by Stan Mason
‘I’m really sorry about that,’ he apologised although it was not his fault. ‘Your attacked has been caught and I’ve just learned that he hanged himself in prison. Losing his life is punishment enough. But unfortunately it doesn’t help you.’
‘Hanged himself!’ she repeated not knowing how she should feel about the man’s demise. ‘How terrible!’
‘Not so. He deserved to die. The laws are very strict here. Ifg someone resorts to violence, he has to be punished severely.’
She stared at his faced trying to recall when they were supposed to have met but nothing came. ‘I don’t remember you at all. Not at all.’
‘Well never mind,’ he returned sympathetically. ‘Your husband has employed me to report to him how you’re getting on. Let me tell you what little I know about you. You’re Diana Templeton, married to Charles, a senior Civil Servant, You have a house in Berkshire with five bedrooms and a large garden. You have two children, a boy and a girl, aged twenty-two and twenty accordingly, who have both left home to lead their own lives. Money is not a problem as you are fairly wealthy. You don’t need to go to work. And that just about sums you up. You came on holiday to Agadir and was shot by a man who tried to rob you. Do you have any questions.
‘Oh yes!’ she remonstrated forcefully. ‘I have lots of questions. It’s just that I can’t seem to think of them at this precise moment. My mind is a void. I can’t remember anything. Why is the man who calls himself my husband not here himself.?’
Ahmed smiled at her uneasily. ‘There are husbands and husbands,’ he replied enigmatically.
‘What does that mean?’ she asked, confused by his answer.
‘Well,; he continued, trying to make his reply as pleasant as possible so as not to upset her. ‘Your husband is a senior Civil Servant and he has great responsibilities resting on his shoulders. There are matters to which he must respond quickly as a lot depends on his judgement. So it’s not possible for him to be here with you.’
‘Don’t you think that wives and families are far more important than work?’ she retorted angrily. ‘Surely he can delegate the work to subordinates for a short while. I mean if he was rub over by a bus would the world come to an end? Would it stop in its tracks in confusion? I don’t think so.’
‘I cannot reply to hypothetical questions, Diana,’ he told her informally, using her first name as a sign of endearment. ‘All I can tell you is that I’m here to help you in any way I can and to report your progress to your husband.’
‘Well as far as I’m concerned, there hasn’t been any progress’ she continued dolefully. ‘I still can’t remember anything. So were does that leave you?’
‘There was something you mentioned at our last meeting. Perhaps it might act as a trigger to your memory. You said that you dreamed about me, or someone like me, but you refused to tell me what went on between us in your dreams. Maybe you can dream again. It might bring something back‘
‘Dreams!’ she thought to herself. ‘If only I could enjoy one.’ The words had no meaning to her in her present condition. Her mind was completely blank. There was no emotion, no ideas, no planning, no intent on revenge for the attack by the gunman.....
absolutely nothing!
