Will You Remember Me? (Noha ElNashar, Visionaries)

Will You Remember Me?

She stood there on the bridge, staring down at the water and thinking about how it changed color when the sun gave off its rays, even though the sun was missing now. She liked to stare at the sky and watch how it looked peaceful at days and how it emitted rage at others. Today, though, it was rage. She breathed in the cold air, tainted by the smell of smoke and perfume. She knew it was only a few minutes before she totally loses herself to her thoughts, before she goes down memory lane and resurfaces when the sun goes down. With everything that has been happening, it is impossible not to do so. She closed her eyes, ready to let relief and longing wash over her. She has never understood how those two emotions could be felt simultaneously. But her best guess was that she was longing for the past and those who inhabited it but was relieved that for a few hours a day, she could lie back on a bench on a bridge and dream. Dream of the beautiful, radiant girl she was a few months ago, of the spoiled girl she was, of the hopeful girl she was, of the happy girl she was. How did her life turn upside down in a day? Knowing she would never find the satisfying answer, she sat on the bench, her hands in her lap. She looked down at how frail they have become, and her eyes rested on the finger where her ring has been. Sometimes she thought she ought to wear it still, but now she knows there is no need. It is not going to bring him back. It is not going to bring anyone back. Some days, she would think she could have survived the loss of one of them, but all of them? She didn’t think so. For a simple reason. What she has been doing since then is not surviving. It is basically going with the wind until someone, anyone, decides against it.
She closed her eyes and waited anxiously for the familiar faces to start flooding her mind. She was on the brink of letting them in and shutting the rest of the world out when she felt a presence beside her. She opened her eyes and looked at the guy now sitting beside her. He was looking at her with wide eyes that made her feel as if the entire world stopped at his big eyes and angular face. He was smiling at her.
“Hey,” he started to speak. She tried to ignore him and go back to her dreams and thoughts but he started talking again. “I know you come here everyday.” Something about how he talked confidently made her want to slap him and tell him he doesn’t know anything about her. “And is that a problem?” she asked sarcastically.
“No, it’s not. It’s actually quite mysterious but I figured it out.”
“Yeah?” she cocked an eyebrow at him, ready to give him a chance. “Do you want to test me?” He smirked.
“I would like to.” She grinned at him. A genuine grin, not just the toothy smile she has gotten used to. “Who am I and why am I here?” He smiled at her pride and her thinking he wouldn’t know, but he made it his purpose to surprise her. “You are a girl who used to be stunning and beaming and satisfied with what life gave you, although you pretended to demand more, but deep inside, you knew you could die right then and be happy. You knew you left marks on people’s hearts, people you loved and would have sacrificed everything for. You let yourself think you were spoiled but you were not; you were simply happy, dwelling in the pleasure life gave you.”
She stared at him, horrified to open her mouth. But as if she was possessed she let herself talk freely, and before she could stop, she said, “Well, life took all the pleasures away from me.”
Her words came out as a jumbled whisper but he understood, “It is only a test. You just need to pass. Believe me, once you cross to the other side of this wall life has thrown into your life, you’ll experience the most beautiful of feelings. I know you’re young, but you need to know that this is what life specializes in. It gives you a hard, twisted test that you have no idea how to pass and stands there watching as you go around in circles and labyrinths trying to figure how to get the hell out.”
“But I have lost everyone with whom I could experience those feelings you’re talking about.” She shook her head, though he knew she was dazed. And that’s kind of what he counted on.
“You’ll meet new people. Life doesn’t stop. As cruel as it is, it gives you second chances. A second chance at meeting a friend, at falling in love, at forgiving, at seeking forgiveness. You can’t let it stop here; it is not fair for you nor for those who are destined to meet you and fall in love with you, whether it is a friend or a lover or a mere stranger.”
At that she looked up at him with a hazy look in her eyes and asked the question he dreaded the most, “Who are you?”
He knew his effect was wearing off, and that he had to go. He couldn’t risk her remembering him. So, he forced himself to get a grip on his feelings and said, “You don’t need to know who I am. You will know soon enough.” And with that he leaned in and kissed her cheek and said, “Till we meet again, my love.”
She stared at him as he walked away from her and from the bench where he was sitting a couple of seconds ago. Then, she blinked and it was like she just retreated to the bench after she has watched the sky and water.

She didn't remember.