Lest I Forget

My Living, Breathing Hero

August 1st, 2014

Sunlight shone brightly through Scott's curtains, giving him his typical natural wake-up how he likes it every morning at 6:30am. He was never an alarm clock guy unless his arise was to be much earlier than normal. He gets himself ready for his morning run (which he'll do every morning unless weather prevents him from doing so, and even then he'll try to run) and is greeted by Olaf, Kirstin's large white husky. He gets extremely excited when Scott comes into the living room every morning.

"Hey buddy! Do you want to run with me today?" Normally Olaf didn't like running with Scott. He would prefer to sleep in with Kirstin until he was energized and ready to tackle the day. Ever since Scott's daily routine became more and more like clockwork, Olaf sunk into it and thrived to get to run with Scott every day. The husky wagged his tail and got low to the ground, his leash already in his mouth. "I take that as a yes." Scott leaned down to make sure his Nikes were tied tightly, also getting a good stretch into his calves. He grabbed Olaf's leash and latched the hook onto his collar. "Come on, boy. Let's go!"

Scott and Olaf did their typical run every morning. They lived relatively close to a park, so Scott ran with Olaf down the stairs of their apartment and went running. He would run past so many signs or billboards with dates and such, but he wouldn't bother to read them. He only focused on nature rather than things he can read. It distracted him from the true beauty of the world, which became a very convenient attribute for the memory loss aspect of Scott. Other than the fact that his day repeated over and over he was a genuinely happy guy. Every day was a new adventure, and he made sure to make it better than the last... or in this case, better than August 9th, 2010.

They ran past the canopied forest of the park, past the flowing waterfalls and the pines and the falling leaves. They took a typical break for Olaf to sniff out the grass, do his usual business, while Scott took a moment and lay down in a shady, grassy field. It was such a serene moment for the blonde, and possibly his most favorite part of his daily run. He loved to become one with nature, to feel the grass against his glistening skin, and to smell the flowers in the garden nearby. He closed his eyes and inhaled, catching his breath in slow, deep takes. He lay like this until Olaf grew impatient, ready to continue his run.

It was easier for Scott to carry on with his day when it was still summer and was warm outside. It grew more difficult for him to understand what was going on once it got to the winter months, though they didn't have too vast of a temperature variation. Some days he just assumed that it was colder than other days, or that the weatherman truly had no clue what was going on. Some days it got bad to the point where he'd be extremely distraught if he saw a bit of snow coming down on the ground, especially in August. Those would be the days that would begin with a lengthy discussion from Kirstin about how his life was... different. Thankfully today was much easier for Scott. It was August, and the weather was absolutely perfect. High of eighty-five degrees, a cool breeze... no explanations other than enjoying the cool breeze and enjoying life.

Scott ran with Olaf back to their apartment and he quickly picked up the newspaper in front of the door before opening it, letting the husky run inside and jump on Kirstin's bed, causing her to groan, suddenly followed by laughter. "Okay, okay! I'm up!" In an instant, Olaf was back in the living room and lapping up some water to hydrate himself from the run. Scott hopped in the shower and washed his run and what nature he managed to get on him off his body and was out and dressed within forty-five minutes. The smell of biscuits and gravy filled the apartment as he came into the kitchen, drying his hair with a towel.

"I thought you said you wanted to go out for breakfast this morning?" Scott sat down at the counter and brought his legs up on the lowest bar, leaning forward and grabbing the paper that sat on the counter where he left it. Kirstin recycled a few copies of the newspaper from August 10th, 2010 so Scott could begin his day with some consistency.