Charming Memory

by E L Bossert

  Chapter Eight

  BOO, JAMIE, AND MAX settled into a weekday routine. Jamie or Shon would drive Boo in to town for her appointments, followed by lunch, a nap, an afternoon walk, and pool time for Max. Shon helped Boo order clothes online to expand her wardrobe. Jamie maintained veto power over the more outrageous of Shon’s T-shirt choices for Boo. Chief stopped by a few times to update Boo on the search for her identity and ask questions to help narrow the search field.

  Boo remembered more each day. While she recognized some names and places as familiar, none were connected yet in ways to provide definitive information about her identity. Walking along the lane and through the woods, Boo provided ongoing educational commentary, sharing the names of plants, birds, and butterflies.

  “Rose-breasted grosbeak. It must be nesting time around here.”

  “Common milkweed. It’s where the Monarchs lay their eggs and what the caterpillars

  eat.”

  “Red-winged blackbird. One of the most common birds in North America.”

  “Look, cypripediuma—a lady’s slipper. Oh, and myosotis scorpioides, also known as forget-me-not. Someone must have planted these here.”

  “We should hang a white sheet tonight, with a light behind it, and see how many moths we can attract. They should be out this time of year.” Boo’s excitement was contagious and Max was an enthusiastic apprentice.

  “You seem to have a lot of knowledge about birds and plants.” Jamie noticed how easily this part of Boo’s memory was returning. “Do you think it’s related to your job?”

  “I’m not sure, maybe. It feels like I’ve always known this stuff. The doctor said established memories would come back first. Maybe it’s just a hobby I’ve had since I was young.”

  Jamie’s phone pinged three times. She absent mindedly picked it up to check the text from Shon. “María Garcia called and wants to talk to me. Okay.”

  “María Garcia...that name...” Boo’s face conveyed the startling effect of sudden recognition.

  “Really?” Jamie shifted uncomfortably, trying to contain her unease.

  “She’s...my spouse. Do you know her?” Boo’s admission shocked both her and Jamie.

  “You’re married?” Jamie focused in on Boo’s marital status, forgetting to explain that the María Garcia in the text had been married to the same man for over 25 years. María Garcia was also a famous director, who won several awards for a film Jamie starred in.

  “I think we’re married. Is she calling about me?” Boo looked lost as she strained to sort out the memories.

  Jamie attempted to manage the confusion of feelings overtaking her, a mixture of happiness that Boo had a family who would be looking for her and loss at the thought of Boo leaving. She reached for Boo’s hand.

  “No, she’s calling about my work. I’m sorry, Boo. The María Garcia who is contacting me is married, to a man, and has been for a long time. But this is a big clue. You have a spouse who must be looking for you.”

  Jamie typed María Garcia into the search bar of her phone’s browser.

  “Only one-hundred sixty-four million results. Well, that narrows it down. Can you remember where you were married, or when, or any other details?”

  “I don’t remember where or when. I remember her family. They are somewhere in Texas. We celebrated holidays with them. Her brother is Miguel. And a niece and nephew...María and Antonio. I can’t remember his wife’s name.”

  Jamie added the new information and pressed the search button again. “Okay, that narrows it down to only three thousand four hundred and seventy nine records of a Miguel Garcia, related to a María Garcia, living in Texas. There are lots of pictures of María Garcia’s online. Let’s pull them up on the computer screen and you can look at them while I call Chief and give her the new information.”

  Boo spent the next hour looking at pictures online until her eyes glazed over.

  “I don’t see anyone I recognize. Maybe we’re divorced. We did fight about my work and my being away from home a lot.” Boo conveniently left out the part about remembering dating other women. She wondered if she had been caught cheating on her spouse.

  “I’ve heard that before.” Jamie cringed, remembering the complaints of her former partner about her work schedule. She changed the subject. “I’m headed to Fairfield after lunch to pick up Mom and Dad at the airport. Would you like to come with me?” Jamie wanted to spend as much time as possible with Boo, who might remember her name at any moment and leave her life forever.

