More Happy Than Not

Intellectually, Aaron knows that time is passing, but he can’t remember any markers of its passage. He has occupied himself with sketching memories of the life he remembers as they come and go. Reflecting on what happened with Me-Crazy, Aaron says that even though he’s alive, the attack ruined his life. Aaron looks outside and sees that it’s dark, so he knows that it’s night. He can smell food, so he knows his mother is making dinner. He doesn’t know how much time has passed or how old he is now. He gets up to check his reflection and then can’t remember why he’s standing. His mother comforts him and says that she prays the next surgery works. Eric hands him a stack of notebooks—one that Aaron journals his private thoughts in, and one that people write in when they come visit him. Aaron reads them but doesn’t remember any of the highs and lows recorded there.

Aaron wakes up from a surgery that they’re hoping will work. Evangeline tells him that he’s lost roughly a year of his life. He doesn’t recognize himself in the mirror. They test him at Leteo for a couple of days. Everyone is emotional when his memory returns to average levels.