Chapter Three
It was almost a week later when the first development occurred. The precious gift endowed to Diana returned to her at last.. When she finally fell asleep that night, she began to dream again. It so happened that Ahmed’s image appeared to her to start it off. The vision she could see in her mind’s eye seemed to be so real. Even though she could not recall anything that happened in the past, his face was exactly the same as she had seen in previous dreams. As her head moved slightly on the pillow, her mind moved to a wide stretch of the Sahara Desert as she watched the sun go down before entering a nearby Bedouin tent. Inside, she found herself moving towards the outstretched arms of the young handsome dark-skinned man but this time she was fully dressed. They kissed wantonly but all the time there was a strange feeling for the pain she suffered drove right through her head. As her mind
was completely blank, she was unable to compare it with the dreams she had experienced before coming to Morocco. Suddenly, the pain in her head seemed to ease and she found herself removing her clothes and pulling off her lover’s shirt. On this occasion, there were no inhibitions. Both she and her lover flirted for a few minutes and then he pointed to the straw bed laying on the sand on one side of the tent. In their nudity, they folded their bodies into each other, moving their hands over erogenous areas of their bodies to stimulate their excitement before entering into an intimate sexual relationship. Then, almost as quickly as it had started, the dream came to a sudden end. Her mind went blank and she opened her eyes ti see the moon reflecting its light through a gap in the curtains. She tried to recall the substance of the dream but the essence of it had vanished into infinity. She could remember nothing about it and then the miserable persistent pain shot through her head again. She reached out to take the medication left on the side table to ease the pain and lay back on the bed in desolation. Tears of frustration started to run down her cheeks. In her opinion, life was never going to get any better. She would ostensibly be an invalid with no mind at all. Furthermore, staying at this hospital would do her no good and a desperate urge seared across her brain overwhelmed her. She had no idea where she would go and no plan had formed in her mind with regard to her future. Springing into action, she lifted the sheet from her body and sat up on the edge of the bed. She swayed there for a few minutes trying to pluck up courage to place her feet on the floor. The same dull pain went through her head again and she moved forward to stand up. It was as thought the world was about to collapse. She almost fell down as a bout of dizziness overcame her and she managed to climb back on the bed. She paused for a while and then tried again but fell back on the bed with tears continuing to run down her face. She was a prisoner in this hospital with no means of escape, considering that this was the hell in which she would spend the rest of her life. Why was this happening to her? She had done nothing to offend the Gods Why were they picking on her? Undaunted, she attempted to stand on her feet again but this time she collapsed and fell heavily to the floor. As she lay fully-stretched, unable to move, she cried out at the top of her voice. Was there no mercy in this world? It was fortunate for her that the nurse happened to be on duty and was passing the room when Diana fell. She heard the thud of the patient’s body hitting the floor and then the cry for help, so she hurried into the room to investigate. She helped Diana to her feet and got her back into the bed, calming her and forcing her to swallow some tablets which soon put her to sleep. A little later on, the nurse spoke to the doctor about the incident and he pulled a face at his patient’s dilemma.
‘She needs someone to be with her during the day,’ he responded without knowing how to solve the problems.
‘Why don’t we send in Mrs. Naylor....the English woman in Dr. Mahmoud’s care?’ suggested the nurse sagely. ‘You know, the one suffering from cancer. She’s English and she could keep Mrs. Templeton company.’
The doctor nodded his agreement and asked the nurse to approach the woman to solicit her assistance. It seemed to be the only immediate solution to the problem.
* * *
On the following morning, Berry Naylor entered Diana’s room and sat on the chair at the side of the bed.
‘My name’s Betty,’ she greeted warmly as Diana stared at her in a confused fashion. ‘It’s a terrible name, isn’t it? But that’s what it says on my birth certificate. You’d think my parents would have called me Elizabeth or Lisbeth but no....that would be too much to ask. It’s plain and simple Betty.’
Diana stared at her bleakly. ‘Why are you here?’ she asked bluntly.
‘To keep you company of course,’ came the reply. ‘You must be lonely laying in this bed all day and night with no memory at all. The nurse t
old me all about you.’ She shrugged her shoulders and screwed up her lips. ‘To tell you the truth, sometimes I feel exactly the same way....all alone with no one to speak to. Worst still, I don’t speak Arabic which means I can’t communicate with anyone here. But you’re in for the long stay and you’re British.... thank God! Mind you, I’d rather forget most of my memories. I’ve been mistreated most of my life so there’s not a lot worth remembering.’
‘Why do you stay here then?’
‘That’s a long story, dear.’
‘This is a hospital,’ uttered Diana clearing her throat. ‘And you’re here.’
‘That’s right, dear. This is a hospital.’
‘What’s wrong with you?’
The woman gave a raucous laugh before replying. ‘What’s wrong with me? The bottom line is that I’ve got cancer of the pancreas. It’s incurable but I’ve been treated by Dr. Mahmoud, a scientist attached to the hospital. He’s brilliant!’
‘Dr. Mahmoud?’
