A Stranger's Advice

Luis

It's been almost two hours since Eduardo went back to work, leaving all by himself once again. The young man took his time to think and reminisce about the past, not that there was much to think about. He couldn't exactly figure out why his brother wished him luck when he said he would ask for their parents' blessings to go back to Spain. Maybe Eduardo was getting it all wrong. He didn't need their permission. Just to make them aware of his plans, because he sounded like their parents would put their feet down against the idea. But Luis couldn't let that bother him. He had already decided.

Luis picked up his iPod, which lay by his side, and began going through his playlist. Everything looked strange and sullen. His brother had once told him that the type of music a man played determines what kind of person he is. There were a lot of blues and pop songs. One playlist held heavy metallic music with rap songs. Luis vaguely wondered what his playlist had to say about him. He didn't feel like any of the songs, so he decided against it. He picked up the remote and turned on the television.

With nonchalance and a blank expression, Luis flipped through the channels. There was nothing of interest that could capture his attention. He easily got bored and had the slightest urge to smash the remote control against the wall.

Like a flash of lightning, an idea occurred to him. There was no harm in touring round Spain and trying to recollect, even while lying on his sick bed. The thought brought momentary relief to Luis, and he licked up his tablet and scourged the net for any information he could garner about Spain.

The kingdom of Spain was a beautiful sight to behold. The thought of seeing it in reality caused Luis to marvel. Out of all the cities the country held, it was Madrid that Drew him in. The capital city. Even though his memory was fuzzy, Luis knew he was an indigene of Madrid. He quickly delved into the little city presented before him on his phone. The royal palace and the Prado museum were the major centres of attraction.

The royal palace was on the Western part of downtown Madrid. Luis had to hand it down to the Spanish state and the public agency of the ministry of the president that was in charge of the affairs of the palace. He found it was the second largest palace after the apostolic palace in Vatican city. The Spanish royal palace was a bigger name than that of great Britain.

Luis head almost couldn't contain the information. He wondered if he already knew all these things. His amnesia was a tricky one. There was a saying that the brain never forgets. Luis felt a connection with all the new information he came across. Even though he didn't exactly know.

"Mr. Ortega?" A shrill female voice broke into Luis' thoughts. He had been so engrossed in what he was doing he totally forgot a nurse from the nursing company would pay him a visit. Every week, they said a new person to look after him. Luis was tired of being looked after like he was a child. He needed the help, because he couldn't move around on his own. But he was also content with having just his brother look after. Eduardo was a busy man. Considering he was a renowned doctor, so his attention is always needed in the hospital. Luis understood that much, but it didn't make it easier having to see the nurses.

Sometimes, he made their duties difficult on purpose, thinking it would stop them from coming back. But his parents were more influential than he could imagine. And each time he pulled a trick to get rid of the nurse, they only increased the pay and lured them back to his side.

Luis threw his head back on the pillow and groaned. He had half the mind to pretend he was sleeping just so he wouldn't face whoever it was, but some part of his mind was curious to see who they sent to him. He wondered how long she would last.

"In here." Luis answered. He hears footsteps move towards the bedroom in relation to his voice. The door clicked and opened. A woman who looked to be in her late forties stepped in, with a big smile.on her face. She had red hair with freckles all over her face. The freckles made her appear like some sort of character in a horror movie. Luis bit his lower lip to hold back his retort.

"Mr. Ortega?" She called.

"The one and only," came Luis' reply. The nurse chuckled and pushed further into the room. Luis' eyes followed her every movement. She didn't want to know about him and the accident, and didn't flaunt herself in his face, which was the case with most of the nurses. He might have amnesia, but he still had enough common sense to.see through their antics. They tried to seduce even while he was an invalid. Probably because of his reputation he did not know about. His eyes narrowed toward his new nurse. She went about taking his vitals and documenting them with no extra.

"What are you called?" He asked, feigning interest. Or maybe he was actually interested. This would be the first time someone was genuinely talking to him without the haggles of his wealth. The nurse didn't even bat an eyelid or spare him a glance as she answered.

