Starting from a Void

I entered the place feeling nervous and feeling like I wasn't up to the step I had taken. I tried to give myself a little confidence. I looked around and found three girls of different ages. I smiled at one of them I knew and pushed the fear out of me and went in.

They were very nervous too, all three of them. Their looks at each other were fear and dread and anxiety. I greeted them and I was the one who started talking.

Mona ... "Good morning. I am Mona Mahmoud, a human development trainer, and we are here in a group therapy session for a particular feeling that has brought you three together and no one else... and that is betrayal. To start, I would like you to forget that you are in a therapy session and just consider yourselves venting about things that would be hard for anyone around you to hear. That way we will be able to talk more easily and quickly... Does anyone have any questions? Or would anyone like to say something before we begin?"

I looked at them and they quietly shook their heads no, so I continued speaking.

Mona ... "Well, before each of you takes her turn to talk, we need to get to know each other first. Since I have introduced myself, let's continue with you."

.... "I am Mirna Shaker, 30 years old, I work as an accountant at an import-export company, divorced, and I have a son, Salim."

..... "I, um, my name is Nermine Mohamed, I am, I am 28 years old" (she smiled sarcastically) "a widow and I have a boy, and recently divorced as well, I don't work."

.... "My name is Sumayya Ibrahim, I am 24 years old and my marital status is a bit complicated and maybe that is the reason I am here now."

They all looked at her with curiosity.

Mona ... "Well, who would you like to start?"

Sumayya ... "Can I start?"

Mona ... "Alright, tell us, Sumayya, why are you here and who betrayed you to the point that you cannot get past this stage of your life? And why is your marital status the reason you are here?"

Sumayya began to tell her story...

Sumayya ... "I'll tell you from the end because unfortunately I don't remember what came at the beginning."

Mona ... "Go ahead."

Sumayya ... "One day I woke up to find myself in a strange room, its decor all black on black, my arm in a cast and my head bandaged. I was feeling a terrible headache. I tried to get up and couldn't. Suddenly the door opened and a man came in, smiling broadly."

... "You finally woke up, thank God you are safe."

Sumayya ... "Where am I? What happened?"

... "Honestly I don't know exactly what happened, but from the way you looked when I found you it was an accident. Frankly I was afraid to take you to the hospital and get into a lot of questions, so I brought you here to my house and called a doctor who took care of everything and reassured me about you... By the way, I am Diab Aziz, and you?"

I didn't feel at ease with him and I felt he was lying, but as soon as he asked me my name I was stunned.

Sumayya frowned ... "M-my name??"

Diab ... "Yes, your name. When I found you, you didn't have any ID on you, there was only this necklace that had fallen beside you and it had the name Sumayya on it."

And he held out his hand and gave me the necklace. I felt like I knew it but I couldn't remember.

Diab ... "Miss, what are you drifting off about??"

Sumayya ... "I, I don't remember my name."

Diab in surprise ... "How do you not remember your name?"

Sumayya crying ... "I don't know, I don't know, I don't remember anything, I don't remember anything at all."

Diab ... "Alright, please calm down, I'll call the doctor and see what he thinks, I'll be back to you in a second."

And after the doctor came and said I had to be moved to the hospital and have a brain scan, and I had it and he examined me again and asked me again, he said what I was afraid would turn out to be true.

Doctor Maher ... "Unfortunately you have suffered amnesia, and from the scan in front of me it is not partial amnesia, it is complete amnesia."

Diab ... "What does that mean, Doctor?"

Maher ... "In partial amnesia the patient loses his memory for a specific period of time, but what came before it he remembers very well, but the young lady here has lost all of her memory."

Diab ... "And what is the solution? Isn't there any treatment? No matter the cost."

Maher ... "I will prescribe her some medication to help stimulate the brain, and it is important that she not try to force herself to remember. The more she rests her mind, the faster she will remember, God willing."

Diab ... "Thank you, Doctor."

Maher ... "You're welcome, excuse me."

Sumayya sadly ... "What does what he said mean, huh? I, will I stay like this not knowing who I am? No, no, there must be another solution, my head hurts so much."

Diab worriedly ... "Can you calm down? The doctor says it's wrong to put pressure on yourself."

Sumayya ... "What am I going to do now?"

Diab ... "Don't worry, I am with you, I will never leave you."

I didn't know why that sentence of his had frightened me so much. I had one feeling taking over me, to get away from him and that something was wrong. I came out of my daze at the sound of someone.

.... "What is all this daydreaming? I've been asking you for a while how you are doing now?"

Sumayya ... "Who are you?"

... "I am Safiya, a psychologist here at the hospital, Doctor Maher sent me to talk with you a little."

Sumayya ... "What will we talk about? I don't remember anything."

Safiya ... "Come on, just think of me as here to keep you company, dear."

Sumayya ... "I don't want company, I want to know who I am? And what am I supposed to do now?"

