This is a short story that was written a few years ago. I revised it after my car accident in 2007, the short story is called Closer; faded memories do become real. You can find the short story on http://fadedmemoriesdobecomereal.blogspot.com or on www.newpictureperfect.com Thanks and enjoy!

Closer; Faded Memories do Become Real
Ryan Keith Johnson Copy Right 2009 All Rights Reserved.

It was a day that Cynthia Wise would never forget. She ran through the hospital after receiving a call from the state patrol that her fiancé was involved in a head on collision with a semi. She was stopped at the emergency room by the doctor that was in charge and dropped her purse after hearing what he said. Her possessions spilled over the floor from the unzipped bag and as the young lady picked up her things she began to tremble with the thought that Jericho would be a vegetable for the rest of his life.

“Your dreaming now,” began Cynthia as she looked at him. “When you wake we will leave this all behind as a faded memory,” she smiled while looking at him with her green eyes and ran her fingers through his thick, sandy, brown hair. He looked exactly the same as he did a year ago when she met him on her seventeenth birthday. They were together in the hospital room and it was late. Cynthia would have to leave, but remembered her own accident. She turned her wrist as the memory unfolded the car accident followed by a tow truck. Being laid up in the hospital for weeks was almost a blessings because it aloud her and Jericho to get closer. The strange scar was shaped like a rose and was a sign from God to continue her life.

The days escalated through the week and Cynthia walked into the room and untied her long, curly cinnamon color hair to look at her fiancé who was awake. He looked the same as before the accident, but with a little more color in his high cheek bones. Then his eyes widen with the sight of the beautiful women standing before him. “How are you feeling?” she asked. “Fine I think,” groaned Jericho. “Who are you?” he asked. The words seemed to stab into Cynthia like a knife driven into her heart. She didn’t expect Jericho to get amnesia. “I’m your future wife,” she sobbed as she stepped towards him.

The young man leaned his hand forward and looked at her anxious. The bandage on his forehead and police reports proved that he hit his head too hard against the wind shield. “If you were my future wife I would remember you,” began Jericho. “But I am,” Cynthia replied. “Then what’s my favorite color?” asked Jericho. “Blue.” “What’s my favorite cartoon character?” “Mickey Mouse.” “What is my favorite movie?” “Gone In Sixty Seconds,” she answered.

His eyes widen with surprise and the question remained how did this person know all this information? This stranger that he was about to marry could not possibly know everything. “What cologne do I wear?” asked Jericho as he heard Cynthia let out a sigh. “I’m not going to play twenty questions with you. I’m telling you the truth.”

Just then the nurse stepped into the room with a clipboard and a cart with funny little instruments. The nurse looked at Cynthia and wondered what was going on. Jericho let out a sigh of relief that someone was here to keep watch. “Ms. Wise I need to do a medical examination. Could you please leave the room?” asked the nurse. “I’ll come back tomorrow,” answered Cynthia as she left.

Cynthia sat on the couch in her apartment that she shared with Jericho and opened a small pale of ice cream. She had taken the week off from her receptionist job, working for dad, and was keeping herself occupied so Jericho wouldn’t push away from her. She closed her eyes and remembered the crash and the time when Jericho helped her.

“How are you doing today?” asked Jericho as he looked into her eyes. “Better than yesterday,” Cynthia answered as she scratched the scab on her wrist. “You know you better stop that or it will turn into a scar,” replied Jericho. “I don’t care it itches,” she replied as Jericho started laughing. ”You’ve got a stubborn heart, more than imagine.,”
The weeks progressed and before the couple knew it they were living their life again. Jericho walked through the park and turned Cynthia’s wrist over to see the scar of the upside down rose. It was vivid and questions were asked, but one question seemed to pop in his mind; how did she survive the accident?
They stood near a swing set and he picked Cynthia up and sat her on a tree stump. “That’s an interesting tattoo you have there,” he replied. “Oh yea I know,” she answered as she looked at the rose and then into her boyfriend’s eyes. “I guess it’s my destiny to get a second chance. Faded memories do become real.” “Yes, I guess you would say that a lot of things become real and ever sense I met you on your birthday I wanted to ask you a question?” replied Jericho as he got down on one knee and pulled out a small box. Cynthia felt a dizzy wave of excitement that swept her insides. It was like getting off the Wild Thing at Valley Fair. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand on end; the feeling of an electric current shot up and down her spine as she touched the box. A smile emerged on her face as she tried to keep from crying. “Cynthia Wise I don’t want to put any pressure on you,” replied Jericho as he opened the black box to reveal a wedding ring. “Will you marry me?” “Yes” she answered with a laugh as she hugged and kissed him.

