I Don\u2019t Know Him<\/p>\n
He came to me in a dream. His warm southern drawl comforted me as I floated through the darkness. I don\u2019t know where he\u2019s from, but I could easily guess Georgia or maybe Texas I wasn\u2019t sure. He was just a voice summoning me to him like a siren to the rocks. His face slowly began to materialize as the light broke through my darkness.<\/p>\n
I saw summer in his eyes. Green and inviting, willing me to keep moving toward the brightness of the sun behind him. The dreamlike veil started to lift, and I was fully conscious again. my eyelids fluttered open as the sunlight hit my face.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere she is. Man, you had us worried there for a moment. Are you alright Beck?\u201d The same southern accent I\u2019d heard while unconscious now had a full face.<\/p>\n
I felt pain as my head throbbed and I winced once my fingers touched the injury I\u2019d received. I couldn\u2019t recall what caused it or how it had happened. Panic began to set in as I looked up at him again. I didn\u2019t know him, but he held my face in his hand. His thumb intimately brushed against my cheek causing me to jolt from his touch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened? How did I get here?\u201d I practically demanded while sitting up on my knees. I wore a wetsuit; my hair was damp, and I couldn\u2019t remember why. Concern was written all over his face as he slowly stood while holding out an extended hand to help me up.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t take it, I was confused. The smell of salt and seawater tickled my nose. He was wearing a wetsuit too, his wavy brown hair slicked back off his forehead, but I had seen it loose and in his face in my dream. I didn\u2019t know him.<\/p>\n
Hurt flashed in his eyes at my rejection and for the first time, he took a step back from me. The whooshing sound comes back, causing me to cover my ears to make it go away. \u201cCan you take us back to shore Matt? I don\u2019t think she\u2019s okay.\u201d He calls out to someone at the wheel of the ship.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou haven\u2019t answered my question.\u201d I pointed out, my voice and body shake at the realization that I had lost a huge block of time in my memory.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went deep diving, your tank hit a coral and you started to lose oxygen. I shared with you as much as I could, but we were more than 40 ft down.\u201d He explained while unzipping his wetsuit. \u201cMatt pulled you back up on deck and then you went down like a ton of bricks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why couldn\u2019t I remember? \u201cAre you the diving instructor?\u201d I asked, pulling at the zipper of my suit. My question resulted in a loud boisterous laugh escaping his lips. It caused my stomach to flutter. I didn\u2019t know him, but I liked his laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeck come on stop messin\u2019 around you\u2019re starting to worry me.\u201d He pulled a light blue-colored tank top on over his head. \u201cHow far are we from the coast Matt?\u201d<\/p>\n
Matt\u2019s face appears and recognition clicks instantly. Matt was the owner of the boat; he\u2019d named it Clandestine. He taught me how to sail. Images played rapidly in my mind. Sailboats, islands, white sands, and Mai Tai\u2019s in empty coconut shells. Childhood bike rides and birthday celebrations. Matt was my older brother. His smile matched mine and our hair was the same raven shade as our father\u2019s used to be when he was young.<\/p>\n
\u201c45 minutes. There\u2019s ice in the cooler still if you want to make her an ice pack for her head.\u201d Matt gave me a skeptical look before moving towards the wheel of the boat again.<\/p>\n
\u201cMatt.\u201d my voice sounded small; I didn\u2019t even recognize it as I began moving towards him. His eyes widened in shock as my body began falling and darkness caught me in its web again.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n