A Fractured Echo

Chapter 2

Spring blazed into Summer before the Autumn blustered through. The skies of London morphing from chalky duck egg to brilliant azure, until the last of the light faded. As the end of November rolled around, the sky became a murky insipid grey similar to a glass of water after a paintbrush has been washed in it.

For me, there was a simple beauty to be found in all the seasons, whether walking through one of the many parks nearby as the trees blossomed, or hopping on the train to Brighton on blisteringly hot days to dip my toes in the cool waters of the English Channel. Those were moments I particularly enjoyed because it was easy to pretend that I was a million miles away from reality; indulging with fish and chips eaten from the paper on the seafront followed by an ice cream cone with one of those flaky sticks of chocolate stuck in the top.

Jodie proved to be a firm pal and would often join me on these adventures provided that our days off matched up, our friendship having forged solidly following that first day when she stood up to Cheryl. There was a comfortable camaraderie about us, as though we'd known each other since childhood rather than months, and I couldn't have been more grateful for it. It helped give me something tangible amidst all the uncertainty surrounding the accident and memory loss. Occasionally, there would be moments where I couldn't help but feel that this kind of connection had been sadly lacking in my life before the collision.

Absolutely nothing about our bond felt familiar in any way, which was unsettling.

I couldn't help but wonder, had I been alone in my former life? After all this time, still nobody had come forward claiming to be a relative or know me. Everything I knew from the investigation and my recovery told me that this couldn't be possible, yet no matter how hard I tried, the elements I needed to solve the puzzle just weren't there. My mind was like a tap that someone hadn't quite turned off fully, the tiny trickle of recollections seeping into my mind, but nothing of any significance.

In an attempt to shake those thoughts, I bought a cheap digital camera from one of those little second-hand trade-in shops and set about documenting my new life. Being able to print out the memories that I was creating, and have a physical link to them brought a degree of peace to my troubled mind. There was a zen-like satisfaction gained from mounting those photographs into black linen bound albums along with ticket stubs or leaflets relating to our escapades.

Today, I had no such plans. Ruby begged me to pick up an extra shift because her nephew had an essay deadline to meet for college and I'd gladly obliged. The extra money would always be handy. Every little bit helped with my goal of buying a record player so I could indulge my love of music properly. There was a stall in the market that sold old vinyl, and the man that ran it had a spare turntable that he was going to sell to me for a knockdown price. He was also a regular in the café so he'd often tell me that I reminded him a lot of his own daughter, adding with a cheeky wink that he was also a sucker for a pretty face. The fact that I'd slip him the occasional biscuit reject or bag of cake offcuts from that morning's baking probably didn't hurt either.

Wiping the counter at the end of a busier than usual Sunday opening, my mind started to drift; the hypnotic motion of moving the cloth back and forth had me on auto-pilot. Working for Ruby had done wonders in terms of developing a confidence around people. Initially, I'd tried to shy away from interacting with the customers, preferring to clear empty tables or wash dishes in the small kitchen. She'd quickly cottoned on to this, and banned me from being anywhere other than serving people unless we'd hit a lull.

"Penny for your thoughts Missy?" The familiar sound of my boss's voice drifted through the serving hatch behind me.

Smiling to myself, I turned around while folding the damp dishrag in my hands and stretched the truth slightly; "Just thinking about how far I've come since we first met."