Trying to remember

Chapter four - Bilingual

In the following chapter other languages are listed. They may not be accurate as I simply used a translation site. So apologies beforehand.

He was still peering over her, his eyes looking darker still against his now pale rugged features. She must not have looked any better herself, she thought as he continued to stare at her. It had been a shock to hear his statement, which had almost felt as an accusation, yet she knew he was telling the truth. Had she really been having a full blown conversation with the cleaner fluently in Spanish? How was that possible unless she had some Spanish origins herself? To not notice the difference and go from speaking Spanish to English within the literal blink of an eye had to mean she was fluent enough with the language to be actually able to think in the language. There was no other explanation.

"It could be that you have some Spanish origins." Dr Steel said excitedly, pearching on the bottom of her hospital bed. "You really have no notion that you were speaking the language?"

Iris shook her head with her mind in chaotic thought. "I did seem to have a warm thought in mind when she talked of her hometown. As though I knew it well."

"Did she describe it for you?" he asked, pulling out a notepad and pen from his jacket pocket, giving her the instant feeling of being interviewed. 

"No, she just told me she was from Carbaneros, and I had warm feeling come over me. I  just knew that it was a wonderful place." She stared at him intently now as he scribbled away on his notebook. "This will be news the police will want to know about, won't it?" she asked stealing his attention away from the paper for a moment as he regarded her with deep thought.

"Only if you're feeling well enough to answer their questions. It will be the same questions as before. They will just repeat them because they hope at some point their questions will trigger something in your mind, so that you will be able to answer them fully."

Iris nodded in understanding. She had not been able to answer any of their questions before, and although knowing that she was fluent in another language - it didn't really answer any of their specific questions. It would indeed raise more, as Dr Steel was proving now. She understood their need to ask questions and in now way felt threatened or intimidated by them. Of course, another reason for this was that she wanted to know what had happened herself. They were doing their job and she was in fact grateful for their efforts.

She had been told that she had been found with a car, but the car had not been registered with anyone. She thought that sounded suspicious at the time, but had not given much more thought to it, until now. After all, there was no point in worrying about things out of your control.

He was smiling at her now, but she must have given him a 'look' without realising. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be staring. I just find you fascinating... I mean because of being bilingual. Just coming out like that, having a conversation with the cleaner and not even realising that you were speaking Spanish. I wish I had come a few moments earlier." He had finished talking, but Iris could see that the thoughts and questions were swimming around in his head.

"You can go and get her if you like, for a real demonstration." She realised she wasn't joking, and he indeed hesitated before he replied.

"No, best not. I wouldn't want to interrupt her work. She works really hard, I've never seen her skiving off like some cleaners."

Iris smiled

"What? What did I say? I'll make sure to say it again. It is so lovely to see you smiling." His face dropped immediately after speaking and he quickly rose from the edge of her bed.