Memory



-Something funny happened today at work.
-Oh?
-I taught my class with sunglasses on and didn’t even know it.
I just thought it was a cloudy day.
-Has that ever happened before?
-Once, before my first important talk. I must have told you that.
He picks up the sunglasses from the table, peers at her. 
-How could you have forgotten? he adds.
-It was before my time. How could you have forgotten that?
     She gets up to feed their yellow canary. She had wanted a parrot, but he didn’t want something that spoke English.  It would only learn a few phrases at most, she’d cajoled him. You could teach it the ones that amuse you─ you’re a teacher for god’s sake. And it’s not like the bird would argue with you.
     He put his foot down and kept it there. Now she has to admit she loves the canary’s sweet song; and he doesn’t mind it. Most of the time he doesn’t really hear it, she thinks. 
While she fills its dish, the bird skitters out of the cage like the snapshot of a memory from a mind palace, only slightly behind the swinging doors. It does a few ecstatic turns around the living room before coming back to land on the food.

     The man comes up behind his wife, puts his arm around her.
      -This one is so much nicer than the parrot, right, Hon?

     She’s about to remind him they never got the parrot but then remembers that he never calls her ‘Hon’ either.  She feels a tightening in her stomach, a chill along her arms. It occurs to her that he no longer remembers her name.


Cheryl Snell






Comments

  1. This post poignantly explores how fleeting memories can shape relationships. The narrative of a husband forgetting his wife’s name, despite his gentle affection, is both heartbreaking and relatable. It captures the subtle yet profound shifts that occur over time in relationships, especially as we grow older or face changes. The contrast between the husband's past certainty and his present forgetfulness highlights how easily moments we take for granted can slip away. It's a touching reflection on memory, love, and the inevitable passage of time.

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