Reyona declined her parents' offer to take her to either of their homes.
When they both agreed that she had undergone too much trauma in Kayooma recently and she needed a break from the city, she reminded them that Kayooma was where she had built her life in the past years.
"The fact that one aspect of my life didn't work doesn't mean I should abandon everything. I have a company here. It won't run itself," she said with determination.
Her parents were a bit worried about the flippant tone with which she was talking about everything.
So Gladys asked her. "Are you able to remember other things now? I mean, did your mother-in-law's death trigger anything?" they asked her.
"Apart from reminding me that none of us have much time on her hands to sit around and mope about our losses, no, I still can't remember anything about the past few years. I need to find a hotel."
That led to another protest, and her parents argued that living in a hotel with her condition was not the best option.
"I will be well taken care of. It sounds like the right option to me," she said briskly and told Toria, who was driving to find the closest hotel she could find."
"A home to rent would have been better. Why not go to that place you bought a while ago? What is wrong with that?" Gladys asked in concern.
"It is outside Kayooma. If I will remember anything about what I have forgotten in the past few years, being in familiar territory is the best idea. This is my familiar territory. My home and my company. I will be here when my home is completed and I will move back in. It would be like I never left," she said with a shrug.
Gladys and Carlisle exchanged looks.
"Your mom and I were discussing about that as well, you know." Carlisle began.
"About what?" Reyona asked absentmindedly as she requested for Toria to hand over her phone.
Toria passed the phone to her silently and tried to catch her eyes through the rearview mirror, but Reyona already had her head down as she typed rapidly on the phone.
"We think you should let go of the house."
"You want me to leave it damaged and half-done?" she asked without raising her head from what she was typing.
"No, not that," Gladys said. "Of course, you can finish it and sell it." When Reyona looked at her suddenly, with speculation in her eyes, she adjusted what she was saying. "I mean, you could lease it out or something. We just think the memories there might not be the best for your mental health, you know."
Reyona smiled "I am not that fragile, Mom. Moreover, it would be almost new. There won't be much there to remind me of any unpleasant memories by the time they are done with it."
When Gladys looked at her with an unconvinced expression, she added, "Okay, I know. I understand what you meant, but I can handle it. My amnesia is a blessing in a way. I would probably never remember the painful memories. Even if I do, I will handle it. I'm not running away from my home. Thank God, I was smart enough to get that away from him. At least, it is a thing of joy to know that I wasn't totally stupid in dealing with him."
She looked up as Gladys wanted to respond and said, "You just passed one."
"What?" Gladys answered in confusion.
"Not you, Mom," Reyona answered as she looked at Toria through the rearview mirror. "You just passed a hotel now. Were you not paying attention?"
"I was," Toria answered. "I have a better place in mind. I think you will like it," she said.
"In as much as we can go to a pharmacy first," Reyona answered.
Aye, captain," Toria said with a cheeky salute as she finally relaxed.
"Ain't you supposed to be convincing your sister to come with us?" Gladys said.
"No, don't look at me, mom. You knew she wouldn't come. Once Reyona is like this, you can't stop her from doing what she wants to do. You know it. When will you accept it?"
As Gladys shook her head and folded her arms beneath her breasts, Toria continued, "Moreover, there is a high chance that she is still angry at me. I am not about to add to that."
"High chance?" Reyona said with a snort. "I am furious at you for keeping such a thing from me. What were you thinking, siding with a stranger over me?"
"Don't make it sound like that, Rey. You two were getting along." Toria said in her defence.
Reyona couldn't even think of what could have made what her sister said true.
Something must have gone wrong with her in the last few years if she could stand to be in the company of someone who was remotely connected to her life crashing down around her ears.
She ignored Toria's question, "Am I forgiven?" as she continued what she was doing.
They stopped at a pharmacy, and Reyona tried to get crutches, but the attendant politely declined to sell them to her since she did not have a prescription.
The lady was very polite and apologetic, yet Reyona left there without what she wanted.
Her parents couldn't believe her.
"Why would you want to get crutches? The doctor said you should use the wheelchair until you could walk better on your own." Carlisle said.
"No, a doctor said that. My doctor would just have to do better. I am not going to be wheeled around because of some minor injuries. I will use crutches until I can walk on my own. I can't believe one needed to have a prescription to get some crutches around here," she said testily.
"How long before we get to this special place that you are sure I would like?" she asked Toria.
"Almost there," Toria said hastily as she took the turn.
"This doesn't look like a place where hotels would be to me," Reyona said as she narrowed her eyes at the upscale neighbourhood her sister entered.
"That is because it is not a hotel."
"Why are we here, then?" Reyona asked with annoyance.
"Because you rented it," Toria said as she parked in front of a duplex there.
"I rented this place? Why would I... You know what, Never mind. I seem to be doing a whole lot of things I wouldn't normally do these days.
With that, she picked the house address and typed it in all the right places.
Then she looked back at the house as something struck her: "You don't happen to have the key, do you?"
No, I don't." Toria said as if she just remembered that it was a necessity.
"Hold on, let me get this straight. You brought me here, and you don't even have the key?"
"I am sorry, I didn't think of that. I just thought this place would be better. More private. And you liked it before; there is no reason why you shouldn't like it again." She said sheepishly as she stepped out of the car.
"Except for the fact that we can't enter," Reyona said sarcastically.
She sighed and looked at the tracking number of the order she had made.
It was already on its way, so leaving then wasn't an option.
A thought came to Reyona, and she figured it might work.
Though she had not tried it in years, how hard could it be?
"Dad, do you still manage to pack weird things in your wallet?" she asked.
"What does that have to do with..."
"Do you?" Reyona asked as Toria and Gladys started laughing.
After all, they all know Carlisle's habit of having the most unexpected things in his pockets and wallets.
"What do you want?" Carlisle asked in a grumbly manner.
"Do you happen to have paper clips with you?"
Toria and Gladys's laughter increased when they saw Carlisle's expression.
He certainly had them.
"Seriously, Dad. Who goes about with paper clips in their wallets?" Toria asked with laughter.
"Well, it comes in handy now, didn't it?" Carlisle responded testily as the two laughed again, and Reyona smiled as Carlisle handed the paper clips over.
One…two…then three.
"These should do."
"Do what?" her parents and sister chorused.
"I need you to do me a favour, Dad," Reyona said instead of answering their questions. "Man up and carry me.".
"Man…what?"
"I need to unlock the door with these very handy paper clips you provided, and I would rather not hop over there," Reyona said as if she were talking about something so regular that she did every day.
"You want to break the lock?" Toria asked in shock.
"Got any other option?" Reyona simply asked.
Then before Toria could stammer out her answer, Reyona turned back to Carlisle. "Dad? It is just going to be a sec."