Page 35 of She Found Me

“Have I been here before?”

“Erm, no, you haven’t. Come on, let’s get you inside.” Eric gently puts his hand on my elbow and ushers me towards the house.

I’m pleasantly surprised when we get inside. The place is clean and bright. It needs an update, but I think I might enjoy doing some interior designing. Eric shows me around. There’s a decent size kitchen with a small table that would just about fit four people round it. The living room has two small sofas and a television on a cabinet. The bedrooms are both a similar size, with a double bed, bedside table, and wardrobe. There’s only the one bathroom, which does bother me a little. The main thing I notice though is that everywhere is very bare. There are no photographs or belongings anywhere.

“Eric, where is all our stuff?”

“What stuff?” he asks evasively, knowing full well what I mean.

“Ornaments, photographs, paintings, anything?”

“Well, we are quite minimalistic, really, and the photographs I just haven’t unpacked yet. Plus, if we are going to do some decorating, there’s no point unpacking and packing again.”

He does have a point. In my room, there are some clothes hanging in the wardrobe and some underwear in the drawer. Their style doesn’t please me at all.

“Eric, I’m going to need some new clothes,” I say, wide-eyed as I close my wardrobe door.

“Okay. When you’re a bit stronger, I’ll take you shopping,” Eric agrees.

That evening we settle on the sofa to watch some television. The signal is rubbish. Eric spends ages messing about with the aerial, trying to get a clear picture.

“Argh, I will have to get on the roof tomorrow and sort it out. This will have to do for tonight—some foreign channel.” Eric gives up and slumps on his sofa.

The foreign channel, as Eric put it, is showing a film with English subtitles. The film is Italian. The words have me smiling and relaxed. I get lost in the actors’ voices. It gives me comfort, and I feel connected to it somehow.

“It’s so strange, Eric. I understand every word they are saying. If anything, it feels more natural than English.”

“Oh, really?” Eric replies, seeming uninterested.

“Yeah. Did I live in Italy when I was younger?” I ask as I watch the beautiful Italian scenery on the screen.

“No,” he replies sharply.

“At the hospital, you said I didn’t like to speak Italian. Why is that?” I’m sitting up straighter on the sofa now, feeling like this is something I need to know more about.

“Because it upset you. I don’t know. Give it a rest, Arianna.” Eric turns the television off.

“Hey, I was watching that!” I exclaim.

“I’m going to bed.” Eric leaves in a huff.

What is his problem? I really think he doesn’t want me to get my memory back. Well, if he isn’t going to help me, I will do it on my own. I lift myself up off the sofa, hop across the room, and retrieve the remote control. I switch the television back on, and thankfully the film is still on. Lying down, I rub my tummy, feeling the little life growing inside me. With the Italian film and the sensation of little kicks and movements inside of me, for the first time since I woke up from my accident, I feel positive about my future.

After a couple of days of rest at home, Eric takes me into the village to do some shopping. It’s a lovely little place, and everyone is so friendly. It seems like everyone knows each other and there’s a strong community here. The village, albeit small, has everything you would need. There’s a post office, butcher’s, greengrocer—you name it, it’s here. It even has a couple of boutique clothes shops, which are just what I need and a cosmetics store I am enjoying browsing in.

“Right, come on, Arianna, can we go now?” Eric moans as he follows me around the makeup stands.

“Wait!” I exclaim as I’m filled with a sudden rush of familiarity.

“What is it?” Eric asks.

“MIA. This makeup brand. I recognise it.” I pick up a lipstick and take off the lid, then twist it up to see the colour. The brightness of the red makes me smile. “Is this the brand I usually wear, Eric?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think you ever wore makeup,” he replies, irritated.

I find his answer hard to believe given how strongly I am drawn to the red, glittering cosmetic stand.

“Is it okay if I just get a few bits?” I ask, hoping I haven’t spent all Eric’s money.

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