"Winfred. My co-workers call me Mrs. Caroline." She answered, still writing her observations and not even looking at Luis. Luis was left to his imagination. He kept his eyes on her as she tapped his forearm, looking for his vein.

"Does that mean you're married?" He asked, feeling hopeful. That would explain her lack of interest. She had to be married and in love with her husband to not be bothered about his wealth. The nursed cackled some laughter at his question. Luis pursed his lips, not understanding why she was laughing.

"Nope. Not married. Very single." She answered with a smile. Louis couldn't believe his ears. She looked the age, but she wasn't married. He then concluded this was just a part of the plan. She was trying to get him to be interested in her by pretending she didn't care about him.

"Why do they call you Mrs. Caroline then?" He asked, wincing a little as she inserted the needle into the dorsum of his palm.

Winfred's shoulders shook quietly at his question. It took Louis just a second to realize she was messing with him. His heart quickened a little at the thought. He might have found a friend besides Eduardo, his brother. A smile tugged at the side of his lips as he watched her do her work.

"I can't believe I fell for that." Luis whined. Nurse Winfred shrugged her shoulders and tapped his forearm, putting it down beside him on the bed. She was done with the injection. She scribbled something down on her notepad and looked up at Louis. For the first time since he encountered her, he finally saw her eyes. They were brown with golden flakes all around. Her hair was held up in a high bun, which must be a part of their dress code. Luis imagined how much older she was and still free enough to crack jokes for him. He still couldn't believe that it wasn't all a part of her plan but he still felt like he could relax in her presence. He couldn't help but think of how his own parents hadn't been able to achieve even this small fest since his accident.

Winfred gave him a small smile. "Don't worry about it. It must be the amnesia making your brain to not function well," she said with all seriousness. That made sense. Luis knew nothing about the medical line, but he guessed it had to be the amnesia too, making him to fall for cheap tricks. He nodded and screwed up his face in concentration. He sighed heavily.

"Yeah. I guess you're right." He sighed again.

"No, I'm not." Winifred replied.

Luis was left in a state of Limbo. He didn't understand what her game was. He gave her a Stern look that just caused her to smile more.

"It's fun messing with you, Mr. Ortega. You should have fun sometimes and not be so uptight. Besides the amnesia, your brain is in perfect condition, which means you'll remember soon. In the meantime, try to have some fun." She waggled her brows and began packing her tools back into her box. Louis scowled as he watched her movement.

"It's hard to have fun when I don't even remember what I do for fun." He looked at the ceiling, filling himself with self pity. Winfred paused her movements for a moment and walked over to him, in order to change the catheter.

"You don't have to remember who you are to have fun. You can just do whatever makes you happy now. You might discover other sides you never knew existed before the accident. From your chart, it's been almost six months. Go out and have some fun. Get the wind in your hair."

Her statement hit home. This was the first time since Luis could remember someone said something meaningful to him. Not that he wanted to have fun, but there was one thing he definitely wanted to do, and that was returning to his roots. He wanted to go back to Spain. Everyone he knew advised him against it. Except Eduardo, of course, but Eduardo wasn't with him either.

Now, hearing these words from a total stranger felt like the voice of the creator himself, telling him to do what he wanted. Luis didn't care for what his parents wanted anymore. He was going to push through with his plans.

"You know," he turned to Winfred. "I'm happy the nursing company sent you to me today. I wonder how long they wanted me to hold out with all those other bimbos before sending you to me. Or maybe they finally realized I've extended my breaking point."

"Whatever you say Mr, Ortega. I'm just glad I could be of help to you." She smiled again. "I'll be down the hall, just in case you need any other thing. I have to report your progress now. I think we need to reduce the medications. You're recovering well." She nodded her head at him once and went out into the ball, leaving the door open just in case she needed to get to him fast in case of an emergency.

Luis appreciated her gesture. He could finally relax. And even though he slept through the night, he felt tiredness and weakness hit his bones. Absentmindedly, he massaged his hand where she had injected him and soon, he was within the hands of nature and in a peaceful slumber.