A black Canvas

 I heard the sound of the alarm buzzing through my ears. I wished it would stop, but it kept ringing. I could feel the sound travel from my ear down to my heart and suddenly, it started to beat slowly. A strong headache overwhelmed me when I opened my eyes, my limb felt sore and it caused me a slight uneasiness when I tried to turn to my side on the bed. I managed to get up as I dragged the sheets along with my feet. Something felt wrong with me, it was like I had been hit with a hard object at the back of my head. 

 I shifted towards the side of the bed, I opened the side drawer and found a bottle of aspirin that I kept in there for a long time. I took two pills for fast relief, then I stood up and walked in the direction of the bathroom. I buried my face in the wash basin as water gushed out of the tap into my mouth, and then I started to brush my teeth while I lifted my face staring at the mirror. Just then, something caught my attention. I noticed a scratch on the left side of my face while I was still looking at the mirror hanging on the wall of my bathroom, but I have no clue how it got there. 

Wait a minute I thought out loud.

What happened last night? My head started spinning, rummaging for answers to questions that were non-existent in my brain. Where was I? What did I do? Why don't I remember a thing from last night? I kept on thinking hard and trying to recall, but not only did I not remember a thing,

 I was caught up in my head when I realized I had lost track of time, I rushed into the shower and took my bath. I was running late for my 8 o'clock appointment with a potential client, I was having a very unusual morning and it was starting to fuck up my day. I reached out for my closet and grabbed one of my 'not a very good day outfit' I bent down to pick a shoe from the rack below when I noticed something quite odd. 

 One of my shoes had a stain on it, it was a pair of sneakers. I don't usually wear them, only for jogging, and I haven't done that in a very long time. How did that stain get there when I haven't worn them recently? I asked myself. I'm a tidy person and I never leave my closet amongst all things unkempt, so how did a dirty sneaker end up in my closet? 

 I looked at my wristwatch, it was half past eight already.

Shit! I rushed out of the house into my garage, I forgot the keys to my car. "Fuck!" I shouted. I ran straight into the house to grab my keys and came back running. Then I drove off immediately.

I drove right into the parking lot on the first floor of my office building, parked at my usual spot, and then stepped out of the car. I was in a haste, so much so that my car keys dangled in my hand while I tried to use them to lock the door which I eventually did. Immediately, I turned around to run as fast as I could toward the elevator door that was about to close. Immediately the door closed up, I pressed the open button continuously and hard as I could, "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" I grunted. 

Luckily, the elevator door opened. And I carelessly rushed into the lift, I almost ran into the figure standing in the elevator. I was too distracted by my precariousness that I did not look up to see the face of the figure until the door had closed behind me. I tried to catch my breath, by this time, I was aware that the figure was staring at me. I turned my head towards the direction of the person standing beside me.

"My apologies, sorry, I'm running....." the words faded from my mouth when I saw who it was. The smile looked familiar, the side view of that captivating face. The blistering gaze from those hazel eyes and the curves of those lips. I was almost enchanted. Or am I? I'm not quite sure yet. I tried to compose myself immediately as I cleared my throat. 

"Grace! Hi, hmm" I stuttered.

"Hi," she smiled beautifully back at me. It sent shivers down my spine, there was a pause in the moment.

"I... I wasn't expecting to see you around. I don't remember scheduling an appointment with you, did I?" I said.

"Oh no, I'm here to see a friend, on the sixth floor," she responded. 

"The friend that recommended me to you right? What's her name?" I asked, and then she let out a smile on her face.

"Her name is Stella," she said

"Oh, my bad. I assumed that..." she laughed. She tried to drag her hair back over her ear to reveal her side view. She looked radiantly beautiful. Her brows were neatly carved, and she gave a beguiling smile. I looked at her from head to toe, which I probably shouldn't but there is something about her that seemed outwardly entrancing.

"So, Stella huh? I know her, we met a couple of times down at the gym" I said, as I tried to snap out of my thoughts. Just as I was about to continue, the elevator doorbell dinged and interrupted. 

"Oh well, this is me. Uhmm....." she walked slowly out of the elevator when it opened. Then, she turned around to face me, she smiled and said;

"See you around Jude." 

"Yeah. See you around." 

She walked away and the elevator door closed behind her. 

 A few seconds later, I walked straight into the seventh floor of my office building and headed straight towards the direction of my office door entrance. 

"Good morning, Dr. Stevens," Sarah's voice called from behind her desk. I just gave her a nod because I was not feeling like my usual self this early morning. She didn't say anything further, I walked past her desk and straight into my office. When I opened the door, the room was dark and less ventilated. So I dragged the curtains open, and the early morning sunlight streamed through the window blind casting a warm, comforting glow over the opposite wall in my office. 

 I grabbed a few files from my desk and glanced through them. I realized I had a lot of paperwork to do, but I was too distracted and I could barely focus on my schedule. I tried to shake off the disorientation that gripped me. My mind kept going back to the stains I found on my shoes, it was unusual. Something felt wrong. I could not remember a single detail about how I spent my previous day. It was as if a thick fog had descended upon my mind, obscuring everything that had transpired. Memory lapses were not unusual, especially when under duress. But this was different, I had been a man of routines, and I've been meticulous in maintaining my daily schedules, down to my habits. But yet, I have a black canvas in my mind. 

 I checked my phone to see my last schedule the previous day, maybe it will help jog my memory. But I usually don't have anything scheduled on Sundays as it was the previous day and a weekend. So, that didn't help.

"Think, Jude, think," I muttered to myself, glancing around the files on my desk, searching for clues. There was nothing that might trigger a memory. I was wallowing in my thoughts that I didn't hear when Sarah entered. 

"Bad sleep huh?" she said looking down at me 

"Yeah. Not a very good day. I... I woke up and I realized that I seem to have lost a day. There was a brief pause in the moment, like she was waiting for me to explain further, but I didn't. "Anyway, what's on my schedule?" I asked.

"Well, you have about five minutes before your appointment walks in," she responded

"Five minutes? Ugh. I must have lost track of time. Okay, who's on my schedule?" She hesitated before she could speak. I looked at her. 

"Mrs. Richards," she said.

"Damnit, can we reschedule?" I said sarcastically 

"She will be here any minute," She smiled 

"Remind me why have her on my morning schedule?" I asked again.

"You had her canceled three times, remember," she added

"Right. Damnit." I hissed. Sarah laughed on her way out. 

"Do you need anything else?" 

"Not for now" I responded. She opened the door and left. Two minutes later, the telephone on my desk rang; I pressed the receiver's button, and Sarah's voice spoke on the other end. 

"She's here," Sarah informed

"Alright, send her in" I demanded. Then, a woman in her late thirties opened the door and walked in.