Saphora vol.1 Retention, Page 3

Walking out of the building, Saphora reached into her back pocket for her phone, wanting to call Fran and tell her about the session. She always called after each session. Not only because it was Fran’s request, but because she wanted someone other than herself to keep track of what happened in the sessions, in case she forgot. She did a lot of things like that – to keep track of memory. She was somewhat paranoid of losing it, knowing that she had before. She was conscious of the fact that it could be taken from her again at any moment.

  “Hi, honey.” Fran greeted, picking up on the second ring.

  “Hey, Fran.”

  She didn’t call her mom. She never had, and she doubt she ever would. It wasn’t that she was trying to disrespect Fran, or anything. But she knew that she was not her mother. And therefore just didn’t feel that she should be called that. She was grateful for everything that she had done for her. But calling her mom just seemed foolish. And Fran didn’t seem to mind it. The relationship did just fine without the title.

  “How was the session today?” she asked, as she always did. Saphora shrugged, turning right and heading down the street towards home.

  “Same as always. But I think I remembered something else, though it doesn’t seem-“

  “Something else? What, what?! Tell me!” she urged excitedly. Saphora had to move the phone away from her ear, the volume her voice had reached was so high.

  “It’s nothing, really. Just this woman’s voice.”

  “A woman? A woman was there with you that night? And she let you face that monster all by your-“

  “Fran! She wasn’t there.” Saphora groaned, rolling her eyes as she walked down the semi-busy street of the small town outside of her own.

  There were flower shops, bakeries, antique shops, pawn shops, a small record store, an even smaller library, and a café shop. But that was just on this strip. There were some more shops along with some more places to eat down the road and on various other streets. Fran was silent for a moment on the phone and was drowned out by the talking of the people that Saphora passed. Talking about the weather, their sons’ baseball games, their friends who were being scandalous, and everything else that Saphora could never seem to take interest in. But then Fran finally spoke up.

  “What do you mean she wasn’t there, honey? You said you heard her.”

  “I did. I heard a woman speak to me. But she wasn’t there. At least … I don’t remember her being there,” she explained, her walking slowing as she entered her subconscious.

  Was there a woman there? Saphora wasn’t sure. She didn’t remember a woman being there. She just recalled being instructed to say words, and that’s what she did. But maybe she was there. After all, how could she hear something that wasn’t there? She wasn’t crazy, was she?

  “Of course she must have been there, Saphora. Don’t be ridiculous. The nerve of that woman. Leaving you with that horrid man,” Fran huffed. Saphora knew she had her fist on her hip in frustration, and she laughed.

  “Well I’m alright now, aren’t I? But yeah, I guess she was there. She helped me, you know. You shouldn’t be so harsh on her.”

  “Helped you? Helped you by doing what?”

  “She … I don’t know, she told me how to get away.”

  “Hmph. Well … I guess so. At any rate, I’m glad you remembered something, honey.”

  Saphora scoffed. “Yeah, it’s only been three years.”

  “That man has done nothing but help you, Saphora. You mind your manners.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she grumbled. That man has nothing but clean out your wallet, she thought. “So what’s new at the zoo? Find any lost species of sea horses?” Saphora joked, walking past the corner record store and making a right.

  “Very funny. No, we haven’t. But there is something new, apparently. They won’t tell us what it is, though.”

  “A surprise at a zoo? That’s never good.”

  “That’s what I said. But they’re promising it’s going to be the biggest attraction since the lions.”

  “The lions. That’s promising a lot.”

  “I know. I can’t wait to find out what it is! What are you up to? Are you heading home?” Fran asked. Saphora could hear the rustling of papers mixed with the sound of a fax machine in the background. She knew she was busy at work. She always felt bad, calling Fran when she had work to do. But Fran always insisted, so what could she do but comply? It always seemed to brighten her day, even if she was swamped with work.

  “Not yet. I’m going to head to the woods to blow off some steam,” Saphora admitted, even though she knew that Fran wouldn’t approve.

  “To do you know what?”

  “Yeah. Just a little bit. And then home. I promise.”

  “Well … Alright. Celebrate remembering. But then it’s straight home, okay?”

  Saphora laughed.

  “I should remember things more often.”

  “Very funny. Home after, okay?”

  “Yes, yes. Home after.”