Don't you remember me?

He saw her and felt the old familiar pull. He knew her instantly and was drawn to talk to her despite their history. "Hi," he said, walking up to the table of a well-dressed woman in a street-side cafe. "You're Susan, right?" he smiled as he spoke.. The woman looked up, a little startled and confused. "Do I know you?" she queried. "Don't you remember me?" he said, a little surprised. "Well, no," she continued, hand slipping into her purse to hold the pepper spray. "I had a car accident some time ago, and I lost some memories, and others are a bit fuzzy, though. There are many things about my past I don't remember. "Please, sit," she said, smiling. Talk with me, and maybe I will remember some things about you.

A bit of a sad smile came to his face as he spoke. "I'm really sorry to hear that. His face lit up. "I'm glad to see you're ok now, though. I would love to sit and speak with you," he said as he grabbed the chair and slowly pulled it out to take a seat. He motioned to the waitress as he settled into the chair. "My name is Robert," he said. "Well, Robert," Susan responded. How is it that we know each other?"

He looked into her eyes; there was a flash. It was barely a moment in real time, but inside his head, a lifetime. His mind went back to those past times. A strong, confident woman and the man who bent a knee to her: him. The emotions, the commitments made. Promises whispered in the middle of the night. The abrupt ending and his not-so-noble reasons for doing so. Where did he start? Looking into her eyes, he saw the beautiful, young, strong woman he had known 30 years ago. "We had a relationship together," he finally just said straight out. "A pretty intense 3.5-year relationship."

Susan looked at him as he spoke. This is not the first time that she had run into somebody whom she had absolutely forgotten. The car accident that she had took away most of her memories. She had often run into people around her previous city who knew her, but she no longer remembered them. This, however, was different. Number one is being in a completely different city. As he spoke, she felt a little twinge, like she might have something somewhere that she might remember of him.

She'd also wanted to be gentle when speaking to people she didn't remember. She often would hurt their feelings; it wasn't that they weren't important to her. She physically could not remember. She kept this in mind as she spoke. "Well, I hope that you had pleasant memories of us," she said graciously. "And please don't take it personally," she said with a voice of genuine concern, "but I really do not remember a lot of people, and I really wanna be able to remember and talk with you and see if we can remember. So please don't think that my memory loss means that you're unimportant to me or that our relationship was. I cannot remember certain things."

"I absolutely understand," he responded, "and I promise not to take any of it personally." his tone was warm. "Thank you," she said, her tone relaxing a little. It's always so much easier when I have someone who truly understands. "So tell me," her curiosity peaking. "You said that we were intense. Were we in a committed relationship of some sort?" Robert smiled as he responded. "Yes, it was a committed relationship of sorts. May I ask you a question, Ma'am?" He inquired. Susan nodded her affirmation, though curious at the "ma'am. "Are you still practicing the lifestyle?" "The lifestyle?" Susan's head tilted a bit inquisitively.

"Yes, the lifestyle," he continued. BDSM? Dominance? Submission? S&M? Susan looked at him with a mixture of horror and a hint of "aha." "Are you saying I was in the S&M? She looked to him, curious. "Yes, you were," Robert's voice softened. "You were my mistress, and I loved you deeply." Susan's eyes widened. "Well, that answers a few questions, then." She said under her breath, mostly to herself. "Questions?" Robert inquired.

"Well," Susan said, instinctively lowering her voice in the busy cafe. "After the accident, I was in the hospital for quite a long time. There was quite a bit of physical therapy. They aren't sure, then or ever, if my memory will come back. The head injuries that I suffered really did damage my memory, and I've lost a lot of my life." She continued, "When I finally was able to go home, I walked into my apartment and everything felt absolutely foreign to me. I was looking at all the things in my life, pictures around, trying to remember places, people, none of it was familiar. It was then that I stumbled upon this room. The door was locked, so I started looking for the key.

"It was in the nightstand drawer," Robert said quietly. Susan stopped and smiled. "Yes, it was." Unfortunately, I found that only after I broke the door open, and when I stepped inside, I was speechless." Robert nodded. "I know that room. Mi...Susan," he stumbled. She smiled and nodded as he recognized the room. "Honestly, I didn't know what to make of it." Susan continued. "I did not feel it was me at all. I thought maybe I had a roommate, or possibly I was storing it with somebody. But you're saying this was me?" She looked back at him.

The look in his eyes softened as did his tone. "You were my mistress," he said. "We spent countless days and nights together. I served your whim happily on bended knee. We went to clubs and parties together, spent countless nights of pain, pleasure, and love." He nearly gushed. "So what happened?" Susan asked. Robert's hesitation was noticeable as the questions ran through his mind. Did he tell her? Did he tell her about the moment he had regretted for his whole life? Did he tell how he didn't dare to stand up and be who he was? How he folded and betrayed both them and himself. Did he force himself to relive that all over again? He pondered as he looked back into her eyes.

