"Of course I do!! The garden is a mess, and that has to be against some sort of law, doesn't it?"
"Ah, Mrs Thorncroft, how's the garden?" came a voice from behind Mel, and she had never been more grateful for the interruption. Dan smiled over at Mel, before turning back to the now aptly named Mrs Thorncroft. "Would you like a cup of Earl Grey, Mrs Thorncroft? How about you come over to my desk, and I'll sort it all out for you. Mel, I'm sorry, but that call you've been waiting for has come through from Melbourne on line three" Dan said, as Veronica Thorncroft rose, offered Mel a dismissive smile and ensconced herself in front of Dan's desk. 'I won't be a minute" he said with a charming smile, his large hands whirring over the keyboard at great speeds, before sitting up and smiling with 100 charm at the woman before him.
Mel grinned as she watched Mrs Thorncroft begin to melt under the power of that smile, knowing the devastating effect it could have if it was truly unleashed. Dan Walters had gone through life being the owner of that smile, and it could have gotten him into all sorts of escapades had he not managed to understand and use it for good at a young age. Mel's own smile widened as she thought about it. Dan Walters, force of good, weapon of choice? His very own, patented 1000 megawatt smile. Guaranteed to melt hearts, contain problems and resolve difficulties at a hundred paces. Scene solver in one easy go. And not only that, but he was a nice guy too. One in a million, really.
A beep from her computer broke her train of thought and Mel glanced down to see she had an incoming message. "You owe me," it read, "And for goodness sake, pick up your phone, you're supposed to be taking a very important call from Melbourne!!! D "
Jamming her phone to her ear, Mel had to turn away to hide her laughter, before sending Dan a quick message of thanks, and an offer for a slice of cheesecake, Dan's one weakness. Muttering supposed responses into the phone, Mel kept up the pretence for a few minutes longer before hanging up and turning back to the pile of folders in front of her. She became so engrossed in them, that it took a hand waved in front of her eyes to alert her to the fact that a highly amused Dan was standing in front of her, their coats in his arms.
"Welcome back" he smirked as she stood up and let him help her on with her coat. "You were really into it then, Draper, you were miles away"
"Had to be, you might have unleashed Mrs Thorn-in-the-side on me again!" Mel teased right back. "I owe you for that one, what on earth is going on with her?"
"She comes in every year, well, for the past four years anyway. Something about her garden, and her neighbour's garden. I look all concerned, tilt my head to the side, offer up the Smile and she forgets all about it. Might be time for the obligatory phone call to Tom Carshaw, her neighbour to get him to turn up the leaf blower a notch, and that's all there is to it. The Smile works it's magic and all is right with the world. What???" he grinned, ducking out of reach as Mel tried to swat him. "Can I help it if women all around the world fall at my feet?"
"That Smile of yours is going to land you in trouble one of these days" Mel laughed, as she held the door open to the café. "Lemon ok for you?"
Dan nodded, going over to the fridge and taking out two bottles of water. "Here," he said, handing her a ten dollar note, "Get the boys a slice. I know how much they love lemon cheesecake. Got good taste, those boys of yours, take after their honorary Uncle" he said, gesturing at himself.
"I blame you for their sweet tooth" Mel retorted, accepting the bag and change from the girl behind the counter. "Tom adores cheesecake, and Joe loves it almost as much." She grinned as they began the walk back to Mel's house.
Dan grinned. "Like I said, they've got good taste. Now, if only I could get my head around them loving that spicy food so much. That bit definitely comes from their Dad, I reckon"
Mel's face fell for a second, and Dan groaned to himself, before coming over to wrap an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry mate, I should have remembered."
"It's ok, Dan. You can talk about him. I should be talking about him. I just – it – it feels weird, you know? He's been dead for two years now but – but I still….. " Mel sighed, memories struggling to the surface and failing.
"There's so much I can't remember. So much that should be there, but isn't. It just - I get so angry at myself. I should be able to remember him, I miss him so much, but I don't – I don't know what it is that I miss. The accident, it took it all away from me. Everything – gone, just like that. All I've got left is the boys and these intermittent memories that pop up at the most odd times." She shook her head, frustration and anger evident in the sharp movement.
