Forget to Remember

another reference to the name. I’ll add it to what I have about you online. In your travels, Carol, did you come across anything or any place that looked familiar?”
    “No, but I learned some things I didn’t do, schools I didn’t attend.”
    Carol gave a brief description of her trip, but Rigo suspected she left some parts out. She told how Paul Vigiano faked the photo and Frances discovered it, but she didn’t say much about his reaction when he was confronted. She didn’t seem to have much animosity toward him.
    Frances interrupted Rigo’s reverie. “We’re also looking for abilities and knowledge you might have.”
    “Well, I know for sure I’m not a gardener. I can drive a car, but I think at some point recently I must have driven in the UK. I kept wanting to drive on the left and shift with my left hand. That produced a few exciting moments.”
    “We need to explore the possibility that you might have spent time in England, but so far we have very little to go on.”
    Ernie asked the question Rigo had been dying to ask. “How can you fly in an airplane and rent a car?”
    Everybody looked at Carol. Rigo was half-mad at his father for putting Carol on the spot. He would rather have asked her in private. She hesitated before answering.
    “Look, I don’t want to drag all of you into the seamy side of my life right now. If you want me to leave and stay somewhere else, that’s all right. I…I have a fake driver’s license.”
    Carol didn’t elaborate. She was living a secret life Rigo wasn’t privy to. He didn’t like it, but there was nothing he could do about it. The last thing he wanted was for her to leave. Fortunately, Tina came to the rescue.
    “Don’t even talk about leaving. This is a very difficult time for you. We can’t imagine what it’s like to be you right now, but we want to support you all we can. Stay as long as you like. Even after you find yourself, you’re welcome to stay with us. Just be careful. We don’t want you to get into trouble.”
    Carol looked relieved. “Thank you, Tina. And Ernie and Rigo and Frances. I feel at home here. Believe me I’ll pay you back for everything, including your kindness. I’ll try to keep out of trouble. The main thing is, I don’t want you all to get into trouble because of me.

    CHAPTER 15
    “When you have to leave a blot within six points of your opponent’s checker, always leave it as close to your opponent as you can.”
    Carol mentally stepped back and listened to herself for a moment. She sounded like a teacher. However, if she and Rigo were going to play much backgammon together, she wanted him to present a challenge to her.
    “Why is close better?”
    “How many combinations can you roll with two dice?”
    “Uh…thirty-six?”
    “Right. Six times six. How many of those combinations will hit a checker one point away from you?”
    “Now you’re straining my intelligence.”
    “Eleven. Each combination with a one in it, such as one-six and six-one, plus double one. How many combinations will hit a checker six away from you?”
    Rigo thought for a few seconds and then started counting on his fingers. “Seventeen.”
    “Go to the head of the class. The answers for a checker two to five points away from you are between eleven and seventeen.”
    Rigo shook his head, ruefully, as he bore off his last checker. “I don’t know why I ever agreed to play backgammon with you. The only reason I’ve won four games is because you’ve been coaching me. Talk about crushing a guy’s ego. What about leaving a blot seven or more points away from your opponent?”
    “The odds against getting hit are much better. Only six combinations will hit a blot seven away and it goes downhill from there.”
    “Where did you learn to play like this?” Rigo immediately looked contrite. “Sorry.”
    “It’s okay.” Carol smiled to show no harm done. “I wish I knew how I learned.”
    “Frances said to figure out what you’re good at. You’re certainly good at backgammon.”
    “Maybe I was a backgammon hustler in my youth.”
    Rigo laughed. “I’ve got an idea. The restaurant is closed on Mondays, so Adam and I have been going to a sports bar on Monday evenings and watching Monday night football. Come with us. You’ve got a driver’s license, so it won’t hurt if you’re carded, which you probably will be.”
    “Do women go to this bar?”
    “Many do. Some women love football.”
    “What about Adam’s wife?”
    “She