A Hazel Romance

Chapter 1

He heard ringing.  Rousing, Jonah lay on his back, groaning as he felt the  nightstand for his phone with his eyes closed.

"Did I wake you?" His mother, Francine, asked. " I'm truly sorry. I keep forgetting the time difference."

Jonah pegged his nose bridge briefly with his fingers. "Are you okay, mom?" He said, voice groggy from sleep. "Did something happen?"  He knew the woman well enough to see through the flimsy excuse: something was bothering her.

"I had a bad dream."

"Really? Tell me about it." He wasn't the least bit interested but she'd tell him anyway.

" You were dressed in black, all alone and weeping."

"It's just a dream."  Jonah reassured. Ever since his mother became a Christian, she'd some times have dreams she believed to be premonitions- none of which ever proved true.

" I know you think I'm talking nonsense, but of all the dreams I've had, this felt the most real. You were in so much pain. Since I've known you, you've never cried like that over anything."

"I'll be careful." He heard her sigh.

"I'd feel better if you prayed about it." When Jonah didn't respond, she sighed again. " You don't believe so there's no point. But I'll keep praying for you."

"I appreciate it,"

"No,you don't," she accused." You think I'm wasting my time. But I'll keep doing what I have to do to protect you. I'm not sorry if you feel I'm being a bother. You'll understand one day when you become a parent yourself."

"Till then."

"You know I wouldn't worry so much if you were married."

"We both know you'll worry either way."

The woman laughed softly. " You can't blame me. A mother will always worry about her child."

"No one is blaming you." Jonah stated. While he was an only child, the  ordeal of many year ago had only served to excercabate her already cloying motherly affection.

"What am I going to tell Katrina?" Francine said, referring to his now ex girlfriend. "You didn't do right by her, breaking that poor woman's heart."

Katrina Brown had been his girlfriend since his high school days and had been involved in his life much later after he'd recuperated from a major surgery that should have killed him. They'd been classmates, seatmates, lab partners and eventually couples.

Everyone in class had had a crush on her and why not? She was beautiful, talented and intelligent. If he was being honest, he'd agreed to date her to spite the others at first. But the girl had been fascinated with him, more so after she'd learnt of what had happened to him: he'd suffered from memory loss and had had problems concentrating for quite sometime. The doctors had told his mother that the memories may be recovered but couldn't give their assurances, and they hoped that his concentration problem would improve with time. His concentration did get better, his memories, however, remained in shambles.

Katrina had helped him adjust, helped him cope, and overtime, his feelings for her grew. Things had been all rosey for a while, until he started having series of memory jolts, particularly involving a girl, and Katrina, at the time, had accused him of insensitivity and self-absorption: he'd forget her birthday, forget her favorite restaurant. Jonah had gone to the doctors, who had been uncertain how long the new development would last, despite him being on medications and therapy at the time. So they had  argued and broken up several times.

Right before they'd gone their separate ways to study, they'd made up but it hadn't t taken long before the girl in his head intruded and he decided he needed that part of his life sorted out if he was to move on and be involved with anyone.( He couldn't rely on his mother's explanations alone).He remembered the message he'd left her, telling her to find someone else.