Memory Loss

Memory Loss Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I turn back towards Damen, and I know he can see both the confusion and joy on my face. "It's an ice arena. I thought you would think it was cool." He said giggling at his own ice is cold joke. I gave a fake laugh to it even though I did find it a little amusing.

"It's amazing and beautiful. Are we going on it?" I asked getting a bit scared now that I know that I'm going on a big sheet of ice, possibly to my death with a guy I just met yesterday.

"Yup, I'll go rent the skates-what size are you?" He asked looking over his shoulder but kept walking towards a sign that said RENTALS.

I think about that for a moment and remember when I put my sneakers on the other day the tag on the inside had a number on it. "8 should do just fine." Still trying to believe that I'm going to be going out there, on skates, on a big sheet of ice... where other people are and that I could crash into, and possibly fall cracking my head open.

"Okay, I'll come back with your skates." He said smiling and walking towards the rental area. There was a little bit of a line, so I went over to the boards and watched as people went skating by. A couple kids had these plastic things to help them learn, maybe I should try that out... just to be safe. I'm assuming that Damen knows how to skate, or he would never have thought to bring me here in the first place. Awesome, I'm going to look like a complete idiot on what I could call a date.

As I stand there watching the other skaters, a girl goes flying passed me and jumps in the air and turns! She even landed it, on one leg none the less! I couldn't believe it. When I saw that I had a memory flash back of watching TV and someone competing doing this, but them being the only one on the ice. I remember wanting to learn how to do that!

He came back with a beautiful pair of white figure skates for me. And bulky black skates for himself. Those were cool too; they had blue and gray on them. But still my skates were better than his in my opinion. "Damen! I remember wanting to learn to do this! I remember watching a competition on TV with someone skating and doing all these cool tricks!" I was so overjoyed I almost had tears in my eyes, that's when I remembered we were in a public setting and a couple people were looking at us now. I pull myself together and take my skates from Damen and go towards a bench where others are putting on their skates.

"That's amazing! See we will get your memory back in no time! Do you know if you ever ended up doing it? Skating that is?" I sit down and take off my shoes and stare down at my feet and the skates for a solid 5 minutes. I turn to him, and he asks, "need me to help with lacing you up?" Damen is already in his skates and ready to go. Show-off! He totally has done this before, and I'm totally going to fall.

"No, it's okay I think I know how to do them." I lied saying that, but I was determined to show that I could do it on my own. I watched as another girl a couple people down started doing up her skates and tried to follow along. I put my fingers to the laces and away I went. Crossing them left and right over the little teeth like looking things. Then finally a bow at the top. Once I started it was like second nature doing them up. There is small hope now that I've done it before, the question is-does my brain and body remember how to skate? Only one way we are going to find out, I guess.

"Uh that was fast. I guess you skated before and just didn't remember." He said that with a giggle and his arms on his side with a slightly impressed look on his face.

"Hahaha how nice of you to make fun of the girl with no memory." I said with a harsh look on my face but making sure to laugh after, so he knew I wasn't being serious. He held his hand up in defense "okay, okay I'm sorry," he said with a puppy dog face that made me smile. "Let's just get you on the ice, okay?" He offered out his hand to help me stand and up I went. I was taller now that I had them on from the blades, and it made me lose my balance for a second. We carefully walk along the matted floor towards the opening to the rink.

"Fine with me but you go on first so in case I fall when I get on you can break my fall." I said with a devilish grin. "Maybe this time you'll catch me, unlike when we first met." I joke sticking my tongue out at him.

"Well, there miss, YOU were the one to crash and fall into me now. Don't be getting the story all mixed around here." He sticks his tongue back out at me as he stepped onto the ice. Then I carefully make my way to the edge, and all I could do was look down at the ice just thinking 'Oh my gosh! I'm so going to fall! And he's so going to make fun of me' wait- why do I care what he thinks. Finally, I muster up enough courage and I carefully put one foot and then the next onto the ice. I stumbled a bit, but Damen was there and caught me before I could fall. I can't believe I'm about to say this out loud but, "okay Damen let's see if can skate after all." I really hope that I don't regret doing this. I make the joke comment of having help stand by, but it was only half a joke.

I watched Damen take a couple strides in front of me and I started skating. Like actually skating! By myself! "Oh my gosh does this ever feel good to be doing again." I said looking up with my arms out like wings. "Wait did I just say again?" We both looked at each other as I had another breakthrough moment. So, I did skate before, and I enjoyed it.

"Looks like somewhere deep down you remember that you have skated before." Damen said skating over to me with a smile from ear to ear.

"Hmm let me try something that has been stuck in my head for a while." I said as I skated away from Damen. I was going to attempt to do one of the things I remember seeing on TV. It has been in my head ever since I saw it done in here and has been driving me nuts. Might as well try while I have the courage to do it. And at least I have someone who kind of knows who I am and can take me to the hospital if I get hurt. Damen looks concerned as I started skating faster and faster away from him. I took a quick look back and gave a reassuring smile. He has no idea what I'm going to do, but I'm too far from him now to have him stop me. I was getting near the end of the rink now so if I was going to do that trick, it was now or never. So, I went for it, I jabbed my toe pick into the ground and jumped into the air. I started to spin and spin. I spun around at least twice in the air. Then landed on one leg going backwards. I can't believe I just did that. How did I do that!? What did I even just do?!

"Oh-my-god." Was all that came out of Damen's mouth? I skated back to him with a blank look of horror on my face. His face was as white as the hospital walls but had a slight green tinge as if he was going to be sick.

"Did I-did I just do what I think I just did?" I said looking into his eyes with shock.

"Uh--yah you did. Whatever that was. You scared the crap out of me when you went into the air! I thought you were going to crash hard down on the ice! I thought you had just killed yourself" He was breathing heavy and grabbed both of my arms, clearly in distress. Which I can't blame the guy... I'm still in utter shock that I did that...

"Well looks like I did more than just skate here and there before I lost my memory. Looks like I was a figure skater. And a pretty dam good one if I may say." Damen made me promise to never do something as silly and reckless as that again.

After the shock wore off from both Damen and I, we skated for another hour and a half and talked more. I shivered a little and turn to Damen. "Here take this," he said while taking off his sweater. All he had underneath was a T-shirt, but he didn't care. And for some reason he looked like he wasn't cold at all. But I assured him I had had my fill of excitement for the day and truly was ready to get off the ice.

We returned our skates back to the retail place just outside of the rink. We grabbed a hot chocolate at the rink to sip along the way, this tasted so good that I now know my tastebuds are fine and that the hospital food is just garbage. I enjoyed my hot chocolate as we started walking back to the hospital, hoping we wouldn't get in any more trouble than we knew we already would be in. It was a nice walk back but there was a cool breeze now.

When we were in front of the hospital, I knew we had to part ways here, but I didn't want to, and I don't think he wanted too either. "I guess this is goodbye for now." I said not daring to look into his eyes, because I knew that if I did, I would never be able to say goodbye and walk into that hospital.

"Yah I guess so." I could hear the slight sadness in his voice. We had a great afternoon, and it's a shame that it has to come to an end. So, I slowly started to walk towards the hospital doors.