ROOM 211

PART TWENTY EIGHT

32.

Sue sits in a spot within the lobby of The Mulberry Hotel, right where Maggie had spent a lot of time post her own taxi driven deliverance. With how Sue's feet are, this spot she has found is as good as any to be in. Just like Maggie did, Sue rests and observes everything that passes her by. The one main difference the two instances of a lady sitting in this spot is that Sue is known to the forgotten group where at the time when Maggie held this position, she was known by no one until a young man made an enquiry of her. The addition of Maggie and her acquaintance to the group came later, over twenty-four hours later from the moment the madness began.

This solo moment of Sue's is short lived, for she is soon joined by Bonnie and Sue is glad of this. Henry has been somewhat of a minder for Bonnie when he is around and when he isn't around then Sue has taken up such a position. And kind of like a proud mum, Sue is loving how much Bonnie seems to be coming out of herself. The seat William had taken upon his approach to Maggie is the seat Bonnie now takes so she can converse in her own way with Sue.

Of course, for Sue, she knows nothing of what was before current circumstances took a hold. Bonnie, however, seems to have more of a grip on things aside from herself. Anything known or remembered within the group mostly comes from Bonnie and at that there are moments she is not even fully aware of having done or said anything of any possible relevance.

Upon sitting, Bonnie can't help herself but constantly look all around her, hardly spending more than a second or two looking towards Sue. She knows she is here with Sue, at that she is in her own little bottle, safe this time from any and all harm, safe from any retreat into herself. Still, she is aware of the proximity of others.

'You doing alright?' Sue asks her companion.

'Huh?'

'Just asking as to how you are getting on.'

'Oh, I am doing alright, ya know. I am actually enjoying this a bit. This is almost like a holiday where I can actually join in on things.'

'Any time you need a chat or just want to be around, you can always come to me.'

'Sue ... you weren't always Sue but you were always my favourite.'

'Thanks ... I guess.'

Not sure what to make of what she had been told, Sue takes her own moment to have a good look right round her surroundings and for a moment someone catches her eye, someone she only sees for a very quick moment and then he is gone. This fellow she sees, Sue, is sure she knows him or at least is sure she has seen him before. His face, his blond hair parted to one side, his frame, it is all familiar. Nothing else comes to her other than his familiarity.

If only she could know that this fellow so happens to share a likeness with Sander, though not too close of a likeness to actually be him, then this could be something to talk about or share with the other members of this Wiley group she is a part of. Sue woke up on day one in the same building Archer did, they came into close proximity prior to Archer getting out not quite being aware of the other.

It had been the following day, the day prior to this current one, when Sue herself made it out of that building, coming into contact with Archer, Henry and Bonnie before being brought to the Mulberry, a building she has yet to leave since arriving, so indeed she could not in any way have met Sander since her own moment of waking with memory loss, right up to the moment of his death.

Something else has come to Sue. The sight of the fellow she briefly saw combined with what Bonnie had said to her, brought certain words back to her. You were my favourite hello and my most difficult goodbye ... Sue can almost hear these words being spoken to her by a male voice as if they were coming with an element of sadness or some sort of caring. These words come back to her with meaning and as to a possible reason why they do this, is something beyond her.

'Are you alright Sue?' asks Bonnie, taking a moment to properly look towards Sue rather than continuing to case her own surroundings.

'Yeah ... I'm fine,' Sue replies as if she weren't so sure.

Bonnie feels an urge to go get a wheelchair for her companion to aid her get around and she is not sure as to why she feels a need to do this. It is something more than the fact that Sue's feet are hurt, it is something which may come in the way of familiarity, a very odd sense of familiarity.

What Sue cannot remember in this moment, not fully or in much amount at least, is that she had spent quite a bit of time not so long ago in a seated position taking in her surroundings and this may be why she currently feels comfortable and at ease almost confined to where she currently sits.

Life is odd, as odd as life can be ...

33.

One year ago, almost to the day, at a time when Sue was not known by the name Sue, she was about to become a successful business lady. She had worked in retail for almost ten years. Beginning humbly, she started out on store floors and worked her way up into management and after attaining herself a degree in business, a time came to open up shop for herself and this is exactly what she did.

Success came not overwhelmingly so but success enough that her finances would not struggle so much, though perhaps life in general would come to struggle some, not in any physical sense, at least at first. She fell into routine. Between work, the hours her store demanded of her and the hours she spent on her own physical fitness, there was little, or no time left for much of a social life.

She knew many people and many people knew her, knew of her, and one person in particular took notice of her. Sue, as she was long before she became Sue, took notice of he who had taken notice of her. She did not want to reciprocate certain attention that was coming her way.

There was worry of course, but there was no cause for action. Someone was paying her attention and doing no more. He quite often would be near her store while she was there. He would be walking in the park as she enjoyed a run within, and he would often be at the pool where she liked to swim and despite the fact that he never intentionally caused her harm, he may have done just that on one occasion, unintentionally of course.

Odd, the look of this guy, his blond hair parted to one side, his tall slim frame, his face, and demeanour all offered a sense of calm, a sense that no harm to another will come via him unless it would be in attempt to keep the peace. Yeah, how odd this is.

Despite the oft occurrences of his presence possibly boarding on stalking, she had yet to inform anyone of this guy. He had never bothered her, he had never attempted to talk to her, never tried sending her gifts or the likes, and he had that sense emanating from him that he'd quicker defend her than hurt her in any way, so she let it be for the time being at least, not feeling threatened by his presence.

On one occasion, however, and indeed the occasion that matters, she had gone for a swim and there was no sign of her admirer. She more than half expected him to be nearby. In a moment of wonder, as she climbed up a ladder and onto a diving board, she took a look around from position on the diving board to see if he were near; he wasn't just yet but was about to. The split second she was about to take her dive she caught sight of him coming through a door, himself looking ready for a swim.

Already having moved off the diving board, her attention and concentration indeed had been taken away from the dive and into the water she went. Five seconds passed, then ten, and she had yet to resurface. Another five seconds pass and with little or no other attention from others in this place being placed on her, he begins to worry. Almost thirty seconds had passed, and he could not keep away from her any longer, so he dives right in and retrieves her.

She wasn't breathing. He worked on her and soon she was back. From here on, and for time to come, she was not the same, injury and a deprivation of oxygen took away from her. Initially she got by. What was mild at first worsened steadily until she needed a wheelchair to manoeuver further than to the end of her garden path, the wheelchair looking all the more likely day by day to remain a constant item in her life from here on in.

A friendship had developed with her admirer and a suggestion came from him. With very little in the way of available options, a decision was made. A rectangular room with seven others became a new home and right now in the present-day, Sue finds herself sitting in the lobby of The Mulberry Hotel with no memory of what came prior to a couple of days ago.

So, the briefly seen face she thought was familiar, if he might be that former admirer of hers then in this moment ... she cannot know of such ... a spark of something has come all the same.