Turnover....

"Skin cells turnover at a rate of every 30-40 days....
....

The high school biology lecture had been replaying in her mind for weeks. She remembered being fascinated by the idea that her entire skin would be replaced every month. It had captured her imagination. Things she touched today, in a month she would not have touched. Not really. The skin that had pressed against the brick wall outside of her class would not be the skin she had a month later.

Within two months the skin cells she had would have not only not touched the wall but not touched any cells that had touched the wall. There would be no trace of cells left that had touched the wall. The whole concept was amazing to her. How was it possible to have memory of touching the wall when the actual part of her that touched the wall was gone?

When she got older it wasn't as interesting to her. It was one of those fleeting things that can only happen when you are younger and you become completely absorbed by a new thought. Like the classic does everyone see the same colors as you do? We both call this blue but what if my blue is your red? Things that seem more important than they are.

Or maybe they were the important things and we just stopped paying attention to them.

Maybe if we kept that sense of amazement at the world we would be better off.

Maybe the things we think are important now aren't at all.

.....

"Scar tissue is caused when the damage is deeper..."

....

She looked at the calendar. In two days it would be two months. She would be brand new twice over. No part of her skin would have been touched by him. No part of his skin would have touched her. They would be strangers to each other.

Even more than they already were.

.....

"But over time, even scars change and fade. The bright red mark turns into a light silver line. A reminder of what happened, but not as vivid."
.....

She looked at her hands. Opening them. Then closing them. Hands that had never touched or been touched by him.

Brand new.