THE KREUTZ IDENTITY

She entered the room and sat down on the couch. Jolted by the thoughts of the man she had just met today. Someone familiar, someone... close? Bits and pieces filled her mind; nothing made sense, nothing at all. That man... his face, his figure, his movement...

It was he that started to bring back bits and pieces, something that rang a bell. Water, lights... nothing came back. She tried, but nothing. To come to think of it, she didn't remember moving into the very apartment she lived in now, or buying that very same couch that she was seated on now.

What events had happened before two weeks ago? How did she get that job, or that car? What made her move to Nice? Who was she really? Her name really Rosa? Her identity? Was it truely Rosa Fernandez? She didn't look Spanish, how come her name was?

These questions raced through her mind, none stop. Maybe her life wasn't as she had thought... but the question remained, who was she really?

Rosa walked into work the next morning, and went up to her manager.

"Yes?"

"I would like to see my file." Rosa replied.

"File?"

"My personnel file. I want to know my resume, and I want to know how I applied here."

The manager looked at Rosa.

"April Fools?"

"I want to know."

"You don't remember?"

"No..."

The manager looked around.

"Come."

The manager showed Rosa into her office.

"Where is it?" Rosa asked.

The manager opened the filing cabinet and pulled out Rosa's thin manilla folder, and slid it onto the desk toward Rosa. Rosa looked at the file, and opened it. The folder was blank.

"What is this?" Rosa exclaimed.

"The truth is, there is nothing on you. I found you wandering the streets two weeks ago. You were not in your mind, you couldn't remember anything. I took you in and gave you a job and a home. You have been loyal, and I was waiting for you to start to remember."

Rosa was silent.

"Who am I then?"

"I don't know. I hoped you could answer that. You had a tattoo of a rose, so I call you Rosa."

"Did you find me with anything on me at all?" Rosa asked.

"Nothing... wait, except this..."

The manager went to her desk drawer and pulled out a creased photograph. She put it on the desk.

"It was in your pocket."

Rosa picked up the photograph and absorbed it, but she could not believe her eyes. It was a picture of her and that man she met yesterday. She looked back up at the manager in surprise.

"What is it?" The manager asked.

From the background, a man's voice was heard.

"Hello?"

Rosa looked at the doorway.

"It is him..."

Rosa rushed down stairs to see Jason waiting for her next to the bar counter. He smiled.

"Hi." Jason greeted.

"Hello." Rosa replied.

"Are you ready?" Jason asked.

"Just let me get my coat."

Rosa went into the closet to get her coat. She took out the photograph of her and Jason, looked at it for a few seconds, then placed it in her jacket pocket and rushed out to Jason.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Yep. What happened to your head?"

"Water skiing." Jason replied as he trailed out of the cafe behind Rosa.