"Photographs, other people's memories, they're all well and good, but I need to remember. Me. I need to remember what sort of man my husband was, to remember my past." Mel sighed, reigning her emotions in, relaxing the tight hold she had on the cheesecake bag. 'Sorry" she smiled at him, forcing the smile on her face. "It's the anniversary of the accident today. Two years ago Rick was killed and I lost my memory. Two years ago a drunk driver stole my life and left me like this" she bit her lip, and Dan wrapped an arm around her, his hug supportive and calming.
"Sorry" Mel said, her voice muffled from both emotion and the hug. "I'm sorry."
"Me too. I didn't mean to bring it up."
"It's ok. I need to talk about it. I can't keep it all bottled up inside, and you're my best friend, so if I can't talk to you, who can I talk to? " Mel fished around in her bag, finally discovering her house keys and letting them in. She put the boys' cheesecake in the fridge, and they settled down at the table with coffee, cheesecake and forks. There was silence as they ate, then Mel suddenly stood up and went into the lounge, coming back a few moments later with a photo album, a wistful smile gracing her face. She flicked through the pages for a while, before glancing up at Dan again.
"Dan, it's so confusing. I miss him. I miss my husband,, but like I said, I miss the fact that I was married, I miss my boys father – but I can't miss Rick, because I can't remember him." She stared down at the pictures in her hand, "You have no idea how frustrating it is. I know I loved him. I don't know how I know, I just - I feel it. I know I've been in love, so in love that I never want to even think about anyone else – but I can't remember any of the details. I can remember the feeling, but not the facts. I can't remember him! I look at this photo, and I don't feel a thing" The photo stared up at her, an image of Mel in a wedding dress, a soft smile playing around the edges of her mouth, Rick standing behind her with his arms around her.
"Or this one, me and Rick at our engagement party, apparently. At least, that's what they told me it was." She continued, flicking through the album. "This is my whole life with Rick, and I don't recognize a single thing – except me. I recognize me, but - and they told me that this is my family, and I have no reason to doubt them, but – Dan I don't recognize a single person."
Mel glanced up, fighting the desperation that was surfacing, fighting the panic, the despair. She missed him – the 'him' of her memories. The hazy 'him' who surfaced in her dreams, who lingered at the very edge of her memory – the 'him' who it seemed would never step out and allow himself to be seen. Dan reached over and took her hand in his, the gentle movement calming her, and she managed a watery smile, gathering herself and taking a deep breath. "I tried to move on, you know, I tried to go out with other guys, hell, when I first met you, I tried to convince myself to go out with you, but it didn't work. I can't remember him, but I can't move on from him. Stupid, isn't it?"
Mel shook her head, as if to shake the memories free, before closing the book and placing an open hand over the top of it, gently tracing the edges, the moment shattered by an excited duo of squeals as the front door opened and two barrels of untamed energy raced in.
"Mummy!! Mummy!!" Joe yelped, pulling his way up into Mel's lap, brandishing a piece of paper at her. "Mummy look!! Picture Mummy!!"
Tom stood to the side of his twin, thrusting his own piece of paper under her nose. "Me too, Mummy, me too picture!!"
Wriggling Joe over onto one knee, Mel lifted Tom up as well, drawing both boys into a hug. Squirming out of the embrace, both Tom and Joe once again thrust their pictures at her. "Mummy look."
Seeing that her hands were full, Dan reached over and took the pictures, placing them both on the table in front of Mel. "Thanks mate" she laughed. "Boys, say thank-you to Uncle Dan"
"Thank-you Uncle Dan," two pairs of bright blue eyes sparkled at him, before they once again grinned at their Mum.
"Ok," Mel gave a mock sigh. "Tell me about the pictures" she said, trying to make head or tail of the squiggles that lay on the paper in front of her.
"That's me, that's Joe, 'at's you Mummy, and that's Daddy" Joe said. "Look like Daddy? Does it? Does it??"
"Me too, Mummy, That's Daddy too," Tom drew his picture closer. "My daddy, my picture Daddy? Is it Daddy? Is it??"