An Opportunity

“You are Annie, you are Annie, you are Annie..” she attempts to convince herself, growing frustrated with each reiteration, almost as if she was reminding herself for the millionth time, but still clearly unsure on anything. She sat staring at the scrappy-looking picture gripped firmly in her hands - four bright, glowing faces staring back at her with names etched in ink above each, sporting the finest script. Clearly visible from a distance, the waitress caught a glimpse as she wandered over, 
“They your babies, doll?”
Her trail of thought was lost as she looks up at the middle-aged woman seen holding the most refreshing-looking jug of coffee.
“Oh, erm... Yeah, I mean.. I think so. The three around me are important to me. ....I think.  You see, I have a memory condition...”
The cheeky waitress interrupted with a slight giggle,
“Oh, hon’.. I’m just kidding. You’ve come in here plenty, sweetie. Coffee and pancakes, right..?”
She nodded, almost as if someone else knowing more about her preferences was entirely normal. “Sounds perfect!” - her smile stretching from ear-to-ear.

Life without memory is almost unimaginable for most but it’s actually one of the easiest ways to survive. Who wants to be tied down with feelings and emotion? Imagine remembering all those mistakes you made? All those things you’d do differently given the chance? ... That’s not a life little Annie Amnesia could imagine but it’s certainly something she thought about often - perhaps constantly! But for all it’s advantages, was she happy with her condition? The look on her face suggested not.

As the coffee spiralled around the inside of the bright white mug, she took in a few more moments of the photo before springing a question,
“You got kids?”
“Two. John and George - you’ve met them!” she giggles again, Annie’s embarrassment becoming more obviously apparent with the blushing of her rosy cheeks.
“Sorry... I, err - heh...” she pauses, somehow knowing she probably repeats herself often enough.
“It’s okay, don’t you worry about it, pet. Let me get you those pancakes!” the larger, older woman disappears behind the counter, leaving an elderly gentleman in Annie’s sight, sat three stalls closer to the door. She brushes off his unusually long stare, understanding there’s probably a lot that goes on around her she doesn’t understand. However, she couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate the point to his fedora - a shape that attracted her, an intriguing design she always thought. Efficiently used for the removal and placing of the decorative piece on your head yet still remaining stylish. With a memory condition like amnesia, keeping concentration on anything for too long can prove difficult and before she knew it, Annie was once again fixated on her precious photo where she spent the majority of her morning gazing and exploring her imagination of what life before confusion was like.

As the clock ticked past midday, she glances at her watch before a peer out of the floor-to-ceiling window looking out upon the beautiful, busy streets of Philadelphia. Nothing was familiar to her, but she was okay with that - she was quite happy living life meeting the fresh beauty of the city for the first time every time. She released a sigh and patted her full belly, placing a crisp note on the table before collecting her few belongings together and rising to her feet.
“Ah, a nice walk now, then...” she smiles sweetly at the waitress as she presses everything her small frame has to offer against the large heavy door, finding herself amongst the bustling streets of Bella Vista. Taking a deep breath, she appreciates the over-powering scent of fresh food and lingering smell of coffee. She waves her hand around her face, clearing the intruding smoke from her nostrils as she passes by two men found loitering not far from the door before slipping past them and into the crowds. 

Annie’s eyes travelled her surroundings, the pavement disappearing behind her as she bounced through the streets gleefully. She’d learned to live life enjoying the smaller pleasures - long walks, some light human interaction. She plodded through life making the best of her situation, finding pleasures in every day she faced.

Annie found herself travelling further away from the busier streets and nearer the back roads of Philadelphia. While the area certainly seemed a little rougher than from where she’d just come, it was quieter and thus still felt enjoyable for Annie to be surrounded by Philadelphia’s charm and yet without the loud noises of the city, engulfed in nothing but peace and quiet. She greeted cats as she passed them, waved at strangers if they smiled - she even had patience for the ‘nasty’ auto-mobiles that were growing ever-increasingly popular with each day! While loud and intrusive, she was a stickler for efficiency and only blind people could not see the efficiency of motor vehicles! Annie wasn’t blind... Not physically, nor blind to the progression of humanity in the future - just forgetful.

Not brave nor heroic, but rather naive, Annie didn’t often walk down dark alleyways and long, quiet roads alone, but she didn’t always have the foresight to consider the potential risk of it. It seemed that today, she’d learn the harsh lesson that followed this fairly common oversight of hers.

While her ridiculous smile was still glued to the front of her face, she knew she probably shouldn’t wander too far from civilisation. She could remember a fair amount while on her calming walks but perhaps venturing too far for sights just wasn’t worth the risk. Deciding to head back towards the busy city centre, she takes a side-road hoping to find another route so’s not to miss any scenery on her return. As she nears the end of the dimly-lit street, suddenly a gloved hand appears from nowhere.

Annie squeals in a panic, throwing her elbows behind her into the large shape that was dragging her further into the dark. Who was it?! What was it?! She didn’t know what to do but managed to stop herself freezing and continued throwing all of her tiny strength into an attempt to escape. Managing to squirm free for a moment, she throws her leg behind her hoping to stun her assailant long enough to get away but after a grunt, Annie’s legs were swept from beneath her leaving her in a pile on the floor. She flicks her hair out of her face, looking up at the shadow that now stood over her.

“Stop fucking fighting back, you stupid bitch.” - the gruff voice finally sent enough fear into Annie’s defenceless body to disable her from moving. However, she still managed control of her lungs, squeaking in fear,
“WHAT DO YOU WANT?! GET AWAY FROM ME!!”
“Hey, would you shut the fuck up? You wanna get clipped, girl?” Suddenly, she lost her voice, too. 
“C’mon now, girl. Up you get. Look at the fucking state of you... And me.. This is a new coat and it cost more than you could fucking afford, so I suggest you just fucking behave now... Capiche?”
She nods slowly, strongly considering making her way to her feet before angering the man any further but choosing to muster some words first,
“What do you want?!” A hidden attitude shone through out of nowhere.
The man laughs, strong-arming her to her feet before answering, “I’m a friend. Well.. Not yet. I understand you don’t remember much?”
She looks at the man, rather unsure on sharing too much with him. Did she have history with this guy? Why would he randomly attack her like that, if they were friends?
“The cafe? This morning?” He tests her memory condition, a little unsure whether it’s to be believed or not before continuing, “Hmm. Interesting.”
Annie’s face screwed up in confusion. Her legs had finally calmed enough to support her as she controlled her shakes, making her way to her feet. The man removes his fedora, handing Annie a fresh piece of tissue before fixing his cuffs, “Clean yourself up. Damn.. You got more fight in you that I thought you would!”

Still confused, Annie wipes her palms clean then hurries her hands over her bright clothing, brushing off the dirt she’d just acquired while rolling around the floor.
“I’m sorry... Who in the Hell are you?!”
She grew more confident that the man was not an outright threat - perhaps just a little crazy. She could hardly judge though, if she wasn’t so messed up herself, perhaps she’d remember enough about him to have an accurate reading.

“My name doesn’t matter to you right now. I’m from this beautiful city... I’m something of a celebrity around here... I’m here to offer you an opportunity.”

Are we to challenge this so called amnesia? Or does the writings on your wall weaken that challenge? I would run into the coffee shop and smoke a joint but why waste food smoke banking on the latter?