[ WP ] Memory erasing tech is now common . A man has large self inflicted gaps in his memory that is he desperate to know more about , but a note from himself keeps him from doing it . when he finally does , the reason is something he would have never expected .

It was cold and dark in the bedroom when the alarm clock went off. As I blearily swiped away the annoying alarm on my watch I noticed I appeared to be naked. As I do n't normally sleep in the nude this was a strange feeling. I heard a noise from the kitchen. I quickly grab some pajamas from the dresser and head that way. Thinking it was someone I thought too drunk to probably leave the previous evening I walk in the kitchen to find a gorgeous blonde woman sitting at the kitchen table eating cereal in my robe. She sees me enter and winks at me as she continues to eat her cereal and points at a note on the bar. 
 
 Trying to remember the night before I walk to the note and begin to read it. It's in my handwriting and plainly states the following. `` Do n't question the lost memories, enjoy your day, the rest of your life is ahead of you, you wo n't miss them anyways''. 
 
 Them? The memories? Why did I have to be such a shitty writer at a time like this? Could n't I have written something more clear and concise? 
 
 As the blonde finishes her cereal she rinses the bowl and places it in the dishwasher and says `` The maid will be by later today, do n't forget we have an appointment with the lawyers in an hour, you might want to freshen up with me. I've already packed our bags.'' Bags? Where we going somehwere. Something else to ask about later I guess. 
 
 After a lovely shower and getting dressed by my companion who's name turned out to be Janetta she moved us along to a limosine downstairs where we waited in silence in traffic. 
 
 Janetta could tell I was curious and seemed to be waiting on me to start the questions. I stared out the window and began the twenty questions game. `` How much memory did I have erased?'' to which she answered `` A year, 11 months and 15 days to be exact''. I looked at her curiously. `` Do you know why I did it?'' she looked directly at my eyes and responded with a look of pain in her eyes `` Yes, and you directed me not to tell you, and to remind you about the note you wrote yourself, God I do n't know why you wrote yourself a note if you wo n't even listen to yourself''. Two questions will have to be enough I guess. She silently lets a tear fall and grasps my hand. I ca n't get over this feeling like I love this woman. I do n't believe in love at first sight. But is this truly first sight? 
 
 We pull up to a legal office. I ignore the name across the front of the building, it's obvious they make enough money already. Let's just hope I'm not being sued. After several thousand signatures on some very confusing documents that I'm not wholely allowed to read by Janetta I'm informed that 2 billion dollars after taxes and legal fees have been wired into my bank account as agreed. My lawyers congratulate me on this result and usher me out the door so they can get back to counting their portion I assume. 
 
 Janetta next instructs the driver to carry us down to a sea-side cottage about an hour away where we will be spending the next month. 
 
 It's a strange affair to be so intensely rich and not know why. I can remember my life up to a year ago. I was single, doing ok on a manager's salary at a local tech firm. I wonder if the place got bought up and this was my payment. I was there from early on but that's still a lot of money. I did n't think the whole place would be worth that much. Maybe Johnson finally cracked that marketing code and one of our game apps hit it big. That had to be it. 
 
 After we got to the cottage I decide to look up the tech firm online. I had to know what happened. Just as the computer boots up and I login I'm greeted by another note from myself. `` Do n't dig too deeply, you erased it for a reason, just let it go''. I pause at this. If I knew I was a stubborn fool then why did I erase it anyways? 
 
 Janetta came over and collected me from the computer sensing my confused state and took me outside with two plates covered with sandwiches and chips. We sat and ate in silence for a little while. After she finished her chips she had a look on her face that showed she was deep in thought. Then she seemed to make a decision to herself and nodded as though it was done. She looked deep into my eyes at this point and began `` Are you going to keep digging until you find out what you erased anyways?''. I chewed on the last bite of my sandwich considering the question. Not knowing the answer until the words fell out of my mouth I gave her the most honest words I could coalesce. `` I do n't know, I feel like I want to know what it was, but I'm afraid to find out''. A tear rolls down her face and she wipes it away and says `` You've put yourself in this state knowing damn well you would dig up the truth anyways, it's the way you've been as long as anyone has ever known you, your mom even told me so. So let's cut thru the pretend private eye game and save us all the time and hassle.'' 
 
 I felt like the whole world stood still for a moment. What in the hell could have happened? She seemed to collect herself and started up again after she figured out how to phrase it. `` Let's start with your questions. I'll be honest about anything you ask but you have to understand I had no choice in any of this matter nor do I take any responsibility for the current state of that thing you call a skull.'' I take a moment and consider my first question. `` Why did I do it?'' She rolls her eyes. `` Because you love me, you made a huge mistake and when everything was over and done with you just wanted to forget it ever happened, I agreed but told you that you would never let yourself have a memory gap that big and not dig into it, you said so be it and did it anyways''. She seemed to pause then. As though waiting on the next question. I almost could n't hold her gaze. Her beautiful face that I'd seen smile at breakfast and in tears far too often already today. I chose my second question in what I hoped was a safer direction. `` Where did the money come from?'' She paused as though that was not the question she expected. Maybe this was n't the safer direction. `` The money is from the sale of your company, that tech firm you joined two years ago finally made it big. After all the bigwigs ended up in jail you ended up in a pile of cash. You took one hundreth for yourself and divided the rest among the other managers and dev teams. You thought that was fair and decided on early retirement.'' Well that's a nice little package deal I guess. All those 80 hour weeks paid off. 
 
 Big wigs in jail though. That's a mystery. `` Why did the bosses go to jail?'' She hesitated before taking my hand across the table. `` I think this is the part you really wanted to forget. Are you sure you want me to answer this?'' I nodded silently. For fear that I could n't speak the words. She sat back releasing my hand although I left it within her reach having enjoyed the touch of her fingers on my own. `` After the company went big the investors and board got together for one hell of a party, they invited everyone from the company over to that big hotel downtown. Everyone brought their wives along and it was crazy how much drinking was going on. After our wedding six months ago I have n't really been much of a drinker and so I had a few glasses of wine and retired early to a hotel room we reserved in advance. You were apparently very drunk and kissed me good night but decided to party a bit more before calling it a night. At one point everyone noticed the executives had disappeared to another room but noone really wanted to find out why. You were the curious cat that night and walked in on some sort of crazy orgy and were distraught because one of the escorts resembled me a great deal. You went back to the bar where you began drinking in earnest and were quite upset but would n't talk to anyone except the bartender to order more drinks. After you passed out at a table you woke up to the sight of cops walking the big-wigs out the door in hand-cuffs. You were questioned and told the police investigators everything you remembered. After it was over we found out that two escorts had died from drug overdoses and when all the executives failed drug tests they were all brought up on murder charges. The amount of evidence piled against all of them lead to guilty charges on every one of them. Apparently the legal contracts for your company had a clause about misconduct and they were all fired before the sale of the company was completed. When the dust settled you were the highest man on the totem pole. But you were distraught over the escort that resembled me and we almost got a divorce over it. After it was all said and done you felt so guilty for having mentally accused me of doing something like that, and then you could n't get that poor girl's face out of your memory. She was one of the two that died. You seemed to take her death personally and we both went to counceling for a while. After you could n't seem to let it go you decided to get your mind erased. The technology is pretty new still but they guaranteed they could reliably erase the last year. That would mean our entire relationship would have to start over but I love you and was willing to do that if it would help you move on.''