‘Yes. He’s a scientist...not a doctor within the hospital. He has a small laboratory in the annex. He works on a science that uses extracts from flowers and plants to cure people.....and I can tell you he’s very successful. I’d have been dead two years ago if it wasn‘t for him. As I said he’s brilliant!’
Diana began to show some interest in the woman’s plight and she sat up in bed to listen to her. For a moment she felt a savage pain in her head but it passed quickly. ‘Doctor Mahmoud,’ she repeated slowly. ‘Do you think he might be able to help me?’
‘I’m sure he can,’ replied Betty optimistically, ‘but you’ll have to get special dispensation from the hospital to come under him. He’s a very busy man.’ There was a pause as Diana stared at the distant wall vacantly. ‘I tell you what I’ll do. When you feel read I’ll take you to him and we’ll find out whether he’s willing to take you on.’
‘Good idea,’ responded Diana eagerly, although her mind was practically in a dream.
Betty prattled on throughout the day, delighted to be able to talk at length to someone in English. She was never short of words. They spouted from her mouth like Tennyson’s bubbling brook flowing on for ever. Towards the end of the afternoon, despite a torrent of information that her visitor expounded about her life, Diana fell off to sleep. Listening to Betty over a long period of time was more than she could take. Immediately her mind went to Ahmed in the tent in the Sahara Desert and she uttered a moan as the scene was to her satisfaction. After a short while, Betty realised that continuing her dialogue was futile and she left to go to her own room. Sadly for Diana, just as before the dream ended abruptly and she awoke bleary-eyed before it developed. By now her plight was becoming desperate. She was all alone in a strange hospital in a foreign country and the man who alleged to be her husband had abandoned her. She was visited regularly by a lawyer whom she did not know and a woman suffering from cancer kept visiting her and she would not stop talking. The situation was an absolute nightmare. When was it going to end?
* * *
The next day, Betty entered the room with a big smile on her face.
‘How are you today, dear?’ she asked warmly. ‘I’ve just seen Dr. Mahmoud and he’s cleared me to leave this damned place. I’m off to England in the next few days. The doctor’s in his laboratory so it might be a good time to go and see him.’
With nothing else to do, Diana pulled back the sheet on the bed and climbed out relatively easily. ‘Thank Heavens that awful dizziness has gone,’ she thought to herself placing her feet firmly on the floor. Then she started to sway a little.
Betty became concerned and then left the room to return shortly with a wheelchair. ‘Here, love,’ she commented. ‘Climb into this and I’ll wheel you there.
‘Okay,’ said Diana putting on her dressing-gown and climbing into the vehicle. ‘I’m ready to see your quack.’ She regretted having made the comment, noticing the effect the lack of respect had on her visitor.
‘He’s not a quack!’ retorted Betty loyally with a tinge of anger in her voice. ‘He saved my life!’
Diana shrugged her shoulders aimlessly as Betty wheeled her out of the room into the corridor. They made their way to the far end of the hospital and entered the annex. Betty knocked on the door and entered unannounced. Dr. Mahmoud looked up at them with surprise.
‘Dr. Mahmoud,’ began Betty earnestly. .This is Diana Templton, a friend of mine, who’s a patient at this hospital. She was shot at the back of the head by a gunman and it caused her to lose her memory.’ He stared at Diana as she sat quite still in the wheelchair. ‘I know you’re a very busy man, Dr. Mahmoud,’ went on Betty, unabatedly ‘but she’d like you to take her on as your patient.’
The scientist rubbed one hand across his goatee beard and stared at the two women. ‘I would like to do so but my work already fills my day. I cannot take on any more patients at this particular time. I’m sorry but my list is full.’
Betty pulled a face at his response but she refused to back down. ‘She’s just one more patient, doctor, and you’re releasing me so you have space for one more. Surely you can fit her in. I mean she’s a patient in this hospital. You don’t have to spend time going on visits.’
‘I’m sorry,’ he told her adamantly. ‘I can’t take on any more patients at this time. I’m her for twenty-four hours a day as it is. My work would be affected if I became too tired or jaded. I would like to help you but it’s not possible.’
