CHAPTER 8
The doctor explained everything to Jurina and to Rena’s dad. Rena had partial amnesia, mostly caused by the trauma of the accident. It could be healed, but the doctor couldn’t give an approximative time. The medication and treatment could be short, but it could also take a long time for her to recover. Rena remembered almost everything, except for the last four years of her life. As Rena didn’t know Jurina before that time, it was impossible for her to recognize her.
The doctor couldn’t explain why Rena had specifically forgotten those last four years of her life.
The human brain works in a strange way. Jurina sighed. She was now sitting beside Rena’s dad, listening while he was patiently explaining the situation to his daughter.
“It’s… 2017?” Rena took a moment to fully grasp the shocking revelation.
“Yes, my dear.”
“I don’t remember anything between 2013 and 2017. The last thing I remember, is that I was about to go home from work. I don’t understand...”
“You will get your memories back. It’s only a matter of time,” Rena’s dad spoke tenderly.
Jurina remained silent. Somehow, she felt a little awkward. She doesn’t even remember me.
Maybe I should let them talk, just the two of them.“Excuse me but… I think I will get a cup of coffee. Would you like to have one, Mr. Matsui?” Jurina looked back at Rena’s dad in expectation.
“Thank you, Jurina. But I’m fine.” He shook his head negatively.
Just when Jurina had left the room, Rena immediately questionned her dad. “Who is she?”
“Ah, Jurina? She’s you friend. You both work at the same company.”
“My officemate?”
“Yes. You live with her,” Hideki cleared his throat.
“What??” Rena couldn’t believe it. There was no way she could be living with someone she barely knew.
We must be very close.“During one of our Skype conversations, you introduced her to me. I think you’re good friends with her. A very good one.”
Rena suddenly remembered how Jurina behaved this morning.
Was she trying to kiss me?“Dad, are you sure she’s only a friend to me?”
Rena was not a person who opened up easily to others but after her mother died, she got closer to her dad. She wondered how much he knew about her relationship with Jurina.
“I believe she’s more than a good friend to you, sweetheart.”
After two weeks of convalescence, Rena was finally allowed to leave the hospital. Her dad had already returned to Toyohashi as he couldn’t afford to miss work for too long. Rena felt actually much better. The bruises she had received from the accident had almost all healed and disappeared. Now, she only needed to work on her memory, which sometimes gave her terrible headaches when she tried to remember.
Jurina was wonderful with her during those two weeks. She took care of her so well that her dad didn’t have any problem with leaving her alone with Jurina. They were still feeling a little awkward around each other, but Rena didn’t really mind. She could tell she was in good hands. Not only was Jurina her officemate, she could probably also help her regain her memories.
“Are you ready to go home?” Jurina gently asked. She looked very happy, ready to turn on the car engine.
“Uhmm… yes,” Rena answered hesitantly. Deep down, she hoped that the place they were heading to was really a place she would be able to call home.
“We’ve arrived,” Jurina announced once they reached the apartment building. It was not necessary to say that, Jurina knew that. It was not like Rena had forgotten about her own apartment. She just wanted to break the silence between them. From the moment they had left the hospital, Rena had remained very quiet.
Rena relished the familiar atmosphere when she entered her appartment. She couldn’t believe she had forgotten the last four years of her life: her home hadn’t changed so much from what she remembered.
Well, there were actually some changes here and there, she gradually noticed as she progressived further inside the appartment. Rena clearly didn’t remember buying that bright, pink round sofa sitting in the corner of the living room. Wait, did she finally add a mini bar to her living room? She had always wanted to have one!
Approaching her book shelves, Rena gasped when she realized that her favourite comics series were completed. She was positively sure to have only gone through half of them. Rena thought it would be nice to read them again, since she didn’t remember the ending anyway.
Jurina cleared her throat, trying to get Rena’s attention. Rena had been so engrossed in her observation of the place, that she hadn’t even notice Jurina’s presence.
“How are you feeling now?” Jurina asked in curiosity.
“It feels familiar yet somehow distant. Some things are new to me. I don’t know… It’s like I’m going back to the future,” Rena answered in all honesty.
Jurina had to muster all her willpower to not hug the girl standing next to her. She desperately wanted to pull her into an embrace, gently stroke her hair, and tell her that everything was going to be alright. That she would always be at her side, and together they would manage to go through this terrible nightmare.