  “Will there be enough room in the car?”

  “Sarah is taking Max with her to Marco’s soccer practice, so it’s just me. I’d love to have your company and maybe the drive will shake loose more memories. Fairfield is about an hour drive northeast of Crestwood.”

  “Sounds great. I’m looking forward to meeting your parents.”

  Between Max and Shon and the rest of the family coming and going, Boo and Jamie rarely spent a lot of time alone together. This seemed like a good opportunity to simply enjoy each other’s company.

  As Jamie’s comfort around Boo increased, she spoke more off-handedly about working in the film industry. On the drive to the airport, Jamie reminisced about locations she visited without being specific about the particular reason why she was there. Sometimes Boo would recognize a town and share a story about being in the same spot. Jamie began to wonder if they had met before, or at least been in the same place at the same time. Usually if she wondered this about someone she was talking with, she became less trustful. In Boo’s case, it made her feel more connected somehow.

  “Do you think people can start over? Build a new life, new memories? Without being captive to their past?” Boo asked what for anyone else would be an existential question, but for her was entirely practical.

  “I doubt anyone our age can have a truly clean slate.” Jamie kept her eyes on the road as she drove. “I don’t believe in destiny or anything like that. I think we learn and grow from our experiences. Everything we experience is an opportunity.”

  “I’m sure things have happened to me to make me who I am. But since I can’t remember a lot of those things, I wonder, who am I? Is this really me?” Boo silently wondered if she had ever felt about someone else the way she felt about Jamie. Given the likelihood she was married, the question seemed inappropriate.

  “I don’t think losing some of your memories changes your essence. You are kind and obviously smart and clever. You are always thoughtful with Max. You’ve been remarkably patient and positive about this whole ordeal. I think I would have been much more frustrated and angry.”

  “Really? I can’t picture you angry. Well, except maybe with your sister, but I think that’s more family dynamics than anything.”

  There had been a slow thaw of Jamie’s feelings towards her sister over the past week. Their love bound them to each other regardless of their current disagreements. Big sister being over protective of little sister was one of their on-going tensions.

  “You’ve only seen me in one place, at home with Max and my family. I can be different when I’m at work.”

  “Have you ever been in love?”

  “Yes,” Jamie consciously decided to tell the truth, “I’ve been in love a couple of times. Or at least what, at the time, I would have called being in love. I think the definition changes as I age.”

  “Do you mind if I ask what that was like? I remember being married but I don’t remember being in love. I must have been in love or at least thought I was if I married someone, right?” Boo, absorbed in sorting out her feelings, pondered her capacity to fall in love in the present moment.

  “The first time I fell in love was right after college. I was living in New York and out on location for the first time. It was a very overwhelming experience and there were all these intense emotions. Amelie was beautiful, glamorous, older than me, and I fell head-over-heals. She was kind but for her the relationship had an expiration date—the end of the job. We stretched it out
a bit, then she was off to her next job, and person, and I was left wondering what I did wrong.” Jamie had not discussed her first relationship with anyone but her closest friends. She left out the part about the seduction of shooting twenty takes of a love scene with Amelie. “It feels kind of good to remember it now. I learned a lot. It made me wiser.”

  “You said you’ve been in love a couple of times.” Boo repeated the statement without asking for more information.

  “I have. The second time—the last time—was with Jenn. We were together for seven years. She’s an artist. We met in New York, moved in together, then she moved back here with me. But there was nothing here for her. It was too quiet, and I’d be gone for weeks, or months even. It just didn’t work out.” Even years later, remembering Jenn leaving was sad for Jamie.

  “When did you decide to adopt Max? Was that something you and...Jenn wanted to do?”

  “Jenn and I talked about having kids, but always put it off. I guess after Jenn left, I realized I shouldn’t keep putting my life on hold for the next job. I always wanted kids, so I started the process. Took two years before Max came along. It was the happiest day of my life to bring my baby home. It felt like a new beginning. I’ll admit, what I’ve been putting off since then is any new romantic relationship.”