Susan could see he was struggling. She reached out and touched Robert's hand as she spoke. "I've been trying to piece my life together for so long." Her voice was soft as she continued. "I realized one day that that apartment might have been my life, but it was not anymore. None of my life I recognized anymore. I couldn't stay there anymore, so." Susan sighed. "I sold everything I own, including everything that was in that room, packed up what I had left, and moved here. It really is kind of amazing to run into you," she smiled. "I was hoping I would never see someone from my previous life again because I can't remember them." Her voice gained a hint of a plea. " But to have you here now, see your struggle, and to realize that we had some kind of relationship in which there was some deep emotion there."

Susan's hand moved to rest gently on Robert's cheek. "Please tell me what happened. Why is it that you are no longer a part of my life?" I haven't been able to have a relationship with a man. They say I am too controlling. Now you're telling me about this part of me that I really didn't know existed. Please help me understand. Did I do something? What happened? "Oh no, it wasn't anything you did, please, miss. Susan." Robert stumbled again. "No, you didn't do anything at all. You were absolutely magnificent. You are everything that any man could have possibly wanted in a mistress. When it came down to it, I failed." Robert gripped Susan's hand a bit tighter.

We had a great relationship, like I said, and we were going together. We're going to parties and clubs. I was your slave. We were starting to take that path. I had just taken a junior position in a corporate takeover firm. Places where relationships like ours could kill a man and his career if it got out. You called on me to make a choice." Robert looked away, his grip loosened. "Tell me, Robert," Susan said, her hand squeezing his just slightly. "Please."

"You wanted me to claim who I was to you," Robert said with a hint of shame in his voice. " Who I was to be to you, not only in our private little life that we enjoyed, but in all of my life. You told me to make a choice." A sadness crept into his tone as he spoke. "Either choose us and be out in the open, or choose my career. I told you I'd think about it." He paused a moment.

"The next day, when I left, I went to work and put in for a transfer to a different office in a different city, this city." His voice was soft as he continued. "You wanted me to stand up for us, and I didn't have the courage". His eyes switched from her to looking down at the table. "Robert, no, that wasn't you failing," she said quickly. It sounds like I'm not somebody I would have liked back then. If I did that to you, I am sorry, Robert," she said with sincerity. "That is not something people who love each other should do to each other—to make them choose." Shaking her head as she continued, "I don't know why I thought it was right to try to make you choose. It sounds to me like I was on a power trip." Her eyes searched his as she spoke. "I'm sorry about this, that's not how I am today." Her voice was calm and soothing as she softly squeezed his hand.

"I have carried that for so long," Robert said with a relieved sigh. "I'm so sorry. Robert, I'm sorry that I did that to you, but tell me," her voice a little hopeful. "How is your life today?" He smiled as he heard her question. "Well, when I moved to the city. I found a magnificent woman." His eyes lit up as he spoke. "We were married a few years back, and we have a couple of kids. I do well at my firm, so she can be a stay-at-home mom."

"And your wife?" Susan inquired. "What of her? Did you ever express your Interest to her?" Robert looked up and met Susan's eyes. "I decided that if I could not come out and say it, it was not something that I needed to do anymore. I have not experienced those things since." Robert went on. "How things went down between us really had weighed on me. This chance meeting and talking this out,". He nodded slightly as he spoke. "It has helped me to feel better about the entire situation," He smiled at her.

"Well," Susan said. "I think it's answered a few questions for me. Perhaps I will look into the S&M lifestyle again. See if I can gain a sense of belonging that I've missed since the accident." She smiled, "I hope that happens for you." Robert said with a sincere smile. There was a moment of pause between them, and their hands separated.

"Well, my wife and the kids, and I are out on a shopping day. I saw you, well, someone I thought was you, and I had to find out." spoken as Robert rose from the table. "Thank you again for all you have said today and for taking the time to speak to me. I'm really sorry to hear about your accident," he continued with a true sense of care."I hope things come back together for you." Susan smiled at his words, a little sad that there wasn't something more there. "Thank you, I hope you're happy in life, and it remains so." Susan smiled. "It really was good seeing you. Take care."

Robert turned and walked away. Some questions were answered, some weight lifted, and thoughts about some changes in his marriage, maybe. He walked around the corner, and a familiar smile greeted him as he moved towards them. " I love you," Robert said to his wife. "I love you too, Robert. as they disappeared into their day. Susan watched as Robert turned the corner. She smiled to herself, picked up her phone, typed "S&M events" into Google, and with that, her journey to reconnect with her past began.