Memory Of Perfection
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“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
The voice was a woman’s. It came from the other side of the door to my room and it sounded like she had been crying for some time now. The sound made me feel bad because this person obviously needed someone to talk with but there wasn’t anyone here who could help her right then so all that remained was to listen patiently until they were ready to speak again.
I didn’t want to be rude by barging in on them when they weren’t prepared or wanted company yet though so I just stood outside the door listening quietly as best I could while trying not to make any noise at all. After several minutes passed without anything else being said, I decided to try opening the door slowly and gently pushing it open enough to peek inside before stepping fully into view.
When I did so, however, I found myself staring directly down the barrel of an old-fashioned revolver pointed straight at my face. “Who are you?” asked the woman tears still streaming freely from her eyes. She looked familiar somehow but I couldn’t quite place where I might have seen her before.
Her hair was long and blonde which reminded me vaguely of one of those women who used to appear regularly in magazines back during the 1950s. There was something very sad about how she seemed to be looking up at me with such desperate hope shining brightly in her watery blue eyes too.
“My name is Alex,” I replied softly. “What’s yours? Do you need help?”
She took a deep breath and let out another sob before answering. “It doesn’t matter anymore… no one cares anyway…”
Her words hit home hard. They brought back memories of my own mother dying years ago after suffering from cancer for many months. My father died shortly afterward leaving only me behind to care for my younger sister.
He’d left us both well off financially thanks to his position as CEO of a large corporation but he hadn’t even bothered to visit our house once since Mom passed away. That hurt more than anything else ever could have done. Even if we’d never met him personally, I would always remember my dad fondly simply because he had loved my mom so much.
Now that she was gone, everything felt empty and meaningless. No amount of money could fill the void in my heart caused by losing her.
“You can come inside,” I told the woman standing nervously beside the bed. “There’s nothing to worry about. You’ll be safe here with me.”
As soon as I finished speaking, she stepped past me and walked over to the window overlooking the street below. In doing so, she pulled the curtains closed and turned around to look at me expectantly. For some reason, I suddenly remembered seeing her somewhere before but I couldn’t think where.
Then it dawned on me. This must have been the same girl who had tried to kill herself earlier today! How awful of me to forget all about her already. I quickly rushed across the room and opened the curtains wide again. As soon as I did so, she gasped loudly and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand.
When she lowered it again, her expression was full of relief.
“Thank God!” she whispered. “I thought you were going to tell everyone what happened.”
“No way am I telling anyone about your suicide attempt,” I assured her. “That’s between you and me. Besides, I doubt anyone will believe you anyway unless they see the marks on your wrists first-hand. If you really want people to take you seriously, you should go get yourself checked out by a doctor instead. I’m sure he or she won’t mind examining you under sedation either.”
“But why do you keep saying ‘we’?” she asked curiously. “Why aren’t you angry with me for trying to end my life?”
“Because I understand exactly how you feel,” I explained. “If I hadn’t lost my parents, I probably would’ve killed myself too. But I didn’t and I managed to pull myself together eventually. So please trust me when I say that things will work themselves out in time. Just give it some time and you’ll find happiness again someday.”
“How can you possibly know that?” she demanded angrily. “Have you experienced the same thing firsthand?”
“Not exactly,” I admitted. “But I have friends who have. One of them actually committed suicide last year. His family blamed me for it and refused to accept that he was sick and tired of living. They wouldn’t even allow him to attend his own funeral. Instead, they held it privately and invited only close relatives and friends.
I went along to pay my respects but I was forced to leave early because they kept glaring daggers at me whenever their backs were turned. It wasn’t until later that I learned just how selfish and cruel they truly were. The poor guy ended up killing himself not long after that. I don’t blame him though.
What kind of parent would refuse to acknowledge the pain of their child simply because they’re afraid of facing reality? I wish I could’ve helped him more but there was nothing I could do. All I could offer was my sympathy and support. And now he’s dead forever. I miss him every day.”
