When John moved into his new apartment, while it was really quiet he loved the fact that he has his own television. At the mental facility, what channels they go to watch were highly restricted by the staff. They obviously didn't want them to view programs that might upset them and cause fighting among the patients. Despite his new found freedom, John always seemed to drift back to the same channels and shows he used to watch at the hospital. It must have been a comfort to him, at least help him get used to the new place before trying new things, and even new shows on the television. The first week was unsettling for John, as he had no one to answer to. There were no orderlies telling when to eat or when it was time to sleep; he was no in charge when any of that happened.

  Like the television, John found himself falling into old habits, eating and sleeping at the same times he did at the hospital. It wasn't until a month after he moved into his new apartment that John slowly start so change the time he did some things. His new job slowly helped him with that as well. Max had secured him employment with a local grocery store, stocking shelves and even helping at the cash when line got really long. He didn't mind a little labour to keep him busy, and the distraction was welcome because he didn't want to sit around and just watch the same shows like he did at the hospital. It was nice to see and speak to new people as well. For the sake of not sounding weird, the Feds and Max also forged up some new papers, much like they would for someone who was in witness protection. To make things easy for him, his first name was still John, which was a common name. It was his surname that needed to chance since Doe was not as common. His new surname was much more common, as he would be John Smith at least for the time being. Max had assured him if he ever needed to move again to a new town, he'd have more input in choosing his next identity. He didn't mind as the name was so common, no one would bat an eye. I helped him blend into the new town, which was all John really wanted.

  Every few weeks, Max would stop in to visit. He would often bring some groceries with him, just to help out. John didn't really need the help but appreciated the fact that Max cared enough to try. He was a good friend, one that he hoped to keep for some time. He knew the best way to keep Max happy would be to stay out of trouble, which he worked very hard to do. One week some of his co-workers asked him to hit a bar with them on payday and have a good time. As tempting as it was to socialize after hours, John aired on the side of caution. He knew Max would be proud of him but he never brought it up, and just talked to the lawyer about normal stuff. Max and his wife were both doing well in their new community. His wife was excelling in her new position and Max's law firm had steady work that kept the lights on. John even learnt that he wasn't the only pro-bono case Max was working on. The public defender in him had a hard time saying no to people in need of help. It was the thing John admired most about Max, his eagerness to help those who are incapable of helping themselves. John hoped that one day he would be able to return the kindness that Max had given to him without wanting anything in return. Maybe one day he could, but for the time being the lawyer would have to settle for his gratitude.

  When he was out in public, John didn't try to avoid people but often didn't try to interact with other when he didn't have to. He had only been out of the hospital for a few months and was determined to stay out of trouble. Yet when people took the time to say hello or hold a door open for him, he would be nice to respond in kind or thank them.

  One day John was in line to get some coffee before heading to work when a lady walked up to him and spoke to him first.

  "Excuse me," the lady asked, "But I'm late for work. Do you mind if I cut in line so I don't get in trouble with my boss?"

  "I don't mind," John replied, "but what the people behind me?"

  "They know me," she informed him, "I often cut in line this time of day and they don't mind."

  At that moment the teller called for the next person to place their order. John held out his arm to indicate that she could go first.

  "After you," John said with a pleasant smile. He was way ahead of schedule and if no one else was going to object, he wouldn't either.

  The young woman placed her order and then looked back at John to realize he was staring at her.

  "Is there something wrong?" she asked him.

  "No, sorry." John said, as he stopped staring. "For some reason you look very familiar."

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  "Does that line work with most women?" she asked, smiling.

  "Probably not," John replied.

  "Well I am a regular here," she continued, "Maybe you saw me here another morning when I came to get my coffee."

  "Not likely," John retorted, "I would have remembered someone budding in line."

  "Touché," the lady said, laughing. "My name is Felicia."

  "I'm John," he replied.

  "Pleasure to meet you," Felicia said, as she then took her coffee from the vendor. "Maybe when I have more time we'll talk more about how ineffective your pick up line is."

  "Sure," John said, smiling. "I'll take all the help I can get. I'm not exactly what you would call Sauvé or romantic."

  "Fair enough," Felicia replied, "See you around."

