Christmas Therapy

His chest heaved with a sigh. “I can't believe it.”

“Me neither.” She wiped at her damp eyes. “I asked around to find out where you lived. This town is friendly. You like it here?”

“Yeah, I do.” He’d grown to love Maple Meadow and the people in it. They embraced and treated him like family. The Christmas fair was coming up soon. He even spoke to people as he walked up and down the street.

“Can we talk?” Crystal asked.

“I...”

“Please?”

He gestured for her to follow him. She remembered him. He never thought the day would come. Once inside, Crystal loosened the checkered scarf around her neck. She looked around his home, focusing on the pictures on the coffee table.

“Nice pictures,” she said.

“Thanks.”

“I don't suppose you have any of... us?” she asked.

Allen sighed. “I thought it was best to forget.”

“What?” She raised her eyebrows.

“That's what your father said. You agreed.”

Her lips parted. “You make it sound as if I caused the accident.”

He ran a hand down the back of his neck, ignoring the tightness in his chest. “I'm not. What I am saying is we were having problems long before you lost your memory. I wanted to try, but you filed for divorce.”

“Can you blame me? After the accident, I was so confused. I didn’t know what I was doing. I’m sorry.”

His body went still. Crystal was apologizing. “You’re what?” Allen did a double-take. She couldn’t have been the same woman he married in college. Though the Crystal who stood before him now seemed sincere, he didn’t trust her.

It was best she left. She never listened to him when he wanted to fight for their marriage. Allen never begged, but the calls she had sent to voicemail were a slap to his face. She didn’t give him a chance.

Yet, an unexpected release of tension left his body. He prayed for the day Crystal would remember him. “Tell me why you’re here?”

“Allen,” she said as she walked over to him. She reached for his hands, grazing his palms with her fingers.

“Crystal… I…”

“Please?” She pulled him into an embrace, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands hung to his sides at first, but then he pressed his fingers into her back.

Crystal held him tight and for a moment, Allen closed his eyes. Reality took over. He lost those memories. Crystal cared more about what her family thought, working to please her parents.

Allen pulled away from her embrace. He was glad she regained her memories, but she couldn't have come at a worse time. Stepping away, she wrung her hands together.

“What’s going on, Crystal?” he asked.

“I wanted to see you.”

“After all this time.”

“I've been doing a lot of thinking. I shouldn’t have left you the way I did. I spent too much time beating myself up about it, but I remember now.”

“I’m glad.”

“Face it, Allen, we were too young. I didn’t know what I wanted except a career of my own.”