1 1. Misplaced Identity

Noises, laughter, scream.

He opened his eyes. The expression that might be found on a man that had just woken was the grim expression, and this was the expression on his face. However, he wasn't having such expression because it was typical of a person waking; rather, he was having the expression because he couldn't help it.

The room of someone who was just waking was supposed to be his or her room but he was sure he had never seen that room before in his life. The shoes should be his, but he couldn't remember ever putting any of them on. Even the clothes on the hanger should be his own, but he couldn't remember ever putting any of them on; not the shirt, neither the polos nor the trousers.

His phone vibrated and rang the moment he placed his back on the wall. There was only one way to know he wasn't dreaming: he inhaled and exhaled, slowly and repeatedly. Yet, he couldn't remember a single thing, making him smack his head. Still dazed, he glanced at his vibrating phone to see who the caller was: My Love. My love? He didn't have any love or did he?

'Hello, Jerry dear, how are you?' A lady said into the earpiece the moment he placed his phone on his ear, happiness radiating in her voice. 'I don't even need to ask. That bed must be weak by now'.

'I'm fine', he said, and changed his mind, 'I'm not fine. I'm not fine. Please who are you?'

'Jerry, what are you saying?'

'I don't know you. I don't know who you are'.

'What are you saying? You don't know me? Jerry, who is there with you?'

'Here with me? Of course, nobody', Jerry said. At the same time, one of the girls among the children playing outside the room snickered loudly.

'Is that not the voice of a lady?'

'Yes… No'.

'You are a liar. You are cheating on me'.

'Cheating on you? I don't even know you'.

'Me…? Olivia?'

'Olivia?'

'Ah! Jerry, you are a pretender, and I know what to do for you'.

She disconnected the call. Jerry stared at the phone with his mouth agape as his eyes darted from one part of the room to another. He smacked his head again.

'Where am I? Who am I? What is wrong with me?' He asked himself as he rose from the bed and stepped on the rug, absentmindedly examining the room. 'What is wrong with me?'