The Memory Read online

  “You’ll be all the talk around the lunch table today, Elliot,” Perry warned with a chuckle. Elliot nodded a goodbye to Perry and Geneva then slipped away. Winnie and Ed were waiting for him. He had offered to treat them to a seafood lunch. After their meal, they rode around the area so Elliot could get a feel for the town. When they returned to the park, Elliot changed into his work clothes and walked to the lake while Ed and Winnie rested.

  The sun was pleasantly warm in the blue sky, and the water rippled under the breeze. Ed had told him the lake was spring fed which kept the water clear, cool, and moving. Essential qualities to avoid the deadly amoebas found in some Florida waters. Elliot slipped out of his loafers, rolled up his pants, and walked out into the water. It was cold and refreshing. He walked around the sandy parts and looked back at the cabins and picnic area. A lot of work needed to be done for sure, but he could see the potential for a busy summer crowd.

  Elliot’s mind raced with ideas. He’d pour slabs of concrete for the picnic tables to rest on then he’d put grills at each table and covers over the tables. He’d bring the place back to life for the Palmers. He trudged from the water to a dilapidated table and sat down on top of it then gazed out over the water. More ideas gathered in his head. He’d run them past Geneva before he bothered the Palmers.

  The feeling Elliot experienced earlier returned full force. He was rejuvenated by the project. Was this his bailiwick? Rick had told him he ran the business side of their company. Was his old self struggling to get out? Could he be having a breakthrough? Had he connected to a part of him that had nothing to do with Geneva? The prospect filled him with hope. A smile curled his lips.

  Suddenly, the crackling of leaves and twigs interrupted his quiet moment. Elliot turned. Russell trotted toward him. A few feet behind the dog, Geneva strolled purposely with something in her hand. She’d changed into capris and peasant top that showed off her curvy figure and toned legs. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she wore slip-on sneakers. Elliot’s smile deepened. Why wasn’t he engaged to Geneva instead of Olivia? Everything inside him told him he should be.

  “I’ve brought you a Bible from Grandpa.” Geneva handed Elliot the plastic bag with the leather bound book inside.

  “Thank him for me, please.” Elliot took the Bible out and flipped it open. It was old and worn with notes in the margins. It was a study Bible. “I don’t know if I own a Bible.”

  “I’m sure you own one,” Geneva sounded confident. “Didn’t your family tell you that you’re a Christian? You belonged to the Christian Businessmen’s Association and volunteered at several Christian charities in the town.”

  “Rick told me I moved away from all that after you left, and I took up with Olivia.” Elliot’s tone slipped a notch or two.

  “Olivia made a point of telling people she wasn’t a believer.” Geneva wiped off a space on the table and sat next to Elliot. “You must have adopted her beliefs if you were so keen on marrying her.”

  “I’ve been praying a lot lately, and I feel close to God,” Elliot confided.

  “That’s good, Elliot.” Geneva smiled. “I’ve been praying for you, too. Grandpa prayed for you at prayer meeting Wednesday night as well. The Palmers are praying people. God listens to prayers. He may not answer them the way we want, but he will respond to our needs. Keep praying.”

  “It’s scary to think about my memories returning and discovering I’m not a believer.” He looked away so he wouldn’t catch the disappointment in Geneva’s eyes. “I can’t imagine life without God now that I’ve been praying all these weeks. I don’t want to lose the closeness I feel to Him.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Geneva put her hand over Elliot’s. Her touch was warm and soft. Elliot responded with a hopeful smile. He didn’t want to lose Geneva either.

  “What makes you so sure?”

  “Because I believe in prayer, and I believe God wants to keep you in His service.” Geneva squeezed Elliot’s hand. “God’s not playing games with you Elliot. He didn’t allow all this to happen just to amuse Himself. There’s definitely a reason you’re here. You need to stay faithful and strong.”

  Elliot’s eyes widened. “That reminds me, Geneva. We we’re going to talk about why I fired you. Care to do that now?”

  Geneva gestured toward the water with her head. “I thought you wanted to tell me about your plans for the beach?”

