“Do I have something on my face?  You keep staring at me! Have we met before?””  She smiled shyly. 

Shane was searching for clues on her face to see if this was one of her practical jokes or not.  Her face looked so innocent, her smile so genuine, maybe she really didn’t recognise her. 

“You don’t remember?”  Shane had to ask.

“Sorry, it’s difficult to explain.  Were we friends?”  The girl replied blankly.

“Sorry, my mistake.  I am Shane. How can I help you?”  Shane held out her hand.  Her heart was racing, why she denied knowing her was beyond her.  The one person who she wanted the most was standing in front of her, and yet, she didn’t recognise her.  It pained her to imagine the horrible ordeal that she had been through.   Maybe not remembering their past was the best outcome for the both of them…

“I am Carmen.  My brother recommends me to come here for a hair cut.”  Carmen’s smile was still as sweet as she remembered.

“Right, yes, please have a sit here.”  She motioned for her to sit down at her station but couldn’t keep her eyes away.

Chase was approaching Carmen, wanting to greet her but Shane gave him a signal not to come over.  

“How do you want it cut?”   She felt the familiar texture of her hair in her hands and couldn’t help but noticed a scare on her skull.

“I had an operation before, they had to cut my hair short!”  She pouted. 

“I see, I will be gentle.  Does it hurt?”  She asked concernly, her hands were stroking her hair with a familiar feeling.

 “No, the doctor gave me a clean bill of health last month!”  Carmen said excitedly.

“Congratulations!  I will give you the best hair cut that you’ve ever had.”  Shane said it almost too friendly.  She knew that she truly didn’t remember her which made her heart sank a little. 

They talked about everything while Shane was cutting her hair.  Like how Carmen didn’t remember much of last couple of years, like how good her brother was to her, how he looked after her while she was not well.  To Shane’s surprise, she was also planning on opening a cafe.