  Boo understood the statement as a clear message that Jamie was not available for a relationship. Not that it mattered since, in all likelihood, Boo herself was married.

  As they drove into the airport, Boo mused out loud, “I think this is my chance for a new beginning. I hope I don’t blow it.”

  Using the VIP entrance to the airport was a perk of Jamie’s fame. Being unseen was good for airport security because it kept people from running toward her or crowding in one place, often to the inconvenience of other passengers and families. It was good for Jamie because she could easily find her parents, grab their luggage, and be on their way before anyone discovered they were there.

  “What are your parent’s names?” Boo had only met them via video link. “All I hear is Mom and Dad, or Grandma and Grandpa.”

  “Mom’s name is Alessandra, but her friends call her Lessa. Dad’s name is Philip.”

  Jamie’s parents appeared through the lounge door, rushing across the room to hug Jamie. They recognized Boo standing demurely a couple of feet away and pulled her into the family embrace.

  “You are much taller in person. Oh my.” Lessa’s eyes twinkled as she realized Boo was the reason for Jamie’s good spirits over the past week.

  “Thank you for coming with Jamie to pick us up. I was hoping we would meet you soon.” It did not take long for Philip to come to the same conclusion as Lessa.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you both, finally, in person.” Boo felt relieved that Jamie’s parents did not seem to be as suspicious of her as Sarah was.

  “Let’s get you two home.” Jamie picked up one of the bags and directed them to the car. “Do we need to stop for anything?”

  “No, we’re fine. We had lunch during our layover in Charlotte,” Philip replied.

  Lessa sat in the front passenger seat next to Jamie, while Philip climbed in the back seat with Boo. The hour drive to Crestwood flew by as Lessa and Philip provided an update on Jamie’s aunt’s condition and recounted all of the news and gossip from her father’s side of the family.

  Sarah brought Max and the rest of the family to Lessa and Philip’s for a family homecoming dinner. The grandchildren were excited to see their grandparents, all talking over each other as they shared recent events. Max had already forgotten the harrowing experience leading to the splint on his hand. In fact, he was already having a hard time remembering his life before Boo arrived.

  Chapter Nine

  JAMIE TUCKED MAX IN after Boo had read him a story. She turned off the light in Max’s room and returned to the kitchen to finish cleaning. She saw Boo standing in the dim moonlight on the patio by the pool and contemplated for a moment the striking, noble woman. Jamie felt guilty for not telling Boo the whole truth. She took a deep breath and walked out into the pleasantly warm summer evening.

  “Thank you for joining us for family time today.” Jamie stood by Boo, looking out on the dark hills speckled with thousands of flashing fireflies. Jamie could feel the heat of Boo’s body next to her even on a warm evening.

  “Thank you for sharing it all with me. I feel very fortunate to be included. Your parents are wonderful. They made me feel very welcome.” Boo’s happy expression had the slightest hint of sadness. “I hope I have a family like that, out there somewhere.”

  “Boo, I need to tell you something.” Jamie came close to blurting out everything she had not said for the past week, but her resolve failed at the last instant. “I am flying to New York City tomorrow evening for a work meeting on Monday. I’ll be back late Monday night. Max is staying with his grandparents and they said you are welcome to stay with them also. Or you can stay here. Shon is not going with me. They will be here during the day and can take you anywhere you need to go. Bryan and Sarah and the kids will be around too. I don’t want to leave you stranded out here since you haven’t been cleared to drive yet.”

  “Would you mind if I stay here? Or I could get a room in town if you think it would be better. Well, I mean I can borrow more money from you to get a room. I don’t want to impose on your parents. Or Shon. You’ve all been extremely kind and generous. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for what you have already done for me.”

