Do you know the smell of blood? Other people will smell the scent of iron. But not only I can smell the scent of blood but I can see it. Something that is inside the scent of blood. The blood bears witness of whatever that your body does. But I lost my memory about it. So the tragedy won’t happen. That’s what I thought.
Everyone knows the sweet scent of a bakery on the roadside. Or the suffocating scent of tobacco smoke from a cigar. The scent of a cart horse on the road. And the scent of perfume from a women. A distinctive odor that everyone can smell. Every place has their own scent.
Like this room, filled with scent of aromatherapy. The same one like one week ago. The place that he always goes every week. A normal room with simple wooden equipment with lots of books lined up on the bookshelf. Nothing special.
“Mr. Kiau,” call that man, who is sitting across from each other. “It’s enough for today. You can come again next week. We don’t need to rush to get your memory back.” he put his pen and notebook on the small table beside him.
Kiau got up and stood up. He take his jacket and put a mask on. Wearing his long beige jacket and black mask. He covers his dark brown hair with a beanie.
“You’re still wearing a mask, is it really that bad? Have you checked it at the hospital?” ask that man.
“It’s not that bad, but I know that your detergent is different from last week.” In that room full of aromatherapy scents and a long distant between himself and that man, with all that Kiau could know that man using a different detergent.
Kiau answered in a flat tone, “I have checked it to the hospital, but they said nothing stramge. Maybe after a long coma I’ve had, not only my memories are lost, even my body doesn’t remember itself. I don’t know.”
Kiau continues, “I don’t even care about that, but it is uncomfortable. It’s like... I can smell something in your cupboard, what’s that, doctor? I don’t know what was that smell.”
The doctor looks worried, he replied, “It’s nothing... maybe I forgot my food there, so the smell is mixed and you can’t tell what it is.”
The doctor continued, trying to change the topic, “Alright, I hope that you can recall your memories quickly.” that middle-aged man smiles. “See you next week, Mr.Kiau.”
Kiau looked confused, something was off, but he didn’t think much of it. “Can I stop coming here?” The doctor’s expression looked very surprised.
“Um... I mean... I don’t even really want to get my memory back.” Kiau was a little startled by the doctor’s reaction. “So.. thanks for today.” Kiau slowly walked out of the room.
“MR.KIAU! Wait” The doctor raised his voice. “Sorry to surprise you. I just wanted to say, don’t you feel empty without any memory?” the doctor asked.
Kiau stopped and looked at the doctor doubtfully. “Um... not really. I don’t remember what I forgot. And sometimes not knowing anything is more peaceful not having memories that I regret or some bad memories that I wish never happened.”
“You must remember it! There is something important! There is something that you must remember!” the doctor looks frusttated. “You have to think about it again, okay?!”
The doctor looks so eager to make Kiau recall his memory, and that creeping him out. Kiau didn’t want to ask the doctor any further information about him, even though that doctor seemed to know him.
“Um.. okay,” Kiau left the room quickly.
Kiau walk to home. Walking on the fallen dry leaves and grass in the road. The smell of freshly baked bread from roadside bakery. Kiau doesn’t need to turn his head to see what kind of bread is being baked, the strong smell of pineapple pierces his nose.
Another scent entered his nostrils. The smell of paper and ink. That’s weird. Because Kiau is on a street full of people selling food.
Kiau turn around quickly. How surprised he was, someone was standing quite close behind him.
“Waa!! That’s surprised me.” But that person was also startled.
“You are the one who startled me.” Kiau was a bit confused, he is the one who had been followed by a stranger.
“What was that,” He giggled. “Sorry Kiau, I didn’t mean it.” He smiled to Kiau.
Kiau doesn’t know who this person. He is more taller than Kiau. He wears a navy blazer with white shirt. The way he is smiles always with his eyes closed.
“By the way, I am so glad you’re out of the hospital. Want to celebrate it?” he put his arm around Kiau shoulders. Kiau didn’t say anything. Kiau fixed his beanie which almost half of his eyes closed, shifted because of a stranger who acted buddy with him.
