Let's give this some context. Today being Thursday was my visit to Candace's and dinner. Candace has been in contact with Jane and had asked her to join us for dinner. Which was very thoughtful and gave Jane and Sam a chance to meet. Considering Sam's hesitation on reaching out to her, I thought this would be a good idea. Candace had joined Hal and I at the gym this morning, which left me her in care after Hal took off for school. Of course we waited till he was gone to talk about it. So she filled me in while we headed back to my place.
Candace also felt that it would be good for Sam to meet Jane. And given that the two share such an unfortunate experience, Candace was hoping that she could provide a group of friends, or maybe a surrogate family. She at least had Sam and I, but she said she'd been talking to Jane, and no one had shown up to claim her. It was a great idea, and I let Candace know I thought so.
Now since I'd stayed the night at Hal's; a very wonderful experience I might add, I'm getting more comfortable about sleeping next to someone. So I was feeling relatively rested this morning, no doubt due to the answers I received yesterday. I needed to take my stuff home and change, and finish my laundry. I hadn't thought about what I'd left behind. Imagine my horror when I get home to find the dryer empty and Mom had already folded and put away all my clothes. Including Hal's present. Thank God Mom was out. We grabbed what I needed and left before she could get home and give me a hard time about it.
Anyway, since Candace was having company over for dinner, we spent some time getting the place cleaned up and prepared. Jane though was still new to public transportation herself, and so Candace and I made our way to the church to pick her up there. And that way she'd learn the route between the church and Candace's.
She's a pleasant lady, though very apologetic. She apologized that we had to come get her, and apologized for not bringing something, and apologized for not having anything better to wear, and on and on. Makes me wonder if she's Canadian or something.
By the time we got back to Candace's, Sam was just arriving. I almost asked where Max was, before remembering that she doesn't know about Candace's amnesia either.
Dinner was good, and conversation was dominated by Candace and Jane. In away they almost seemed like long lost friends reuniting. It was pretty special, and I was happy to take a back seat. Even Sam seemed to enjoy the company. Or he did until Jane dropped her bit of news.
Last Friday, a Catholic Priest approached Jane and introduced himself as Father Andy. He invited her to join him, and was brought to a room joined by a number of other people. Jane did note that she was the only girl at the meeting. The point of the meeting though was that everyone there, not including the priest, had amnesia. Which is one hell of a coincidence. I guess even Father Andy thought so, saying that it must be some sort of sign for them to all be in Denver together.
The priest was good enough to only introduce them, once they knew of each other he excused himself from the room letting them know where to find him if they needed. Jane said they mingled, awkwardly. She heard more than one of them mention that their amnesia was not something they typically mentioned. Though one introduced himself as John Doe, the others seemed to have more typical names. In the end, they had all agreed to keep in touch. Jane had the impression that some were hoping to learn more, while others didn't seem all that interested. At the very least, not having the typical support group of family, they agreed to be there for each other. And Jane was wondering if Candace would like to be included.
Sam wasn't happy, though he maintained composure. His looks to Candace were unmistakable. Instead, he asked questions about the group. I think Jane did well by quickly telling him that they also preferred their privacy. She did so with much more composure than I think I could have mustered, and left Sam quiet. It was impressive in its own right. That said, she did let it slip that including her there were five people. Counting Candace, that'd be six people in Denver who all have amnesia. I don't know how common it is, but that seems unlikely.
Candace politely declined being included. She said that she was happy to offer friendship to Jane, and if Jane wanted would continue to invite her to join us. But she didn't want to be defined by her amnesia. She also asked that Jane not mention her to the group, at least not as one of them. Candace must have known that I didn't approve, and she pointedly looked to me as she made her decision known.
As always, I accept, and will respect her decision. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. This seems to me like something important, something that Candace should get involved with. But I have to admit that maybe I only want her involved because I want to be involved.
I didn't get a chance to ask Candace about it, I didn't want to challenge her in front of her guest. And it wasn't my place. We had dessert, and the rest of the night went well. Even being turned down by Candace, Jane remained the most pleasant person I think I've ever met. Candace is charming, sweet, but she can be excitable and I remember how she treated Sam at the hospital. Sam didn't gloat, but he was obviously happy about Candace's decision. I've seen him be bearer of the spotlight, and wallflower. But he isn't someone I'd typically describe as pleasant. Jane, she's pleasant. And she did say she'd love to have a group that wasn't defined by her amnesia. She didn't seem at all turned off by Candace's decision. So hopefully we will see her again.
It was getting late though, and both Jane and I needed a ride. Sam took us, dropping me off first. Jane was the only one that talked during our ride, this time very thankful to both us of for being there and having her for dinner. She was full of compliments for the food, even though she helped prepare some of it. But as Sam let me out, he made a point of saying thank you to me.
I do believe he is genuine when he does that. But I can't stop wondering about why he's thanking me.
Anyway, work tomorrow, and I have to remember my Dr.'s note.
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