Sitting on the corner of the seat, Aldie rested her head against the window. Her head tapped gently against it as the bus travelled down the bumpy road. She could feel the cold surface of the window on her skin. Aldie rested her palms on her lap, moving them slightly to feel the soft fabric of her black dress.
The bus came to a sudden halt and the passengers for the first stop began to leave.  From the corner of her eye, she saw a woman approaching her seat.
“Hello Aldie! It's chilly out there isn’t it?” She sat down next to her, putting her bags on top of her lap.
Aldie looked at the lady; she had short black hair, skin as pretty as the night sky, and a gentle smile that spread wide across her face.
Smiling back, she whispered, “Yes, it really is.”
“How have you been? I haven’t seen you in weeks!”
Had they met before? Aldie looked down.
“Ah yes, I’ve been well. How about you?”
“Oh that’s good to hear, and I’ve been doing well! Are you heading back home?”
“Ah yes.” Aldie shuffled in her seat, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
“Same! I came out today because I heard there were…” the woman began to go on about some special deal at the mall.  And with limited responses, Aldie made it through the conversation.
The bus came to another stop and the woman began to gather her belongings. She got up from the bus seat and turned to Aldie, who remained seated.
“Are you not coming off?”
Aldie looked at her confused.
“Oh no, I’m getting off at a later stop.”
“Huh? Right… Well, it was nice seeing you. Talk to you later then.” She smiled lightly and carried on out the bus.
That was a strange encounter.
Aldie looked around and saw only a couple people left on the bus.
What stop was she getting off again?
Wait, where was she even going?
She looked outside trying to recognize some of the street names, but nothing seemed familiar. Aldie started feeling nervous. Something was not right.
She would just get off at the next stop and figure out what to do then.
After a quiet 15 minutes of watching the houses and small shops pass by, the bus came to another stop. The last passengers began to leave and Aldie followed them out. She stopped near the bus driver. Should she ask him for help?
No, she could figure this out on her own.
She stepped out of the bus and stared at the street in front of her. The sun had already set, and the busy streets were desolate. She began walking, hoping that something would seem familiar. After not being able to recognize any of the street names that passed by, she decided it was best to call someone. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a phone booth.
Approaching the phone booth, Aldie opened the door and went inside for shelter. Aldie looked through her purse in hopes for some change and thankfully did find spare coins. She inserted the coins in, but when she looked at the keypad, she could not remember a number to call.
Why had she even left the house?
Where was her home?
Where was she?
Panic began to set in, and she looked around worriedly trying to recognize a familiar face or a familiar anything.
It’s okay, she can just ask someone for help.
Plus, if she kept walking then eventually, there could be an open shop.
She walked alongside the sidewalk a bit more. The cold air had made her face numb and pink, and she used her scarf to cover her face for warmth, but it didn’t really help. Soon after, Aldie spotted a small boutique, but as she came closer to ask for help, the closed sign became visible. Aldie looked around at the other small shops nearby but all of their lights were turned off as well.
There was no one in sight. Aldie’s eyes began to tear up and then the fear of being lost began to creep up on her. It brought her back to the childish panic of losing her mom at the market. Although this time, it felt like she would never be able to find her. Aldie put her hands in her pocket feeling cold and hopeless.
Why could she not remember anything?
As she took her hands out to adjust her scarf, a paper slipped out. On it was a phone number that she immediately dialed in the nearest phone booth.
After a couple rings, a boyish voice responded.
“Hello?”
“Hi, I’m sorry to-”
“Aunty Aldie!”
Aldie was surprised. This voice was familiar, but she could not specifically recall whose it was.
“I’m sorry Dear, who am I talking to?”
“Aunty Aldie, it’s me Meekal, your nephew!
Her nephew? “Oh OF COURSE,” Aldie shouted excitedly, finally being able to recall something, “Dear, I can’t remember where I am. I don’t know what I’m doing out here.”
“Oh it’s happening again,” the boy whispered, “tell me the street name and I’ll come pick you up.”
After answering him, Aldie put the phone up and waited anxiously. “Happening again”? When had this happened before?
Soon after a couple minutes, a taxi arrived. She looked at her young nephew, she knew who he was, but he still felt like a stranger. She stepped inside the taxicab. Meekal gave her a warm hug, making her feel safer.
“What did you mean saying that it’s “happening again”?” Aldie asked him worriedly.
Meekal hesitated but began to explain, “Ever since Uncle Ehmad passed away you’ve been forgetting a lot and it's-”
“Wait.” Aldie looked at her nephew shocked unable to understand. “Ehmad passed away?!”
Meekal looked down and shuffled his hands.
She could feel her tears welling up in her eyes and the memories all came flooding back like an overwhelming wave. Her hands began to shake. Meekal tried to soothe her, but she was too overcome with her sudden realization.
Meekal calmly explained to her that ever since Uncle Ehmad passed away, she had started to become very forgetful. First, she would forget to turn the stove off, then soon after she would forget what bus to take, where she was going until it eventually kept getting more severe to now.
They had taken her to the doctor but he said that there was no medication to help her. The doctor had suggested carrying a journal with personal information in it. However, it was not of much help if she kept forgetting to carry it with her.
After listening to Meekal nervously explaining the situation, Aldie realized why she kept forgetting, but she could not deal with her emotions, not just yet.
The next week Aldie found herself sitting on the corner of a bus seat, resting her head against the window. Gazing at the passengers leaving at the first stop, she rested her palms on her lap, moving them slightly to feel the soft fabric of her black dress.