Safiya ... "You're supposed to stay completely calm. Look, since the necklace had the name Sumayya on it, let's assume that's your name, because if it's not your name it must be the name of someone dear to you, right?"

Sumayya ... "I guess so."

Safiya ... "Then let's say you're Sumayya for now until, God willing, your memory comes back, and as for what you'll do, like I told you, it's important you stay completely calm, any stress is bad for you."

Sumayya ... "Can I ask you for a favor?"

Safiya with a smile ... "Just ask."

Sumayya ... "It's in God's hands, I ... I mean"

Safiya ... "What is it, dear, just say it straight."

Sumayya ... "I don't want to go back with the person who brought me here, I don't feel comfortable with him and I don't want to be with him."

Safiya .... "Hmmmmm, okay, I'll handle it, give me an hour and I'll be back, okay?"

Sumayya ... "Thank you."

Safiya ... "Shouldn't you thank me after I actually do something? What's with thanking me in advance?"

Sumayya ... "It's enough that you'll try."

Safiya ... "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

Unlike how I felt toward the one called Diab, I felt very comfortable with Safiya and without even realizing it I asked for her help and indeed not even half an hour had passed before I found her in front of me.

Safiya with a smile ... "Okay, dear, we've solved the problem of you leaving with that guy outside."

Sumayya ... "How?"

Safiya ... "You'll come home with me, don't worry, I live alone with my brother in a little house like that and when I told him about your situation and that I wanted you to come with me he agreed without hesitation and he'll stay in the apartment opposite with Amm Mohsen."

Sumayya ... "How can that be, I mean just so I can come with you your brother leaves his house like that, no, of course that's not proper."

Safiya ... "Listen, enough with the pointless talk, where would he go, I mean he'll be in the apartment right opposite us the whole time."

Sumayya ... "Is this Amm Mohsen your uncle or something?"

Safiya ... "No, Amm Mohsen is our neighbor and was a very close friend of Dad's, he's a kind man and a real sweetheart, you'll love him so much, I swear, we're a cute family in our own way anyway."

Sumayya smiled.

Safiya ... "That's it, lighten up and everything will be fine, God willing."

Sumayya ... "I can't stop thinking, what about my family, do you think they're looking for me by now? Or"

Safiya interrupted her ... "We agreed to give our minds a little rest, give your brain a chance to rest and then you can think as much as you want, okay?"

Sumayya ... "Okay."

Safiya ... "I'll let you rest a little and when you wake up we'll leave right away."

I was just about to answer her when the door knocked and Diab came in.

Diab ... "How are you feeling now?"

Sumayya ... "Fine."

Diab ... "So, Doctor, when will we be able to leave?"

Sumayya in surprise ... "Who's leaving?"

Diab ... "We are."

Sumayya ... "Who are we?"

Diab ... "What's wrong with you, miss, it's only natural, you came with me, you leave with me."

Sumayya ... "Why, God willing, are you dragging your niece along? Besides, I lost my memory but I'm not paralyzed, you know."

Safiya calmly ... "Sumayya will come with me."

Diab frowned and with slight sharpness ... "Your name is Sumayya? You remembered, you mean?"

Sumayya ... "No, I didn't remember anything, but the necklace she gave me has the name Sumayya on it and the Doctor told me that it's probably either my name or the name of someone dear to me, so she'll call me that."

Diab ... "Ah, okay, Doctor, where will Sumayya go with you?"

Sumayya ... "What's it to you? All you get from me is thank youuuuu and I owe you for your kindness, and if it's about the cost of the scans and the cast and the hospital, sir, I'll take your number and I promise I'll pay you back, I swear."

Diab ... "What are you saying, what money, I am Diab Aziz, I could buy ten hospitals like this one, I'm talking for your own good, where do you know her from to go with her, huh?"

Sumayya ... "I mean I know you so well, you're the same as her to me, and I agree to go with her, so what's your problem then, I don't understand."

Safiya ... "Sumayya, could you calm down, getting upset is bad for you, and sir, what really is your problem as long as the person concerned agrees?"

Diab ... "The person concerned doesn't know what's good for her."

Sumayya sarcastically ... "Oh really, and you're the one who knows, then?"

Diab ... "Of course, if I were a bad person I would have left you drowning in your blood and walked away."

Sumayya ... "And I told you, sir, thank you a thousand thousand thousand times, what else should I do?"

Diab angrily ... "You come with m—"

As soon as he shouted like that my whole body trembled and my heart tightened, especially the word "understood" that he said angrily and in a loud voice, and I found myself hearing another person's voice in my head telling me "What I say goes, understaaaaand," I didn't realize what I was doing except that I was screaming and Safiya was giving me an injection in the IV that was attached to me while she was shouting at Diab, whose features showed worry and fear, and I slipped into darkness hearing nothing but the voice of a person terrifying me as he said to me

"What I say gets done, Asem doesn't repeat his words twice, understaaaaand."