Betty pointed to Diana with sadness showing in her eyes. ‘This woman has no memory. She doesn’t know who she is or what went on before in her life before she was shot. Can you imagine how she feels laying in a hospital bed all day and night with nothing going through her mind. Please show some mercy!’
He shook his head slowly. ‘As I said....it’s not possible.
‘And that’s your final answer.’ The words were fired like an arrow from a crossbow.
‘I have work to do, Mrs. Naylor,’ he added finally hoping to dismiss them quickly. ‘Please close the door on your way out.’
The cancer patient felt inflamed at the lack of interest in her plea and she went to the door irately wheeling Diana in front of her. ‘Come on! He’s not interested. This was a waste of time!’
She pushed the wheelchair back along the corridor, neither of them speaking. Betty was fuming on her failure to convince the scientist to help her newly-found friend. Surely Mahmoud could have added her to his patient list. After all he was losing one patient in Betty Naylor and Diana was in the hospital and unlikely to leave for some time. She considered that their sudden intrusion into the scientist’s office when he was having a bad day had influenced his negative decision.
They arrived back at their starting point and Diana climbed into bed dolefully, staring bleakly at the other woman who sat down heavily in a chair. Betty threw her arm in the air with frustration. ‘I don’t know how he could turn you down!’ she snarled bitterly. ‘He could have added you to his list. It wouldn’t have caused him that much problem. The only reason I can think of is that he doesn’t deal with people who’ve lost their memory. That must be it. People without memories are an enigma to him. That’s why he wouldn’t take you on.’
‘I can’t blame him,’ uttered Diana sadly. ‘I’m an enigma to myself. How could I expect him to treat me? As you said, he’s a scientist not a doctor. He can pick and choose whoever he wishes to treat.’
‘That’s all very well,’ Betty went on miserably, ‘but I recommended you and he turned you down. It goes very much against the grain.’
The two women continued their conversation for some time although Diana contributed very little.
‘Although I’m discharged, I’m not going ‘til the end of the week,‘ Betty told her, showing her a flight ticket to England which she held in her hand. I’ve got to make arrangements for my accommodation in Britain. So you wo
n’t get rid of me that quickly.’
Diana smiled weakly at the information not wishing to comment and Betty left shortly afterwards leaving her friend left wanting.
* * *
The following morning, Diana pushed her breakfast away from her dismally. She disliked the taste of the cous-cous, especially for the first meal of the day and she was extremely unhappy at being presented with Moroccan cuisine only. Some eggs, ham and bacon would go down well but such a whim was not possible under these conditions in a foreign country. She sat back in the bed thankful that she was not experiencing any further pains in her head. She still faced the far wall blankly with nothing going on in her memory cells....nothing at all! Visions of the people came to visit her formed in her mind....her alleged husband, Ahmed the lawyer, Betty Naylor, the nurse and her doctor....but that was all she could remember. It was indeed sheer hell! Then, without warning, the door of the room opened and Ahmed appeared. He approached the bed and looked at the uneaten breakfast.
‘The food here’s disgusting,’ he commented knowingly. ‘I can understand why you refuse to eat it. How are you this morning?’
‘Much the same,’ she responded miserably. ‘Still nothing!’
‘You have to be patient,’ he told her sympathetically. ‘It all takes time.’
‘That’s what everyone keeps telling me....it all takes time! That’s all I have!’
At that moment, Betty Naylor entered the room and looked at the lawyer. ‘You’re the one her husband hired, aren’t you?’ she ventured. ‘The one who reports back to him.’
‘I am, ‘ retorted Ahmed easily. ‘And I’m more than just a hireling. I’m Diana’s friend.’
‘And just how do you make that out?’ challenged Betty staring directly into the young Arab’s eyes.
‘We met before she was attacked,’ he declared blatantly. ‘We walked around Agadire together.’
‘Did you know she was going to be mugged?’ Nothing was going to move suspicion from the cancer patient’s mind.
