Forget to Remember

back. She didn’t look half as bad as he thought she would. There were still a couple of small bandages on her face. Her head had been shaved in several places, and dressings applied to her wounds. However, her innate beauty shone through. Her skin was a shade darker than his. She was wearing a robe that was too large over her hospital gown.
    Before he could say anything, she stood up and gave him a bear hug. “My savior.”
    Now Rigo was embarrassed. “I didn’t do anything.”
    “If you hadn’t found me, I’d be dead.”
    Rigo wondered what would have happened to her if he’d put the garbage in the other Dumpster. Or hadn’t seen her and tossed the bag on top of her. Or what if she’d been placed in the Dumpster on any other night except Saturday? Sunday was the only day the restaurant opened before dinner. Confusing and terrifying dreams disturbed his sleep.
    She released him and motioned toward a second chair. “Sit down, Rigo. I’m Carol, by the way. Carol Golden.”
    “Yeah, that’s what Andrea said.”
    “Of course, that’s not my real name. I don’t know my real name.”
    This was awkward. Something welled up inside Rigo, and he didn’t know what to say. “How do you feel?”
    “Much better. Of course, anything would be better than how you found me. Although I look a mess, my head and face are healing. So are my bites and the bruises on my body. I have one scar on my abdomen the doctor said is old.”
    “Appendicitis?”
    “The doctor said no. He said it looked as if I’d been cut with a sharp object.”
    Rigo was still having trouble finding words. “When are you getting out of here?”
    “Tomorrow.” Carol brightened, but then her smile faded. “Tomorrow,” she repeated, more softly.
    “Where will you go?”
    “That’s the problem. I have nowhere to go. I think they’re going to send me to a homeless shelter in Los Angeles somewhere.”
    “They…?”
    “The people from Los Angeles County.” She attempted another smile. “I’m still confused between Los Angeles County and Los Angeles City.” She picked up a map sitting on the table beside her. “One of the nurses was nice enough to give me this map. It shows where everything is, including Torrance and Palos Verdes. I think this shelter is about twenty miles from here. Los Angeles is a big place.”
    “So these people making the decisions work for Los Angeles County?”
    “Yes, most of them. Not the doctors and nurses here, although the county may be paying for my care. I feel a little guilty about that. But I’ve received great care. They think I’m in my mid twenties. I even had a gynecological exam.”
    Rigo must have made a face, because Carol said, “Just be thankful you’re a man and don’t have to have them. The doc said I’ve never had a baby. At least I don’t have to worry that I’m deserting a child. He didn’t go so far as to say I’m a virgin.” She looked mischievous. “I wouldn’t have believed him if he had.”
    Rigo decided he’d better not comment. “Who have you talked to from Los Angeles County?”
    “I’ve talked to Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies, a Los Angeles County social worker, a Los Angeles County psychiatrist. He said he didn’t think I was crazy, by the way. Nice of him. I just have amnesia. He didn’t know when I might get my memory back.”
    A young woman dressed in a light green top and pants came bustling in. “Time to take your vitals, Carol.” She started to take Carol’s blood pressure. Rigo got up, but she said, “Sit still, sir. This’ll just take a minute.”
    Blood pressure, pulse, temperature. Then she left as fast as she had entered.
    “It’s hard to get any sleep around here.” Carol gestured toward the vanishing figure. “They do this all night long. I’ll be glad to leave.”
    What did she have to look forward to? “Can you get a job?”
    Carol shook her head. “This was explained to me by Andrea, the social worker. I don’t have a birth certificate, so I can’t get a Social Security card. Without a Social Security card I can’t get a job. I also can’t get a driver’s license although I’m sure I know how to drive. I can’t apply for any kind of assistance. I think that as of tomorrow, Los Angeles County’s going to wash its hands of me. Officially, as far as the county, and I guess any state and the federal government, are concerned, I’m a non-person.”

    CHAPTER 3
    That night Rigo worked late at the restaurant. When he