Cynthia cracked a grin to such a memorable thought worth reliving. She wished it could be relived everyday for the predicament she was in right now. What was she to do now; to get Jericho’s memories back she though while turning the TV off. Tomorrow would be a new start to get him back. In the future she would get close to him, but there was a need to be careful. Putting pressure on Jericho would be like trying to tame a wild stallion and it would be all for nothing. Cynthia turned the light off and went to bed.

The next day in the hospital Cynthia Wise walked into Jericho’s room and saw him picking his wound. “You know if you keep picking you scab it’s going to turn into a scar,” replied Cynthia as she watched him stop picking at his knee cap. The beautiful stranger smiled and set the tray of food on his lap and watched him eat. He looked at her and grinned since he could not help but to react to her beauty. “I don’t care it itches,” he answered as he grabbed the apple from the tray and took a bite from it. Cynthia smiled as she began to laugh. “What’s so funny?” “Nothing,” she answered as she shook her head to the strange repeat of history. “You know in a couple days you might be well enough to leave the hospital,” she said. “In a couple days you may want a different boyfriend,” replied Jericho as he watched Cynthia’s face freeze with discomfort. She looked deeply sad as though someone had died. Jericho felt uneasy and responsible for her sadness, but he didn’t know her or did he? “I was hoping that you would allow me to help you with your rehabilitation to remember things,” insisted Cynthia. “I don’t know. You’re an attractive women who deserves someone who isn’t handicapped,” answered Jericho. “Let’s wait and see. I don’t want to put you under any pressure,” replied Cynthia as she looked deep into his eyes.

As the days progressed into weeks; Jericho worked hard to walk on his feet again without any help. Soon he was able to leave and they walked around the park. It was Sunday afternoon and Cynthia was able to gain his trust to hold his hand. They had come so far since the accident that it was magical. She had gotten so close to him that they became good friends, maybe even close friends and as they walked through a familiar part of the park. Would it be possible for him to remember her and all the great memories they shared? They stopped near a swing set and she sat on the tree stump and looked into his eyes. Memories fluttered her mind like a swarm of butterflies of his proposal when she was seventeen.

Cynthia had so much excitement for the question that was asked to marry her. It slowly subsided into a clouded mystery of what ifs and how could this be. It seemed quite clear that her future husband could easily turn away from her and she would lose her soul mate forever. “Do you remember this place?” asked Cynthia as she licked her lips and looked in his eyes. Jericho looked around and felt the wind brush up against his face. He turned around to the sound of children playing and laughing and saw the squirrels and chipmunks running up the trees. “I don’t know. It feels familiar, but I can’t place it. Maybe you should explain why it’s so usual?” “Right here, even now on this same sunny day. You asked me to marry you?”

There was a moment of silence as Jericho stared deep into her eyes as pictures fluttered his mind. He remembered laughter and kisses, dancing in the rain, feeding each other ice cream. “I don’t want to ad any pressure on you, but you’re hurting me,” she answered and tried to keep her emotions together and her eyes from tearing up. “This friendship can go two ways one way is you trust me and let me in. The other is we go our separate ways.” “If I was able to fall in love with you the first time give me a chance to fall in love with you again!” exclaimed Jericho. “I can’t,” cried Cynthia as she turned away, but Jericho turned her around and caressed his hands to such a beautiful face. “I can’t face this loneliness. Or hope that you’ll remember me when I feel like I’m cheating you out of your life!” exclaimed Cynthia as she broke away from his hands and began walking away. Suddenly like magic, Jericho began to remember how they met. She had fallen on some ice in January and needed help getting to her car. He offered to help her and soon they became good friends. Then they kept bumping into each other at malls, school and parks, which followed with a couple of dates to the fair. “I’m doing us both a favor and leaving you to decide your future.” Jericho grabbed her wrist and saw the upside down rose, which sent a wave of chills up her spine. Cynthia turned her head and looked into his blue eyes and realized that he didn’t want her to go. It was the same look that she saw when they danced at Prom to Avril Lavine song; I’m with you. “Faded memories do become real,” he answered emotionally as he held her near his chest, closer than she had been in a long time. Cynthia looked down past his shorts to his knee cap where Jericho had been caught itching the scar that she told him repeatedly to stop and saw a scar of an upside down rose that was identical to hers and knew what it meant. “I missed you,” she whispered as they both left the park realizing they would be together forever.

Closer; Faded Memories do Become Real
Ryan Keith Johnson
© Copy Right 2009 All Rights Reserved.