Excerpt: Amnesia

My room wasn’t anything stunning, but it sure was nice for a girl who just came from a gas station. The bed had a plaid blue and white quilt on it and the walls were stucco. A window showed the horses at pasture. I realized I didn’t have any clothes, and Tammy told me the old farmhand had left some shirts and maybe some jeans in the closet. It was approaching nine o clock. Tammy said we had an early day tomorrow, and that I should get to sleep. If I wanted to breakfast, I had to be in the kitchen to help cook at five. I couldn’t figure out if I was a morning person or not, so told that’d be fine, just fine. She left, warning me once more that I was lucky and not to mess this up.
Before bed, I peeked in the closet. There were mostly cotton tee shirts and jeans. I pulled out a dusty pair of boots from the corner. The clothes were a little big and the boots pinched a little but they would have to do til I got my first paycheck. Whoever used to live here before me weighed a few pounds more than I did. I slipped into the one long sleeved shirt I’d found, took off my pants, and crawled into the bed. The mattress was nice and soft and I set to thinking.
This forgetting stuff was kind of like being born again. Well, really just like being born since I don’t ever remember it happening in the first place. I was born a teenager. What a thought. It was kind of cool though. I got to name myself and start working right away. Didn’t have to sit through boring classes in high school or worry about finding an apartment. I guess I’d done something right when I asked to be dropped off here.
I’d only be “alive” for a day, so I didn’t have much to think about. I fell asleep quick, the quilt wrapped comfortable around my body.
Tap. Tap tap tap. I rolled over and looked at the clock through sleepy eyes. 4:30 am. I decided I was okay with morning. Footsteps left the door. That was all Tammy was going to give me to wake up. I reluctantly left the warm blankets and headed over to the closet. I slipped into a green shirt (green was my new favorite color), which hung off of my shoulders. I grabbed a pair of jeans and put them on. Luckily I had been wearing a belt when I found myself at the gas station, otherwise these new pants would have been a problem all day. I put the boots on last; I would have to buy new boots as soon as possible or my feet would be all beat up in very little time. Now I just had to find the bathroom. Tammy hadn’t showed me last night.
I found it down the hall. Her house wasn’t too big. The first thing I did was to look in the mirror, I hadn’t seen myself yet. My face cheeks and nose were covered in freckles and I had dull blue eyes. I went to braid my hair and found that it was, like Tammy’s, wavy and brown. Except mine was almost at my waist. This made it easy to put it up without hair bands or ribbons. I tied the braid in a knot, making a sort of bun. Sort of.
I splashed my face, rinsed my mouth, and made a mental note that I would have to pick up a few critical hygiene items when I went boot shopping. I didn’t think I could go long without a toothbrush or razor. Hairy, smelly girls are never very attractive.