stall, she called him, her voice urgent. “Bae, please bring my bag! I think my period came early!”

Being the perfect gentleman, he rushed to her aid, only to find out she just wanted him to snap a picture of her in that embarrassing moment.

As he recalled that day, a bittersweet smile crept across his face. He hoped that these memories would help her remember the love they shared, the laughter that filled their days, and the bond that had once felt unbreakable.

As he continued to stare at her, he noticed she was still asleep. Memories flooded back to the very first time she had slept over at his house—how beautiful she looked just lying beside him, naked. They had just finished what she had dubbed “breathtaking sex.” She had always known she loved him; for her, it was love at first sight from the very first day she saw him in the bank.

But it was after this incredible moment that she became certain she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. They started dating three months after that day she had given him a ride from the bank, and it took them another three months before they finally had sex. One of the things she had shared with him while they were still getting to know each other was that she had never had a good sexual experience. Therefore, their first time together was something both of them eagerly anticipated. For her, it was about hoping to enjoy it more than her past experiences; for him, it was about giving her the first good sexual experience she had always desired. They both looked forward to that day with enormous expectations.

It was a Friday when he closed from work and drove to her house to pick her up. They went to a buka (local restaurant) to eat. She was quite surprised when he called her to say he wanted to take her out, not expecting the destination to be Iya Mulika’s Buka. But that was one of the things he loved about himself: he was adventurous and did some quirky things that turned out to be romantic. That night was both adventurous and romantic.

After they left Iya Mulika’s Buka, where, by the way, they were the only customers that night (he had paid Iya Mulika to keep the place open for them), she thought it was unique. She had heard of people renting out cinemas or restaurants just to have a special time with their loved ones, but who rents out an entire buka and decorates it with fancy candles? That alone tickled her fancy, and she was ready for whatever plans he had next. However, that was the end of their outing for the night.

Once they got home, he took her to the bedroom and said, “I want to do some really weird things to you tonight, but I need your permission. I promise not to hurt you.” Of course, she knew he wouldn’t hurt her, but she wasn’t sure how weird his ideas might be. Still, the way he stood in front of her, holding her hands and looking into her eyes with so much passion and desire, made her feel confident enough to give him her permission. “I permit you to do weird stuff to me tonight,” she said, smiling.

He isn’t much of a bank person, and this will be his first time physically present in a bank in years; most of his transactions are done online. Upon entering the bank, he sees a long queue, but he has no option other than to join it—one more reason why he doesn’t like being in a bank.

The major reason he dislikes being in a bank dates back two or three years ago when he was robbed. He wasn’t the only victim; it was a bank robbery, and he happened to be in the bank then. Aside from the robbers stealing cash from the bank, they also took phones and any other valuables from those inside. In that chaotic process, they killed two of the security guards and one customer. Because of this traumatic experience, he vowed never to enter a bank again. However, today he didn’t have a choice; he needed the cash to sort out some important matters.

He puts his fear aside and joins the queue, hoping the line will move quickly so he can get out of the bank in no time. The line is moving swiftly, and there are now about five people ahead of him when a lady joins the queue, standing right in front of him. He isn’t too surprised; many people do this when they encounter a long line, cutting corners by claiming, “I was here before.” Sometimes this is true—some people lack the patience to stand in line and will just sit somewhere while watching it move.

When the lady joins the queue, he assumes she is one of the “I was here before” crowd, so he doesn’t say anything to her and allows her to stay. A few seconds after she joins the queue, she turns back to him and says, “I know you’re wondering if I was here before or if I just came to join the line.” He doesn’t respond; instead, he gestures with his hand to indicate it doesn’t matter. The lady continues talking, apologizing for joining the line the way she did and thanking him for being a gentleman by not making a big deal out of it.

Finally, it is his turn. He smiles at the teller as he hands over his withdrawal slip and says, “Thank you,” as the teller hands him his cash. Without wasting any time, he leaves the bank. While walking away from the bank premises, a car honks at him. At first, he thinks he might be in the way, so he moves to the side to let the car pass—only for the car to stop right in front of him. His first thought is that he is about to be robbed again, but he is surprised when the person in the car turns out to be the lady from the bank.

She asks where he is headed and offers to give him a ride. That’s when he noticed how attractive her body is. This is also the first time he realizes how persistent his wife can be. She insists on giving him a ride as a token of her appreciation for letting her jump the line.

He had no option but to go back to his car and wait. While sitting there, all he could think about was what he had planned to tell her before the accident. To this day, he still blames himself for letting her drive. All he wanted was to make that day as special as possible. He intended to give her the car as a surprise gift, which was why he had allowed her to drive that particular day. That wasn’t her first time driving; there had been a few occasions when she had driven her dad’s car to his place. But three months ago was the first time she had driven his car, and unfortunately, it ended up being the saddest day of his life.

At first, he thought he had lost her. While the car was somersaulting, he watched helplessly as she flew out of the car through the windscreen. Her body landed right in front of the car. He, who wasn’t even using his seatbelt, had somehow gotten stuck inside, but once the car landed, he found his way out, dragging himself on the ground just to check on her.

There was a lot of blood coming from his body, but that didn’t concern him; he saw her lying on the ground, eyes wide open but unmoving, with no sign of life. He couldn’t bear the thought of her dying, but what he could see at that moment was exactly what it looked like. He also blacked out after a while because the last thing he remembered was dragging himself out of the car to where she lay, and the next thing he knew, he was on a hospital bed attached to all sorts of machines.

His head and ribs were wrapped in bandages. As he opened his eyes slowly, he saw his brother and some doctors. He could feel pain radiating from his head as if a carpenter were driving a nail into it. Still, he was able to summon some energy to ask after her, but the doctors didn’t give him any updates. Instead, they told him to rest and not to worry. But how could he? He felt responsible for everything and needed to know if she was truly dead or if she had somehow survived.

Miraculously, she survived the accident, but she was far from fine; in comparison, his condition was much better than hers. Eventually, after three days, the doctors informed him of her condition, and he was allowed to see her for the first time since the accident. All he could do was shed tears.

So, as he waited in the car for the road to be cleared, he thought of all the ways he would apologize to her. Since he was discharged from the hospital, he has been working on his apology speech.

Episode 1 ends! Please expect the second episode by 5pm tomorrow (August 20th)… Thanks

Photo by Darius Bashar on Unsplash