My Life with Amnesia

Chapter 5

I woke up to the sound of someone crying. Their sobs were loud but soft at the same time. When I opened my eyes, my vision was blurry. After a moment, I realized who was crying. It was me. I sat up and wiped my eyes, trying to figure out why I would cry but ultimately failing as the memory of my dream faded from reach, the only scrap left being a young girl with curly red hair standing alone outside an airport terminal, her face hidden by a light above her head. It was strange. As I tried to make a connection with the girl, she slowly faded from memory.

"Why was I crying?" I wondered aloud.

I pulled up my iPod but as soon as I opened up Virtual Talk, I already forgot everything about my dream. I sighed and locked the device, deciding to get ready for another day. I stood up and opened the door to see Linda staring out the window. I gasped and she turned around.

"Oh. Good morning," she said in Japanese. Then she switched back to English as she said, "How are you?"

"Wh-what are you doing in my apartment?" I asked. "I mean- how did you get in?"

"You left the door open," Linda explained as she pointed to the door. "I stepped in to make sure you were alright and then decided to wait for you to wake up." She giggled. "Your hair is a mess."

I frowned. "That's because I just woke up."

"Is your hair touching your ears?" She stepped forward and ran her hands through my hair and frowned slightly. "It is. It's time for a hair cut!"

I jumped back. "Why do I need a haircut?

"Unless you're planning on growing it out, you need to keep your hair above your ears!"

"Why?"

"Because you're a guy. You need to keep your hair short."

I sighed. "So you walk into my apartment, stand there until I woke up, and then dictate what my hair should be like?"

"Yes. Now get dressed. I'm want you to have fun before we go to school tomorrow."

She pushed me to the bathroom and threw some clothes at me before shutting the door. I sighed and took a shower. When I stepped out, Linda was standing outside the door with a melon bread in hand.

"How did you get melon bread?" I asked.

"They were serving them for breakfast downstairs," Linda said as she handed me the bread. "I tried it and thought it was really good."

"It is." I took a bite and found myself surprised. "How did I know it would be good?"

Linda spun around. "Let's go get your hair cut!"

"I don't know..."

She grabbed my hand and we were off to the nearest barber shop.

----------------------------------------------

I stepped out of the barber shop with my hair a few centimeters shorter. Linda smiled.

"You look great," she said. "Now let's go to the next site."

"Where are we going?" I asked as I jogged up to catch up to her.

"We're going to the arcade!"

A sudden image of a room full of Japanese game machines flashed before my eyes. Kids were placing cards on the machines and laughing as the game progressed.

"Wha-?"

Linda turned to me and stopped. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing," I lied. "Just nervous."