That stranger asked, “Why don’t you say anything?”
“I don’t think we are that close.” Kiau put away that person arm on his shoulder.
“What was that mean? I didn’t know you had that kind of joke..” He put his hand on his chin, want to look serious, but it doesn’t look like that at all.
“I don’t know who you are. I don’t remember. And you didn’t visit me even though you knew I was hospitalized. You can’t say that you’ve been busy for four months. So we are not close. That’s what I thought.” Kiau walking away.
“I have done a show for a musical. I couldn’t leave my job. The place is quite far from here. Hope you’re not mad about it.”
“Does the musical artist have a strong scent of ink and old paper? And do they need to work hard with their hands until their fingers have many scratches?” Kiau appoint that person hand.
“It’s like that you are really lost your memories.” he chuckles. “That sharp smell too. Like I thought!” he mumbles.
“What are you...” Kiau looks confused.
“But your strong observation is still...” he mumbles again. “Wait, it’s look like I cheated on you. Are we dating?” he mumbled nonsense and giggled again. He is laugh of his own jokes.
“What was that.” Kiau looks dumbfounded.
“It looks like I neglecting you for about four months without a word. And you found out a smell of infidelity. Even worse, I didn’t visit you when you are hospitalized and cheated on you.” He looks so passionate about his nonsense.
“What a cliche.” And he suddenly became calmer.
Peoples who are know with the old Kiau used to look strange and dangerous. That makes Kiau doesn’t want his memories to come back more than before. And this person is the weirdest.
Kiau didn’t say anything. He is done with this weirdo. Walk away was the fastest and easiest way to get out from this peculiar situation.
“Kiau! I didn’t introduce myself before.” He chases Kiau. He puts his hand on Kiau’s shoulder, stopping him from escaping.
Kiau realized that it is not easy to escape from this dire situation and this horrible stranger.
“I used to be your friend. You can call me Morris. Want to be friends again? Or more than that is my pleasure.”
Kiau get goosebumps, “Nope, never.” Kiau quickly refuse it. With a flat face and a flat face. “I don’t need someone that doesn’t trustworthy.”
“I feel rejected.” His expression isn’t like what he said. His unique smile doesn’t disappear one bit.
Morris tries to convince Kiau,”I can tell you about your past, and you can recall your memories. Wouldn’t that will benefit you?”
“Only If I want to recall it.” It didn’t convince him a tiny bit. Kiau doesn’t want to recall his memories.
“Why everyone was so eager to recall my memories?” Kiau mumbles to himself. “How can I believe which one is true or not in your words?”
“You can believe what you want to believe,” Morris smiles. “What is this? You just reject me and now give me a hope.” He teased Kiau again with that kind of joke.
“You were an important person, something like that.” Morris said in a serious tone.
He continued, “That's true, I was really there, in your past. My job and our relationship, honestly I don’t want you know it. It is just something that really deep. I know you better that anyone else, more than a friend.” He smiles again, but that smiles is creeping him out.
“Don’t you want to know? Our relationship?” Morris looks so excited and happy, he smile so brightly. Meanwhile Kiau looks so tired talking with him.
“I don’t want to know.” Kiau said it with flat tone.
Morris looked at his watch. A silver watch on his wrist, “Oh it’s time to go. Time to finish my painting.
“Now what? A minute ago he was a musical actor, and now a painter.” Kiau isn’t surprised anymore by Morris’s lies.
Morris hasn’t gone yet, “Time flies so fast when I am with you,” Morris speaks as if he didn’t hear what Kiau said to him. He is in a hurry but why he still talking.
“It happened upside down to me.” when talked with Morris, Kiau feels that time is running very slowly, long and tiring.
“Well, I will see you again, Kiau.” Morris walked away and while waving his hand at Kiau.
“He pretends like didn’t hear what I said.” Kiau said with flat tone.
Kiau looked at Morris’s back who went away. “He suddenly came and suddenly disappeared like that.”
“Wait. This is what I want, right?” Kiau baffled by his own reaction.