twenty-seven years, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, called Madiba, which means father of the nation.”
“That would be him,” Noah said with a smile.
I smiled back at him, still amazed by the strange way my brain worked. How it was remembering some things in crystal-clear detail, but others were just a blur, and others were still totally out of my reach. I glanced to my left, where a big blue sculpture rose up out of the sidewalk. It was abstract and I liked it very much, even though I had no idea what it was meant to be. I scanned the buildings and started noticing more and more sculptures and pops of color.
Something about the art and the sculptures and the way it seemed so laid back and casual here resonated with me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it made me flutter inside. Maybe I was an artist? A sculptor. Some creative person? The idea made me happy.
“Who lives here?” I asked.
“My sister.”
“Wait, no. I can’t borrow clothes from your sister. I don’t even know her.”
“It’s okay, you won’t be borrowing her clothes.”
“Hello!” A voice came through the intercom.
“Hey. It’s me!” Noah replied.
“Come up,” the voice said, and then the gate buzzed open.
We walked inside and Noah went straight for the staircase and started walking up it. “If it’s not her clothes I’m borrowing, then whose?”
He looked back at me over his shoulder. “My sister’s a stylist for TV and theatre. She has a whole wardrobe of clothes left over from productions, or clothes she made for productions. And she loves dressing people up, so you’re in luck!”
“Really,” I said, taking the stairs two at a time to keep up with Noah. The man was fit. That’s for sure.
“We’re here,” Noah said, stopping outside a bright yellow door. I looked down the passage. All the other doors were brown or gray, but hers was like sunshine. It made me feel warm from the inside out, as if I’d just swallowed the sun.
“Hey.” I heard a voice and then the door opened. Noah and his sister fell into a big hug and, when she pulled away, I found myself looking at the coolest person I’d ever seen. I stared at her for a while, trying to take her all in, but not wanting to be rude.
“Hey there,” she said, and also pulled me into a hug.
“Oh. Hi. Thanks.” I patted her on the back awkwardly, not sure how to respond.
“Oh, we’re a family of huggers,” she said quickly, pulling away. “Sooooo. Wow! I mean, wow. Noah told me what happened to you . . . unbelievable!”
I nodded. “I know.”
“It’s like a storyline from a soapie,” she said.
“Sindi!” Noah scolded her.
“It’s okay, it does sound like a storyline from a soapie,” I said with a smile of genuine amusement, as memories came rushing back to me from soapies that I’d watched. “But it’s not as unbelievable as the time Marlena was possessed by the devil on Days of our Lives.”
“She remembers TV shows more than anything else,” Noah explained to Sindi.
“I don’t remember that,” Sindi said. “I think that was before our time . . . wait, how old are you?”
“I don’t know,” I replied.
She stepped back and looked me up and down. “You can’t be older than thirty, unless you have some seriously good genes or know the secret to eternal youth.”
I reached up and touched my face, concentrating on the skin around my eyes, and then looked at the backs of my hands for a while. “Honestly, I have no idea. I could be fifty, for all I know.”
“Wow. That’s crazy.” She looked at me with wide brown eyes.
“It’s not crazy,” Noah quickly corrected.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Sindi added.
“Don’t worry. I know what you mean. It is crazy that I don’t remember things like that.”
“It’s fairly common after a traumatic event. It’s the brain’s way of coping,” Noah said.
“Oh, stop being all medical for a moment.” She gave him a swat. “You’re cool to talk about it like this, aren’t you?” she asked me.
“I am. I’ve kind of gotten used to it these last few days, not knowing things. Not that it doesn’t freak me out sometimes, but I expect it now. And it’s quite nice to talk about it casually.”
“Great! Come inside and then we’ll see what we have for you.” She pulled the door open and gestured for me to come in. I followed her in and let out a happy gasp