Say You Remember Me

It’s freaking 6: 30 a.m. in the morning and she had to drive 7 kilometres for nothing!

Anger was burning like hellfire inside her, she is still trying to adjust in this place, she never wanted to return, she never wanted to trust anybody here; but despite everything, her love for her cousin Sia was the only thing she couldn’t win against. She shook her head and once again thought of negotiating and tried to convince the supplier to hand over the sample to her.

Listen! I am saying this for the last time- I am Manya Rahal, the famous designer from Milan! How can you not know me? And the reason I don’t have a valid ID is that it’s only been two days since I have joined ARMA’s fashion house and it will take time to get one, but I really need to wrap up this work as soon as possible, so that I can go back...you can call and ask somebody for confirmation!

But she also knew that it wasn’t going to work: due to her bad habit and second stage of Prosopagnosia (a disorder where a person can’t remember faces), she didn’t have anybody’s number from the office saved in her phone apart from the HR and the Director; neither did she know anybody in this city- the city which was always supposed to be her home...but never felt like one….and the city which does feel like home, or which felt like her home once upon a time ....she had no way back to!

She shook her head again, after hearing ‘no’ for the second time and left the place with a volcano of anger inside her, which was about to explode. She put her foot on the accelerator, speeding her SUV above 110km/hr, taking full opportunity of the clear roads in the morning and cursing her life decisions, regretting not taking rest and still feeling the jet lag. It had almost been ten years since she left for Milan and many things had changed in this city as well. Her thoughts were taking her to an unknown maze of her own memory... totally lost to the world. Alas!

A man riding a bicycle bumped in front of the SUV. She slammed her foot on the brakes with all of the energy left in her body.

After gaining his balance back the boy looked at the SUV to confirm if the driver was safe or not,but he didn’t know this near-accident was going to change his life. He saw the girl in the pink hoodie with her hair all over her face; he was dumbstruck, meanwhile the girl had opened the door and was now standing in front of him .

“Hey are you okay? Look, I am sorry but it’s not entirely my fault- you bumped into me- but don’t worry, I know I was wrong as well, so I am willing to pay for it. Please come to ARMA’s in the afternoon, I will provide compensation for your bike,” she said the whole thing without taking a breath and only looking at the bike without even glancing at the face of the boy once.

Arjun came back to his senses after hearing ARMA’s: he was totally lost, seeing Manya after 12 freaking years…only God knows how much he had tried to find her and she was this close all time- in ARMA…and why wasn’t she shocked- or happy to see him?

“Are you alright ? Do you not know the address ? It’s okay, give me your contact details, I will ask my assistant to contact you”, he realised she had been talking all this while.

“Ahm! If you don’t mind please give me your contact details instead, I will contact you!”

He finally managed to blurt out, still in a daze.

Manya thought for a second and then she decided to give him the number because she was already tired from the negotiation, she didn't want another one…

__________

She was on the reception standing rigid, her face getting red with anger- complementing her red dress.

“How many times do I need to repeat myself that my name is not Minni and I don’t know anybody in this city, so I don't know who this ‘Juno’ is!”

She was exploding on the poor receptionist when she got interrupted by a call, she checked the phone and saw ‘ISH