“You will recover soon, don’t worry,” Jurina said reassuringly.
Jurina didn’t try to interrupt Rena when she fell deep in her thoughts again. Rena still couldn’t get over her ‘new’ apartment. Her mind made a quick comparison with what she remembered, then proceeded to the more detailed ones. She wondered if Jurina had influenced her for some changes. Something suddenly crossed her mind. Rena scanned every picture in her home. She still remembered some pictures she hang on the wall, most of them were natural scenery and a few were pictures of herself. She then realised there was no picture of her with Jurina.
How come? She asked herself. She decided to find the answer in her bedroom. Maybe their pictures were there? Rena was taken aback when she found no picture of them in her bedroom either. She began to wonder about the true nature of their relationship. She wanted to know what place Jurina had in her life. Unfortunately, her phone got broken in the accident: she had lost all her texts and pictures in the process.
“Hmm… Jurina?”
“Yes?” Jurina was silently following her.
“Did we rarely take pictures together?”
Jurina didn’t understand why Rena was asking such an odd question, but if it could help Rena gain her memory back, then she would gladly do anything for her. Maybe some pictures would remind her of something. Jurina took her phone out and browsed through her picture gallery.
She handed it to Rena sheepishly. “Well… you didn’t really like to take pictures. But sometimes, I took your picture without you knowing it.” Deep down, she hoped she didn’t sound too creepy.
Rena took a look at the pictures. Amongst them, there were only two or three pictures of them. Yet, on each of them, they acted and behaved very casually towards each other, like two good friends.
Wait, what kind of pictures was I expecting to see? Rena felt a little silly.
“Alright then, sleep well. I will sleep in the guest bedroom. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
Jurina knew Rena all-too-well: she wouldn’t feel comfortable at the idea of sleeping with a stranger.
Rena didn’t protest. For some reason, she felt slightly bad for letting Jurina sleep in the guest room, but the truth was, she was still overwhelmed by this whole, unsettling situation. Maybe talking to someone she trusted would help. Her face brightened up when a name immediately came to the forefront of her mind.
She had decided.
Tonight, she would call her best friend Airi.
It was the first time Jurina was sleeping in the guest bedroom. All this time, she had never even really entered the place, and her eyes traveled around the place in curiosity. It was still quite early, yet Jurina locked herself in the room. She understood very well that Rena needed her space and some time alone to process everything that was happening to her.
There was no TV in the room and Jurina was not really fond of reading. She tried to listen to music to pass time, but her mind was not at it. It wasn’t like her to not do something. She was a lively, energetic girl, always busy or occupied with something. It crossed her mind to have a chat online with her best friend Mayu, when she suddenly heard footsteps coming closer to her room.
“Jurina, can I come in?”
Did Rena change her mind? Jurina wondered.
“Yes, sure.”
Maybe she wants us to sleep… together? Jurina felt a little silly for thinking such a thing.
Rena slowly opened the door. “I’m sorry to disturb you. Can I borrow your phone?” She asked hesitantly.
Jurina agreed, thinking maybe Rena wanted to check their texts or pictures.
“I want to call my friend Airi,” Rena explained. “You must know her.”
Oh well, that was unexpected.“I know her,” Jurina confirmed. “She actually stayed here a few weeks ago.”
“Really?”
Jurina could perceive the enthusiasm in Rena’s voice. In fact, it was the first time Rena looked so excited since the accident.
She handed her phone to Rena. “But I don’t have her number.”
“Let me try call her old phone number. Maybe it hasn’t changed,” Rena said hopefully.
Rena pressed the numbers she was familiar with. Her heart beat faster when she patiently waited and heard the dial tone ringing.
“Hello?”
“Airin!” Rena couldn’t help but shriek.
“Rena? Wow… it’s been years since the last time you called me by my nickname.” There was slight melancholy in her voice. “Anyway, did you change phone number?”
“No, I’m calling from Jurina’s phone.”
“What’s up, Rena?”
“It’s a long story. I was wondering if we could meet this weekend.”
“You’re going to Tokyo?!” Airi exclaimed in surprise. “Will you go with Jurina, or by yourself?”
“Tokyo? You are in Tokyo now? You’re no longer working in Toyohashi?” Confused, Rena looked back at Jurina. Jurina might know something about it.
“I don’t understand. Rena, are you alright?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Rena confessed desperately. “I really need to meet you in Toyohashi as soon as possible.”
(to be continued)