was time to put his big brain to better use.
****
“Tasha.”
She lifted her head and met her sister’s concerned gaze. With a weak smile she said, “Hi Elaine. I didn’t hear you come in.”
“How could you? You were a million miles away. Something you’d like to talk about?”
Talk, talk about what? She barely had memories and her thoughts were all jumbled up in her head. And if her stupid brain kept on crashing she wasn’t going to be left with much of anything. She was on her way to being a drooling cabbage always seated in front of the window watching life pass by her while she wondered about nothing!
She wiped the kitchen counter with more vigor, what she had been doing before the reality of how fast her mind was slipping froze her in the little thoughts she had left.
Elaine’s hand clamped down on hers, stopping its movements. “I’m all for cleaning counters, but that isn’t going to shine more than it already is.”
Tasha huffed, pulling her hand away and throwing the rag in the sink. She leaned against it, fighting the tears burning her throat as she remembered DJ’s dejected face last night. She should never have left the room. She should have stayed there until everything began making sense again.
“Tasha, turn around. Talk to me.”
“Why?” she croaked.
“Why what?”
She turned then, still leaning against the sink, her head bowed, “Why did that happen? Why did I wake up with no memories, again?”
“Tasha, come here. Take a seat.” Tasha pushed away from the sink, moving to the island and taking a seat opposite Elaine. “I’m sorry that happened and I’m sorry you feel guilty for hurting DJ like that again. If we weren’t fighting and looking after you. Instead, I would never have let you leave that room without jogging your memory first.”
Tasha looked up at her sister, quickly wiping a tear that was dislodged by the movement, “Why did it happen, Elaine?”
Elaine reached across and took Tasha’s hands in hers, “You remember what happened yesterday?”
Tasha nodded, “And every day before that for the past year—at least for the time being.”
Elaine pinched her finger, “Don’t be morbid. It doesn’t suit you. What do you remember about yesterday?”
Tasha had already gone through that day with DJ that morning before Mike drove him to school. Tom didn’t want her to leave just in case she had another episode. Yeah, he called her sudden loss of memory episodes. In fact, he looked annoyed that she had been able to remember everything after hours of DJ speaking nonstop about all they’d done together after her first memory loss.
“I woke up, broke up the normal morning fights, drove DJ to school, came back, cleaned the house, worked on a few things until it was time to pick up DJ.” Her heart beat picked up tempo, “got to the school a—and met…” him . DJ’s father—that is, according to her son.
“Who did you meet?” Elaine pressed gently.
Rolling her lips into her mouth, she said, “Him.”
Elaine chuckled, “Who’s him? You’re going to have to say it sooner or later.”
Tasha shot off the stool and made her escape to the living room, “I don’t know who he is! Remember, my memory has taken a hiatus!”
“Say it,” Elaine taunted, chasing after her. “You know you want to. I bet you had some serious wet dreams about him. I know I did.”
That pissed her off. Why, she had no idea and was better off thinking about it later when her brain was functioning right. Rounding on her sister, she said, “You are not permitted to have any sort of dream about the father of my son!” Tasha slammed her hand over her mouth.
Elaine smiled indulgently, “See? Now was that so hard to admit?”
Shaking her head she fell onto the couch. “I feel like a spectator, watching my life go by as my past crashes into my present. What is it about him I’m forgetting, besides everything?”
“Nothing that I can help you with and everything
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