The Bad Boy And The Mermaid

Hunter

“Don’t look at me like that,” I told Fred who was staring at me as if I’d spoken in Chinese.

“I guarantee you will eat your words when you see her,” Fred said.

And for the first time in my life, I saw what a pissed off Fred looked like. And somehow his mood-swings were getting to me too. They wanted to give me half-truths and also get mad when I uttered a word. They remembered everything, I didn’t. Someone needed a reality check and fast.

“Even though we’re married, I don’t know this woman. What if I don’t get my memories at all? How do you expect I spend my life with her?” I asked.

He wasn’t going to answer me, frustrated; I put the car into drive and drove to my house. The miles stretched on with no words exchanged between us. He thought I was that shallow asshole who’d suddenly change my words when I saw just how pretty she was. And that’s the thing. I didn’t care what she looked like, okay…maybe I was curious, like A LOT but that didn’t change the fact that I wouldn’t want to spend my life with a woman I didn’t know.

When we entered my house, I decided to break the silence because it was getting unbearable. “Okay, I’m sorry for what I said. I guess I’m just tired of thinking of all the possibilities that this might go to shit.”

“If you’re going to keep up with your attitude, it sure will go to shit, maybe even the sewer.” He commented, following me upstairs.

Leslie was right behind us, wagging his tail begging Fred for belly-rubs.

“Alright.” Fred put his hands on his waist, “where did you want to start?”

“I searched through most rooms; the bedrooms, the living area, and the basement. Found nothing there.”

“Have you checked the attic?” Fred asked.

“Nope.”

“Then that’s where we start.” He suggested.

“You have to understand why it’s so hard for me to believe that I married someone. It’s like she was never here. If she lived with me, how did she not leave anything behind? Clothes, makeup, you know, women stuff.”

Fred shrugged, “I don’t know, man. It’s so shady.”

We climbed the stairs to the attic together. The door was locked and I didn’t remember where I left the key. Fred picked the lock easily with a sharp-pointed object, and the door gave away. I wanted to ask him how he’d acquired the skills of a thief but thought better of it since I didn’t want to piss him off more than I already had.

“You gonna help me look through these or are you just gonna stand there looking pretty?” He taunted me as he dived into a box.

of making me feel like crap was getting on my nerves. He

found another dusty

things started to pop up. An hour passed

box pushed far back into one of the old dusty shelves. Something about that box was odd. When I pulled the box down on the floor,

the box was an instant photo camera and a stack of pictures. With shaky

was of me taken in a restaurant. I had a huge smile on my face, the kind of smile that I didn’t think I ever

No one.

at the invisible being beside me. Feeling uncomfortable, I shifted to the next picture. This time it was a selfie. Clearly, there had to be a person posing

last picture gave

Guests surrounded the area, I was dressed as a groom and I obviously looked like I was over the

look at

dropped whatever he was doing and reached out towards me to take the pictures from

mean?” I asked him. “My

you. I don’t know how someone can just disappear from a picture

a ghost.” I

“This is some

the exact meaning of the word “ghosting” on

a worried look. He thought I’d changed personalities from Mr. Perfect-Married-Guy to Mr. Loony Toons. Heck, he wasn’t even wrong to believe that. If I didn’t put these missing

the things in the box. I needed a clue, any clue that could

possess a pair of legs. This was a mermaid. The painting was breathtaking, and just clearly conveyed one message; that the painter was completely in love with the woman he’d painted. Her blue hair was glossy and shining, her eyes a mixture of azure and emerald, glimmering like rare expensive jewels in the sunlight, her pink lips puckered and she was sporting a lazy smile.

This was my style.

This was my painting.

yet I had a hard time believing it, much worse

I couldn’t remember her.

possible that I’d married such a beautiful

her would be similar to

called to him

was going to show the painting to him until I realized that I shouldn’t. This was my wife we were talking about. She was lying naked on a messy bed which I had no doubt I’d slept in and done various things with her. Even though my memory wasn’t serving me properly, I had basic morals to understand that this was still far too intimate to show it to a male friend. Her tits were practically on display. I was sure that the pre-accident Hunter would kick my butt to the end of this planet if I showed this to another

in your

Sorry, I can’t show

“Why not?”

a painting of