"Don't forget me."
"I won't," I promised.
And it was true. At the time. Things turned out differently. It wasn't due to any major change. Only the passage of time.
Time changes people. Despite my promises. My memory faded each year that went by. What remained were more permanent items. A photograph. A handwritten note. A journal entry. These became major aspects of what we had. Despite many being on the periphery.
That old photo. I remembered it. I looked at it each year. Where was it taken? What were we doing? I used to know. That's disappeared.
I remembered you. Who you were. But in pieces. And I struggled to keep my promise.
One day, I found someone else. I looked at your photos less and less. I lived a new life. But I moved on from her as well. It was out of my control. So sudden.
Then I had two sets of reminders. Two sets of memories. I struggled with both.
You became a stranger. I remembered your face. Only because I had your pictures. I remembered your handwriting, only because of your letters.
I found myself in a home. They wouldn't let me have my things. Reminders, of both of you, were gone. You faded fast. I remembered my way around the home. I remember you existed. Even that didn't last.