  Elliot took that as a no.

  “You’re right,” he said. “I did. But, I still want to discuss the reason I fired you.”

  “We will,” Geneva told him. For years it was important for the truth to come out. Now, accusing his fiancée of setting her up worried Geneva. It could put a wedge between them, and Geneva feared that. But, she couldn’t put Elliot off for long. What he learned from her account could set his memories free.

  Elliot jumped off the table and helped Geneva down. He showed her the areas he wanted to clean and build up to entice summer crowds. Geneva got excited. She gave her input, but it really wasn’t necessary. Elliot knew what he was doing. His ideas were brilliant. Geneva ended up agreeing with all of them.

  “I’ll help you all I can during the weeks,” she offered.

  Elliot nodded. “Thanks. I’m going to start tomorrow, but I’ll still come around and help you, too.”

  “You don’t have to do that, Elliot,” Geneva insisted. She covered her eyes to shield them from the bright afternoon sun. “You did so much for me last week. I think I can do without you for a while.” Geneva swung her gaze around the grassy park. “This is going to take some time. Just work on this. I used to swim in this lake when I was younger. It used to be buzzing. Giving it a new lease on life will help the entire town.”

  Elliot and Geneva returned to the picnic table and sat down. He shared his thoughts about feeling in touch with his old business side while putting together plans for the beach. Geneva couldn’t hide her despair when Elliot explained that the project could prompt a breakthrough. A part of her didn’t want him to remember his old life. She didn’t want him to go back to Orlando.

  “You don’t seem too thrilled that I might regain my memories.” Her sluggish expression puzzled him.

  “I’ll miss you when you leave,” Geneva confessed with a shy smile. He deserved the truth.

  To her surprise, Elliot regarded her comment with a smile of his own. “That’s nice to hear, coming from the woman I fired. Does this mean you forgive me for being so horrendous to you?”

  “Why is my forgiveness so important to you, Elliot?” Geneva asked, directly.

  “Because I don’t want any obstacles between us, Geneva,” Elliot heard himself say. The honesty was bold and surprising.

  Geneva squared up. “The firing isn’t the only obstacle between us, Elliot. You have a life in Orlando—and you have Olivia.”

  Chapter 9

  “I don’t love Olivia!” Elliot blurted, rocking the table under them.

  “That’s the amnesia talking.” Geneva lassoed her emotions. It wasn’t fair to Elliot or Olivia to get involved even though her heartstrings pulled her toward Elliot. “You must have loved her in your old life or you wouldn’t have asked her to marry you.” Her reminder was gentle and sincere.

  Elliot propped his elbows on his knees and shoved his hair back with frustrated hands. “Doesn’t right now count for anything? Do I put my whole life on hold until every single memory returns? What if none ever returns? What then, Geneva? Should I just go through the motions with Olivia in hopes that one day I’ll eventually love her again?” It was the same question he’d posed to Rick.

  “Maybe you should spend more time with her,” Geneva suggested, kicking herself. She was falling in love with Elliot. Sending him back to Olivia was like throwing him to the wolves. She’d rather protect him, but he wasn’t hers to protect. He belonged to Olivia. Geneva would have to send him back sooner or later. Believing they’d have a life together was just a schoolgirl fantasy.

  “You
really think that way?” Elliot’s hopes that Geneva cared for him were dashed. He’d been so sure the memory was an indication of more between them. Had he been wrong? Had the accident messed up the wiring in his head so that he only thought he loved Geneva, not Olivia?

  Geneva scooted her misty glance to the water. “It doesn’t matter what I think or believe, Elliot. I’m not part of your life, not the one you’ve lived in Orlando. I’m not the woman you’re engaged to. My feelings don’t count right now. Olivia’s do. You can’t just ignore her.”

  “You’re right,” he agreed, suddenly convicted by the whole matter. He couldn’t leave Olivia stranded without any regard for her. He rubbed his thighs as a plan formed in his head. It wasn’t one he liked, but it was unavoidable. “I’ll return to Orlando and meet with Olivia. Maybe I’ve been seeking answers in all the wrong places. Maybe this memory I have means nothing at all. You and I didn’t mean anything to each other in Orlando. You’ve made that clear.”