The woman stared at me silently for several seconds before finally nodding slowly. She seemed to have accepted my explanation without any further argument. Perhaps she realized that I meant her no harm despite being an outsider. Or perhaps she sensed something deeper within me which made her decision to put her faith in me.
Whatever the case may be, she relaxed visibly and allowed me to lead her into the bedroom. Once we got inside, I sat down on the edge of the bed while she remained standing next to the door. After a few moments, she began to speak again.
“So what are you planning to do with me?” she asked. “Are you going to lock me up like a prisoner?”
“Of course not,” I replied. “I’m going to help you however I can. There is still hope for you yet. You just need someone to show you the right path. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make sure you reach your destination safely.”
“What makes you think I can trust you?” she asked suspiciously. “After all, this isn’t the first time we’ve met. Remember? We almost bumped into each other outside the hospital earlier today. That’s why I tried to jump off the building. I wanted to die but then you showed up and saved me from certain death. Now you’re offering to help me. Why should I believe you?”
“It’s simple,” I said confidently. “All you need to do is listen to everything I have to say and follow my instructions to the letter. Trust me; I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. Not if I can prevent it.”
She looked at me skeptically for a moment before sighing heavily and sitting down on the bed beside me. Her eyes were filled with fear and uncertainty but she nodded firmly nonetheless. I smiled warmly at her reassuringly and patted the spot next to me. She hesitated briefly before moving closer to me and taking a seat.
I reached out and took hold of her hands gently, placing one palm against hers. Our fingers intertwined instantly and our palms pressed tightly together. A strange sensation flowed through my body as I felt the warmth radiating from her skin. My heart skipped a beat and I found myself unable to look away from those beautiful blue eyes.
For a brief instant, I forgot where I was and what had transpired over the past twenty-four hours. Then I remembered everything once again and quickly pulled back.
“Sorry,” I apologized hastily. “You must think I’m crazy.”
“No, I don’t,” she insisted. “In fact, I’d go so far as to say that you’re quite handsome. I always knew there was something special about you.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled awkwardly. “That means a lot to me.”
“Don’t mention it,” she replied. “Now tell me what you plan to do with me.”
“Well, I want to take care of you,” I explained. “Take you somewhere safe and get you the medical treatment you deserve. If you agree to cooperate, I’ll see to it that you receive the best possible care available. In return, I expect you to answer my questions honestly and completely. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she answered immediately. “And thank you for saving me. I owe you my life.”
“My pleasure,” I assured her. “Now please relax and try to calm yourself down. Everything will be fine soon enough.”
“Okay,” she agreed. “Just give me some time to collect my thoughts.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon talking quietly to each other. Neither of us spoke much during that time although I did manage to learn a great deal about her. The more I learned, the harder it became to keep my distance. It wasn’t long before I found myself falling hopelessly in love with her.
But I couldn’t allow myself to act upon these feelings. I needed to remain focused on the task ahead. So instead, I decided to focus on making her feel comfortable around me. I told her stories about my childhood and family, trying to make her laugh whenever I could.
And when she started crying, I held her close until she stopped sobbing. By the end of the day, she was smiling happily and laughing freely. I was pleased with how things turned out and promised myself that I would continue doing whatever I could to ensure her safety.
***
A week later, I returned home after another exhausting shift at work. As usual, I was exhausted both physically and mentally. I hadn’t slept well since the incident with the girl in the apartment block. Every night, I lay awake for hours thinking about her.
About how beautiful she was and how lucky I felt to have been able to save her. How I wished I could spend every waking minute by her side. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any such luck. Instead, I had to endure an endless stream of patients who required my attention.
Some days, I even ended up working late into the evening. On top of that, I had to attend regular meetings with my superiors. They kept asking me to come up with new ideas for improving patient care. All of which left little time for anything else.
As I walked through the front door, I noticed a small package lying on the floor near the entrance. Curiosity got the better of me and I bent down to pick it up. When I opened the box, I discovered several pieces of clothing inside. Each piece appeared to be brand new and they smelled strongly of fabric softener.