  John saw here again the next morning, and the morning after that and so on to the point where is started to become a part of their morning routine. When she wasn't running late, sometimes Felicia would buy coffee and muffins and they'd spend some time at the shop talking about many things. Other times it'd be a quick hello before scrambling off for work. After a month of doing that, John scrounged up the courage to ask Felicia out on a real date, which to his surprise she accepted. So rather than talk over breakfast like they had so many times before, this time it was over dinner. To help out Max gave John one of his older suits since they were close to the same size, and as the attorney has surmised, seeing John in a suit made a great impression on their date.

  "Wow," Felicia said as John showed up to sit down, "You look amazing."

  "Thanks," John said, sitting down. "You look great too."

  "This old thing?" Felicia joked, "Just grabbed it out of the closet."

  While some may have been offended by that comment, seeing Felicia's sense of humor early in the date helped John relax and calm his nerves. That make for a better date, and it was quite clear throughout dinner that the two of them were quite fond of one another. Yet things became a little tense when Felicia started to ask some questions.

  "Are you from here originally?" she started.

  "I'm not sure."

  "You're not sure?"

  "It's complicated."

  "What about your parents? Where are they?"

  "I honestly don't know."

  "Okay, any siblings? Brothers? Sisters?"

  "Maybe."

  "Maybe?"

  "Best I can do," John explained, "Would you prefer I lie?"

  "That's enough." Felicia said as she put down her fork. "I was under the impression that you liked me. Why all the secrecy?"

  "It's not what you think," John said, realizing how offended she might have been. "It's not that I don't want to tell you, but I can't."

  "What do you mean you can't?" she asked.

  John took a deep breath. "I was in a car accident a while back."

  "Okay," Felicia said, now feeling a little bad for grilling him.

  "I was in a coma for almost half a year." John continued, "The doctors think it was a miracle that I woke up at all. It was a severe head trauma, and when I woke up I remembered nothing."

  "Nothing?" Felicia repeated.

  "Not a damn thing." John confirmed, "I was a blank canvas. I have no memory of anything before waking up in that hospital. I might have brothers or sisters, or I might be an only child. Either my parents are passed or I haven't spoken to them in a while because they're not really looking for me right now. I don't even remember my own name. Before I became John Smith, I was John Doe for quite a while."

  "Wow," Felicia said, reaching over to take his hand with hers. "I am so sorry for prying like that. I had no idea."

  "It's okay," John said, appreciating the gesture. "It's not something I broadcast. I just take things one day at a time and create new memories rather than try to get back what I lost."

  "That's a great attitude," Felicia said, "I can't imagine how scary it would be to lose so much time. I once got a concussion from a cheer leading accident and lost the hour before it. You've lost decades, and there's nothing at all?"

  "I'm afraid not," John confirmed, "Was like someone had restored me to factory settings."

  "Well, I hope this memory is worth keeping." Felicia said, smiling.

  "For sure," John replied, "I hope to never forget this moment."

  "So when you said I looked familiar," Felicia continued, "That wasn't a pick up line. Did I almost stir a memory?"

  "I'm not sure," John replied, "It felt like a moment of déjà vu, like I had been in your presence before but I have no idea how."

  "Well then," Felicia said, smiling again, "Maybe we can go on a few more dates and see what else comes back. Worst thing that happens is we create a few more ourselves."

  "Soundslike a plan." John said, excited about the chance to see her a few more times.For whatever reason, simply being around her just made his whole body feel morecomfortable. He had no idea why, but he just felt more alive whenever she wasaround. He didn't want that feeling to ever go away so he worked hard to be thekind of man that he thought an amazing woman like Felicia deserved.

They went on many more dates throughout that summer, and while nothing came back to John as far as his memories were concerned, he still felt safe and protected whenever he was around her. It was more than enough reason the next year to get on one knee and ask her to marry him. She was blown away that he could even save up for a ring that quickly, but the answer was obvious. For the first time in his shortened new life, John had never felt happier than the day Felicia agreed to marry him. He had hope for the future, a far cry from the hell he wasin when he first woke up. Those days were behind him as John was looking forward to a much brighter future with the woman that would soon become hiswife.