  Geneva’s heart shattered into a bazillion pieces as she listened to Elliot. His tone reeked with heartache and finality. The joy they’d just experienced together, talking about the lake and beach, was lifetimes away. She’d ruined the moment for the sake of reality, a reality neither wanted to face.

  Elliot walked Geneva back home, but didn’t accept her invitation to come for dinner or return to the evening service. She’d given him too much to think about. All the way back to his cabin, Elliot mulled over the one quality in his memory of Geneva that pointed to more than just the firing. His profound feelings for her. Something stronger than the memory itself was struggling to get out, and he wanted desperately to find out what it was.

  On their way to church, the Palmers stopped by Elliot’s cabin. Winnie had fixed him a turkey sandwich. Elliot was appreciative and ate the entire thing even though his appetite was weak.

  With nothing but his troubled thoughts to keep him company, Elliot reached for the Bible Perry had loaned him. Several pages were dog-eared. He flipped to them first, hoping to find an inspiring message. The marked passages were uplifting, but not relevant. Every block of Scripture Perry had underlined spoke of living with joy or obeying God. Elliot wanted something that addressed his particular needs.

  After a while, disappointment overwhelmed him. He closed the Bible and walked back out to the lake. The sky over the water was a calm, pinkish hue. It filled him with peace, but no answers. He stood still, letting the evening breeze mess his hair. Wavy strands brushed his forehead. He pushed them back. His hair felt bushy and unkempt.

  Elliot trembled. Why do I feel like that? He remembered being more cleaned-cut, but the memory turned to dust in the breeze. He glanced down at his clothes. He wore a polo shirt, khaki work trousers, and loafers with no socks. The outfit didn’t trigger any unsettling feelings. Elliot sighed. The amnesia wore him down. Nothing jogged his memory.

  He slipped out of his shoes and strolled along the water’s edge. A whippoorwill’s song across the lake echoed Elliot’s loneliness.

  God, help me, he pleaded silently. He’d prayed that same prayer over and over since waking up without his memories. It’d been three weeks, and he was more confused than ever. Geneva was right. He needed to spend more time with those he knew well, people who were in his life. What was he accomplishing being in Holly Park? Nothing! It came to Elliot like a whack on the head.

  He remained outside until the stars came out. When he returned to the cabin, he picked up the Bible one more time before getting ready for bed.

  There has to be an answer in here, Elliot told himself. I just haven’t found it yet. He thumbed through the pages again. Verse after verse brought some peace or joy or hope, but he wanted more. Then it hit him. All the Scriptures were familiar to him. He hadn’t given it much thought until that moment. He’d been so hungry to find the one verse that would speak to his specific problem that he hadn’t realized he remembered what he was reading and where to look.

  Elliot shook himself. He’d been a Bible reader in the past. He knew God’s word. Without hesitating, he turned to 2 Corinthians 12:8 - 10 and read Paul’s words out loud.

  “I begged the Lord three times to take this problem away from me. But, he said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you.’ So I am very happy to brag about my weaknesses. Then Christ’s power can live in me. For this reason, I am happy when I have weaknesses, insults, hard times, sufferings, and all kinds of troubles for Christ. Because when I am weak, then I am truly strong.”

  Elliot read the passage over and over. Why had he remembered it so vividly? Had he recognized it from a sermon he’d heard or was it more of a family favorite? Something had made him turn to it. Tears of joy gathered in his eyes. This verse was a connection to his past.

  “My grace is enough for you. When you are weak, my power is made perfect in you,” he read again.

  Hungry for more, Elliot searched and found more familiar verses to study. He’d lost track of time and fell asleep, sitting in the chair, his mind still keyed up. Under the strain, he dreamed.

  “You’re fired, Geneva!”

  “What? I just secured the account you’ve wanted for years. Why are you so angry with me?”

  “Your methods went against company policy. A severance package will be mailed to you.”

  “You can’t do this!”