There were also two pairs of shoes and a pair of sunglasses. At first glance, I assumed that someone had sent them to me as a gift. However, I soon realized that the clothes weren’t mine. After all, I only owned three sets of formal attire: a suit, a tuxedo, and a black dress shirt. The same went for the shoes and glasses.
Whoever had sent this parcel clearly thought I was a woman. That’s why I decided to wait until my wife came home before opening it.
I placed the items aside and headed straight upstairs to change out of my uniform. Once I had changed into fresh pajamas and brushed my teeth, I sat down on the edge of the bed and waited patiently for my wife to arrive. I wanted to surprise her with the gifts I had received earlier that day.
She loved receiving presents from people she cared about. Especially if those gifts contained clothes or accessories. Although she never complained about the lack of variety in our wardrobes, she often lamented that we didn’t own many nice outfits.
We had very limited funds and most of what we bought was either second-hand or cheap. My wife worked hard but she still struggled to pay the bills. This meant that she rarely had money left over for frivolous purchases like designer dresses and high heels.
After waiting for nearly half an hour, I finally heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A few seconds later, my wife entered the bedroom carrying a large shopping bag. Her hair was wet and she was wearing a bathrobe. She looked tired and stressed. I knew that she must have just finished cleaning the house. I guessed that she’d probably been scrubbing the floors while I was away.
“Hi honey!” she said excitedly. “Did you miss me?”
“Of course, I missed you,” I responded. “But don’t worry. I’m here now and everything is going to be okay.”
She smiled warmly at me and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. Then she set the shopping bag on the floor beside the bed and began removing its contents. First, she pulled out a pair of white cotton panties. Next, she removed a blue bra and a matching pair of knickers.
Finally, she took off her robe and slipped into one of the shirts. I watched as she dressed, admiring the way her body moved beneath the thin material. Eventually, she reached the bottom of the pile and picked up a pair of jeans.
“What do you think? Do they fit?” she asked.
“They look amazing on you,” I replied. “You’re so pretty.”
My wife blushed slightly and then giggled nervously. “Thank you, sweetie. You always say the nicest things. Now hurry up and get undressed. I want to see your reaction when you open the rest of these packages.”
I quickly stripped off my pajama bottoms and climbed back onto the bed. My wife handed me a small box. It was wrapped in plain brown paper and tied with string. I carefully unwrapped it and found myself staring at a pair of red silk boxer shorts. Inside the box, there was also a note written in bold letters.
‘To my favorite husband,’ it read. ‘Happy Valentine’s Day!’
I couldn’t believe my eyes. This wasn’t some kind of joke. Someone really did send me a present! And not just any old gift. No, this was something far more special than that. I turned around and showed my wife the underwear. She laughed happily and kissed me again.
“That’s so cute!” she exclaimed. “It looks like someone has given us each other’s sizes. How romantic!”
“Whoever sent this must know how much you love getting lingerie as a gift,” I explained. “And I bet they’ve even taken the time to find out which colors you prefer too.”
“Maybe,” my wife conceded. “Although I can’t help thinking that whoever sent this might actually be spying on us.”
“Spying?” I repeated. “Why would anyone spy on us?”
“Well… I mean…” my wife stammered uncomfortably. “We haven’t exactly kept our relationship a secret. But we live in such a tiny apartment that it wouldn’t take long for someone to notice if they were watching us close enough. Plus, I sometimes leave the curtains open during the daytime. So maybe that person could easily spot us walking past their window.”
“Don’t worry,” I reassured her. “If someone is spying on us, they won’t hear anything interesting. Just boring stuff like us talking about work or complaining about the neighbors. Or perhaps them hearing us argue over who gets to use the bathroom first.”
“Oh God!” my wife groaned. “How embarrassing!”
“Not as embarrassing as having to listen to you go to the toilet every morning,” I joked. “Or worse yet, listening to you peeing yourself because you forgot to wear a pad.”
