THE DAY I WOKE UP

WOAH!!I AM 26!!

                           I hung up the phone and glanced around, feeling a rush as memories of Lisa, Hailey, Maria, and Cassandra flooded my mind. Amidst this flood, there was a memory where I was on the verge of tears as Victor stood before me. Initially, I thought my emotions in the memory were about our recent breakup, but then I noticed a calendar on the wall beside Victor displaying September 14th, 2021—just yesterday! Today was the 15th of September. Confusion gripped me tighter as I tried to make sense of it all, but the more I thought, the more my head throbbed, threatening another blackout.

Suddenly, my right eye began to twitch violently, and a sharp pain shot through my head like a hammer blow. I clutched my head in agony when Julian burst in with Cassandra, followed by Regina. Seeing my distress, Julian swiftly handed Cassandra to Regina and rushed to my side with a glass of water. Gradually, the pain subsided, and I began to regain my composure. Julian looked at me intently and said, "Miss Georgina Miller, from now on, you must do as I say and avoid what I advise against, okay? Until you recover, you must follow my instructions."

With a hint of playful sarcasm, I replied, "Yes, sir!"

                                            Regina didn't seem concerned at all. It's funny how siblings can be like that—they handle everything with such ease. She casually remarked, "Sis, you look ill," to which I couldn't help but retort, "Damn, Regina, I am ill and I wish I could forget you too." Her response was typical, "Don't worry, sis. I'm your cute little sissy; you'll never forget me. I'm heading out now. You three have fun... bye!"

These siblings, they never change, do they? I expected her to sit with me, ask how I was feeling, if I was in pain, or something, but nope, she just coolly said goodbye. What a sister!

I asked Julian for Cassandra, and he placed her gently in my arms. It was the first time I held a six-month-old in my memories. I was careful but quickly got the hang of it. Cassandra reminded me so much of myself when I was little—she had Julian's flat nose but was incredibly cute, already half-asleep in my arms. Julian sat beside me, and for a while, I couldn't take my eyes off her.

Then, breaking the silence, Julian spoke.

 "Your sis really wanted you to taste the cookies she made, so she brought some here for you to try. They're nice this time, not awful like last time," Julian said as he handed me a cookie. I took a bite and found them surprisingly decent. Memories flooded back of a time when my sister baked cookies that turned out burnt—I choked halfway through eating them, thinking they were chocolate-flavored. It was hard to believe Regina had actually improved at something; she used to only eat what I made, as far as I remembered.

Julian continued, "I asked the doctor, and she said you can be discharged now. Do you want to go home, or do you still feel weak?"

"I feel better now, and I'd prefer our bed to this rock-hard one. Even if I stayed here, I wouldn't rest well. I think being around familiar things might stimulate my memory, so I'd like to go home and look at some photos. The faster my memory recovers, the better," I replied, but Julian interrupted.

"I don't want you to force your memories. Let them come back naturally. With or without them, I still love you, and you still love me. And we both will always love Cassandra. Don't try to stimulate anything. And please, if you even touch your laptop, I won't let you see Cassandra for a week."

"Why is everyone so specific about not touching my laptop and threatening to kill me if I do? Am I that much of a workaholic?" I protested, trying to look serious but failing as I smiled. Julian chuckled and kissed my forehead. I felt my cheeks redden, and he teased, "Cassy, look who's blushing? It's mommy!"

Embarrassed, I dragged myself to the car while Julian drove. I couldn't stop staring at Cassandra, feeling a pang as if I might never see her again. Julian noticed and smiled, but I quickly looked away, and an awkward silence filled the car. It felt like we were back in 9th grade when he first confessed his feelings for me. If we've made it from high school to now, I must really be in love with this guy...