  “I’m the president of this company. I can do whatever I want!”

  “I’ll file a complaint!”

  “I wouldn’t do that, Geneva. I have proof of your unethical conduct. If you go away quietly, it will remain in my files. If not, I’ll be forced to produce it, and I’m sure you don’t want that.”

  “What proof? I demand to see it!”

  Elliot opened a folder and spread several photos on his desk. “Here’s the proof, Geneva. You were carrying on with your client, a married man.”

  “What? I—never—”

  “Pictures don’t lie.”

  “I can explain every one of those photos, Elliot. Just give me a chance. Please don’t do this Elliot. I thought we were friends. You told me I was an asset to the company.”

  “That was before this! Now please go.”

  “This is unfair!”

  “Get out, Geneva! Get out now!”

  Elliot thrashed from side to side under the power of the dream. A strong emotion gripped him. Still dreaming, he watched Geneva stomp out of his office in a blast of fury and pain. His fists curled at his sides after she was gone. He slumped at his desk with his head in his hands. Rage overpowered him. Rage and— jealousy. He was jealous. Geneva had gone out with the rep from the account she was soliciting, and it enraged him. He pounded his desk.

  “You can’t work here anymore, Geneva! I’ve fallen in love with you!”

  Elliot jerked awake. The memory consumed his mind and emotions. He sat up, feverish. It could have been a dream.

  No! He screamed inwardly. The fit of jealousy was too strong, the love in his heart, too powerful. This had not been a dream. It was an extension of his only memory. He’d been angry with Geneva because she’d gotten too close to someone else. That’s why he’d fired her. It was the only way he could get back at her. His actions had been purely selfish. He couldn’t stand the thought of Geneva with another man so he got rid of her. The deed had been wrong and unjust.

  One mystery remained. How had he found out? Where had the photos come from? Geneva had defended her actions, saying she’d done nothing wrong. Perhaps she hadn’t. He’d not given her a chance to refute his charges. He’d just sent her away. Now, he knew why. It didn’t make him feel better, but he did feel closer to understanding why it was this memory and none other that had survived the amnesia. His love for Geneva ran deep.

  Fully awake and still dressed in his clothes, Elliot fixed himself a cup of black coffee and drank it down while watching the dawn illuminate the horizon in a splash of color. He’d asked God for help and he’d gotten it. The memory clung to his mind lik
e a battle scar. He showered and dressed in a clean set of clothes then sat outside on the porch to wait for Geneva to stir.

  As soon as he thought the time was right, Elliot headed to Geneva’s, determined to hear her side of things. He’d not be put off again. Russell met him in the yard. Elliot patted the pooch, but his eagerness to confront Geneva didn’t allow much more than that. He paused at the porch steps. Had he given the matter enough thought? He flicked the notion away. He was tired of thinking. He needed answers. Was that the business side of him trying to emerge? Taking charge of the problem strengthened him, but Elliot hesitated. God had brought him to this point. He’d not handle the situation alone. If he didn’t take God with him, he’d botch things up or, worse, fail.

  His heart leapt with vigor as he knocked on the door. Geneva answered right away. She’d been passing through the living room when she saw Elliot through the sheers.

  “Good morning!” Her tone was cheerful despite not sleeping well the night before. She couldn’t get Elliot and Olivia out of her mind.

  Elliot stepped inside, clearly distracted by his wary thoughts.

  “We need to talk now,” he said before she could offer him a cup of coffee.

  Geneva gazed at him with dread. He’d had a breakthrough. She could see it in his eyes.

  “Sure.” She led him to the kitchen. He watched her prepare a light breakfast of banana bread and fresh fruit. Her flawless, swift moves amazed him. Every twist and turn of her body speckled the room with her quiet, joyful fragrance. He felt empowered.

  Geneva sat across from him and said a blessing over the food then faced Elliot with tired eyes. “Now, what do you want to talk about?” As if she didn’t know.

  He told her about remembering the Bible verses as a lead in. Geneva’s excitement was genuine.

  “Praise the Lord!” She exclaimed. “That’s a breakthrough right there!”