No Other Way

When I woke up, all I could hear was the blaring noise of bangs outside. I sat up on the bed I was laying on, and looked around the room.

The curtain over the window was open, showing me a crowded street outside, and the source of the loud banging noise - fireworks, taking off and exploding into the sky.

I moved out of bed, and made my way through the open door into what appeared to be a living room. My living room?

The furniture was spotless. No dust, no other people, and a solid wall between me and the party going on outside. I made my way passed the dining room, and spotted a crisp, white note, folded and set on the table. I picked it up, unfolding it, and taking in the words written in a large, sharp font;

"Congratulations, Julianne. Welcome to your fresh start, just as you wanted.

I'd say call if you need help, but that would be pointless. You will have no memories, of yourself, of what you've done, and of who you are.

Enjoy your chance to start fresh."

It wasn't signed, and there was nothing to indicate who wrote it. At the bottom of the note was a date - January 1st, 2021.

I pulled out a chair and sat down, trying to comb through my memories, and found I had none. I had vague, hazy memories of me as a child, with - are those my parents? But after that, there was nothing until I woke up. The clock on the wall told me it was nearly 4 o'clock, and judging by the darkness outside, I assumed it was four in the morning.

I took a deep breath, and tried to focus on why I would have done something like this. Unfortunately, due to my lack of knowledge surrounding myself, I could hardly come up with a single thing. I had no idea who I was, what my morals were, or why I would have ever considered anything like this.

Eventually, I gave up. If Past-Me wanted my mind wiped, there had to have been a good reason for it, whether I knew it or not.

I stood up, walked back into my room, and opened the closet. From there, I changed my clothing, grabbed a jacket off a hook nearby, and left the house.

I was set up on the third floor of a large building, and decided to take the stairs down. January 1st meant a new year, so I decided to build a new me, and new me liked taking the stairs.

Or so I tried to convince myself. As I made it to the bottom, I was fresh out of breath, but felt almost giddy. I rushed forward and burst out the front door of the building, and joined in with the crowd.

If nothing else, I was determined to have a good night.

The night turned into a long day, and it moved forward into another long night. I lived my life to the fullest, each day better than the last. My lost memories were replaced with new ones, of my job, and work friends. Of the parties i attended, and the gym I began to frequent. Nobody knew who I was, any more than I did. I was fresh, I was new, I was untethered to anything I did before.

As I got older, I was set up on a hospital bed, my only daughter being the one person who visited me frequently. She brought along her children, and with them; my great grandchildren.

The people came one day, after my daughter had left. I was alone in the hospital room, knowing that, inevitably, my end was near. But I was content.

They walked in, dressed in suits, holding briefcases. I asked who they were, and they told me. They were the ones who wiped my mind when I was young.

They all sat around me, and made chitchat. It was nice to meet the officials who were in charge of the whole operation.

Finally, it came time for them to go. Before they left, they asked me,

"We offer this, as a form of goodbye to anyone who has gone through our companies process. We saved your memories, from before. Would you like them back?"

I thought about it for a moment. I thought about the life I had, and the love I felt. I shook my head. I wasn't interested.

"No, thank you, Sir. You see, the life I had, was the only one I'll need. Whatever the me in the past did that they didnt want remembered, I'll keep it that way. I love my life, and the way it fell through. Thank you, for giving me this fresh start."

They smiled at me, a clear understanding of what I meant. I lived my life, without those memories. I took my chance and gave myself a fresh start. I didn't need the past hanging over me during my final hours.

They said nothing more, and walked out of the room. The next day, my family came back. I felt myself growing frailer by the minute, and knew it would be any time now, before I let go entirely. Bur before I did, I grabbed my daughters hand, squeezing it as tightly as I could.

"My dear daughter. The love of my life. Youve been there for me, through so many things. Through the passing of your father, through my mistakes, and you love me all the same.

If there comes a day, when you get the chance to start over fresh, and you take it. Try to remember to live that life to the fullest you can. Remember, your mother loves you. She is so proud of you."

Her eyes welled up with tears. She leaned over the hospital railing, her arms wrapping around me as tightly as she could safely do. Her tears dripped down onto my shoulder, her sad cries shook me in my bed. That was the last thing I remembered feeling, the last thing I heard was my heart monitor flat line.

I wouldn't have had my life any other way.