“Stop it!” she cried. “You’re making me blush!”
“Sorry,” I apologized. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Although I guess I should apologize anyway. After all, I am the one who brought up the subject of you going to the loo without a sanitary towel. That was very insensitive of me.”
“No need to apologize,” my wife insisted. “I shouldn’t have made fun of you. Besides, I already told you that I’m used to doing that by now. Don’t forget, I had to learn how to control my bladder after I started taking medication for my incontinence problem.”
“Yes, but still…” I mumbled. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
“Okay,” my wife sighed. “Now let’s move on from that topic before I start feeling guilty about what I said earlier. Anyway, I hope you liked the underwear. They feel great against my skin. And I’ll admit that they make me feel sexy too. Maybe even sexier than usual.”
“Wow,” I gasped. “Are you sure you’re wearing those under your clothes? Because right now, they seem to be doing an excellent job of showing off your gorgeous body.”
“Thanks,” my wife grinned. “I thought you’d appreciate that. By the way, I noticed that you got me a couple of presents too. What are they?”
“Just two little boxes,” I answered. “One is pink and the other one is blue.”
“Pink?” my wife squealed excitedly. “Is that a new color? Where did you buy it?”
“In Japan,” I replied. “But don’t worry, I bought plenty of other colors while I was there. In fact, I went shopping almost every day. There were lots of different shops selling everything from clothes to food. And I managed to pick up quite a few bargains along the way too.”
“Really?” my wife asked. “Did you bring any souvenirs home with you?”
“A couple of things,” I admitted. “Like these chopsticks that look like samurai swords. You can use them to eat sushi or sashimi. And I also picked up a set of Japanese tea cups. The design is called kokeshi dolls. Each cup has its own unique face painted on it. Some people collect them. Apparently, they’re worth a lot of money.”
“What else did you get?” my wife enquired.
“Some sake bottles,” I explained. “They come in three different shapes: round, square and hexagonal. And I found a beautiful wooden box that’s shaped like a traditional Japanese house. It opens up into four sections. One section contains a small tray where you can put your sake bottle when you want to drink it.
Another section holds a pair of chopsticks. Then there are two compartments inside the main part of the box. One compartment is filled with rice crackers, and another one has a selection of dried fish snacks.”
“That sounds amazing,” my wife gushed. “Where did you find all those things?”
“Tokyo,” I answered. “It’s the capital city of Japan.”
“Japan! Wow!” my wife exclaimed. “I always wanted to visit Tokyo. Did you enjoy your trip?”
“Very much so,” I confirmed. “The only thing that disappointed me was not being able to meet you in person. If I’d known you were planning to travel around Europe at the same time, I would have tried harder to arrange a meeting between us.”
“Well, we couldn’t exactly plan our trips together,” my wife pointed out. “After all, I wasn’t aware that you were coming here until just recently. But I understand why you weren’t willing to wait for me to finish my tour. We both know that you’ve been looking forward to this holiday for ages.”
“True,” I nodded. “And I really enjoyed myself. Apart from the occasional jet lag, I think I adapted pretty well to the local culture. I even learned some Japanese words. Like ‘arigato’ which means thank you. Or ‘sumimasen’, which translates as excuse me. And then there’s ‘konnichi wa’, which literally means good morning. So far, I haven’t forgotten any of them.”
“Good,” my wife smiled. “Because I’m glad you came back safely. Now, tell me more about your trip.”
“All right,” I agreed. “Let’s see… First of all, I visited Kyoto. It’s the ancient capital of Japan. It’s famous for its temples, shrines, and gardens. And I saw many of them during my stay. Next, I spent a week exploring Osaka. That’s the second largest city in the country. And finally, I took a train ride to Nara.
It’s the oldest town in Japan. Its most popular attraction is Todaiji Temple. It houses the world’s tallest bronze Buddha statue. It stands over thirty meters tall. And it weighs nearly five tons.”
The End