  “Repay me? Are you kidding?” Jamie attempted to act at least half as incredulous as she felt. “You are welcome to stay here as long as you need or want to stay. I want you here.” Jamie had never invited anyone to stay in her home when she was not there. Her habit of distrust and strong need for privacy kept this her sanctuary. But, for now, this was Boo’s only home. Jamie took one of Boo’s hands in hers and leaned her head toward Boo, resting it on Boo’s shoulder.

  The sheer tenderness of the moment both reassured and caught them off-guard with its intensity. Their inhale and exhale of breath co-mingled in the sweet evening air. Before Jamie could lean in for a kiss, Boo abruptly pulled away, closing her eyes and sighing deeply.

  “I should probably head off to bed now. I hope you sleep well.” Boo retreated inside to the guest room before she no longer had the will to leave Jamie’s presence.

  Jamie stood for several minutes, rooted to the spot where on the patio where she had almost kissed Boo, contemplating her increasing feelings of attraction. It was impossible to say what she did or did not know about Boo. But her own feelings were becoming clearer with each day they spent together.

  The following morning, Jamie and Boo walked carefully around the other in the kitchen. Neither wanted to give away that the night had been a dance of tossing and turning fitfully, punctuated by steamy dreams, leading to more restlessness. Fortunately Max woke up early and joined them, immediately dissolving the tension as they engaged in their morning routine.

  Jamie spent the day preparing to leave and packing Max’s overnight bag. Boo took Fred for a long walk and then sat on the patio by the pool. Through the open window, Boo heard Jamie in the kitchen on the phone.

  “Yes, Boo is staying here while I’m gone...No, she doesn’t need to go somewhere else...Yes, I’m sure about this...Why don’t you fuckin’ get over it, Sarah. I’ll tell her when I’m ready.”

  The last line of the one-sided conversation begged the question Boo had wanted to ask the past couple of days. Jamie clearly did not tell her everything. Then again, why should she? Their relationship was borne out of what? Necessity? Convenience? Pity? Part of Boo wanted to know answers to lots of questions. But for now she was taking great comfort in being in Jamie’s home, and in Jamie’s presence. And, Max also. At this point, hesitation at disturbing this routine won out over her curiosity.

  Jamie interrupted Boo’s thoughts, appearing on the patio and plopping into the chaise lounge.

  “Let’s not even pretend. I know you heard m
e on the phone with Sarah. I try to not be mad at her, but she can be so infuriating.” Jamie sighed and continued, “There was a stalker, several years ago. A real whack job. He got as close as this patio before Chief caught him. Sarah was totally freaked out. He’s in prison now, mostly for some other crimes he committed. But Sarah just became overbearing about protecting me after that, and even more now with Max here.”

  Boo’s face betrayed her alarm and concern as she listened.

  “Anytime anyone new gets close to me,” Jamie paused to compose her story, “she’s just convinced they are out to hurt me or take advantage of me. I thought when Shon first arrived Sarah was never going to let them out of her sight. She practically stalked Shon until I finally confronted her and told her if she didn’t stop I would move. It took her a while, but now she trusts Shon. I think the same will be true with you. She just can’t let herself trust you, yet. She’s not used to me having someone here that she doesn’t know.”

  “Will this whack job come back? Why would anyone want to hurt you?” Boo’s confusion mixed with a protective urge.

  “We know where he is right now. Chief will tell me if and when he is released from prison. Apparently he assaulted a prison guard, adding some time to his sentence. I try not to think about it. You can’t understand crazy. If you try it just drives you crazy and let’s someone else control your life.”

  Boo was a captivated audience, but opted to let Jamie offer the information rather than asking.

  “Is there anything I can do so Sarah doesn’t feel like I’m a threat? I could stay somewhere else?”

  “For the thousandth time, no. You will stay here. Neither of us will be happy if we give in to Sarah’s paranoia. I really believe she will come around. Now, do you have everything you need before I leave?”

  “Yes. There’s food. I have the phone. Shon will be here tomorrow morning. I don’t have any appointments. I thought while you are gone I’ll build Max a treehouse.” Boo’s smile was sly but earnest.