Ghost From the Past

Illusion

CHAPTER 4

Trunks fluffs the pillow on the hospital bed before allowing me to lie down. "The doctor will come in with your test results any minute. Just sit tight."

I take the pillow and squint at it. It's suspicious that Trunks is acting so nice towards me. Did he hide a whoopee cushion inside? I punch, poke and prod at the pillow until I'm satisfied nothing is amiss. Trunks watches quietly from the chair nearby.

I narrow my eyes at him. " You can drop the nice guy act. I still don't trust you."

Trunks massages his temples and focuses on the little girl sitting at the edge of the bed watching cartoons. "Fable. Turn that down please."

"No, turn it up Fable."

Fable turns around and looks at us, trying to decide which parent she should obey. She has big, dark eyes that look familiar to me, but not quite the same as mine. Her skin is a warm beige color which nicely brings out the warm brown hues in her hair. Her hair isn't fine like Trunks and it isn't straight like mine. Her hair has a thick, wavy texture to it.

Huh. You'd think Trunks could've hired a child actor that looks more like us.

"How old are you?" I ask for the sake of conversation. Maybe I can even get her to confess to the truth since Trunks refuses to admit his insanity.

Before Fable can answer, Trunks jumps out of his chair and talks over her." F-Fable, can. . .can you. . . um, please get me something from the vending machine?" He digs into his pockets and hands her a wad of money. She begins to ask him what he'd like but he pushes her out the door and says," Get me anything."

I regard him suspiciously as he leans against the door, obviously relieved she's out of the room.

"What was that about?"

Trunks smiles." What was what about?"

I squint. He's hiding something.

"She doesn't know how to count yet." Trunks laughs and sits at the end of the bed. I pull my knees close to my chest in response. He looks past me, at the blinds covering the window as he speaks." I know you can't remember things very well right now Pan, but you are her mother, you're supposed to know how old she is." His blue eyes flicker down to the gold ring on my finger." For her sake, could you pretend nothing is wrong? It would kill her if she found out her own mother can't remember who she is. And. . . we promised we wouldn't fight in front of her."

"We did?" I raise a skeptical eyebrow.

Trunks nods, still looking down at the ring on my finger. He smiles sadly." This isn't the first time you've wanted a divorce. . ."

Pfft. Even in his fantasies I want to divorce him?

"I'm not surprised." I say dryly. Trunks looks up at me as if he doesn't know what he did wrong. He's bullied me most of my highschool life, of course being married to him wasn't going to work out! Any idiot could see that. " So what did you do to cause me to lose my memory? Why can't I remember having our alleged daughter?"

Trunks clenches his jaw and he looks away at the wall." I didn't do anything. You're the one who can't handle life when things don't go the way you plan, or when somebody says things you don't want to hear. You completely tune out and pretend it isn't real or isn't happening- -"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" I scream, covering my ears to drown out his voice. He's talking like he knows me when really he knows nothing about me! I just want to punch him every time he opens his mouth! "It's you're fault! I know it is! Everything is your fault!"