from the point where I saw the car in front of me swerve, or whatever it did across my lane. I could remember my car rolling over, and me being trapped inside it upside down. I could remember the pain, and how scared I felt. I remembered holding the paramedics hand, and I could remember telling him that the pain in my chest was getting worse. I remembered thinking that they couldn’t get me out, and that I was going to die in the car. Finally I remembered thinking about Matt holding our baby, but then everything went dark.”
Claire didn’t say anything. She wasn’t really sure what to say.
“I was feeling okay though,” Charlie said more brightly. “The memory I was having was a little scary, but I was remembering something. So it made me feel more positive that eventually I’d be able to remember more things.”
Charlie squeezed her hand, and Claire smiled back at her knowing that she was worrying about her. It was typical Charlie she thought, always being kind and looking out for everyone else.
“The following morning after I’d recalled the whole accident, I was sat in the kitchen eating some toast when I suddenly got an image of Matt’s face. It was a younger version though than the one I’d known in Birmingham after my accident. Yet as I was trying to focus in on this memory, Mrs Taylor came round to speak to my mum. My mum was still getting ready, and so Mrs Taylor sat in the kitchen making polite chit chat with me. Well that is until she said; “I’m glad you seem happy here Charlie. I think it’s made it easier for both Matt and Rich to get on with their lives without you around.”
“What a bitch,” Claire said sounding highly disgruntled.
“Well that’s kind of what I thought,” Charlie said smiling. “To be honest I’d gotten so used to people being nice to me, the comment came as a bit of shock. I also found myself retaliating in kind. I said to her that I understood why it was easier on Matt – my husband, but I didn’t really see what difference it could or should have made to Rich.”
“Nice,” Claire said nodding appreciatively.
Charlie smiled and continued. “She then said to me though; I understand what you mean, but there was a time when everyone here thought it would be you and my son that would tie the knot and live happily ever after. I think my Rich still holds a small candle for you. Well the old you at least.”
“What a complete cow,” Claire said.
“Well yes, but also no. If she hadn’t said that, then I don’t think I’d have stormed out of the kitchen and headed towards the school. I also don’t think that I’d have been thinking about the concept of me having ever been with Rich, which interestingly no one up until that point had ever mentioned to me. No one, and Claire seriously by this time I’d had a lot of accounts of my life told to me. Including versions given to me by Rich, Matt, and Bex. Yet none of them had ever mentioned that I’d been with anyone other than Matt!”
“Well obviously Bex would never tell you that,” Claire said grinning; “I think she’s managed to convince herself that you were never with him.”
Charlie smiled and said; “yeah that’s probably true. Anyway I walked towards school and just kept thinking about what Mrs Taylor had said, and as I walked I started to piece things together. I did know those messages. The three best friends were me, Matt, and Rich. I was the one that couldn’t talk to Matt, and Matt was the one who thought he was losing two best friends.”
“Charlie, I didn’t lose my memory. So this is when you got your memory back?” Claire asked.
“Well it felt like it was coming back,” Charlie said; “but I still wasn’t convinced that I’d found the trigger.”
Claire smiled as she watched Charlie make quotation mark signs with her fingers again when she said trigger.
“But I knew that I needed to get back to school. I also felt,” Charlie said; “although at that point I couldn’t have told you why, like I wanted to go to the games shed.”
“Of course you did!” Claire said laughing. “So your memory had come back?”
“It was obviously well on the way,” Charlie said returning Claire’s smile somewhat sheepishly.
“The games shed was your trigger,” Claire said trying to contain her laughter.