The familiar and painful nostalgia brought with it an unusual guilt. It was a memory I hadn't recalled in at least a decade. I felt as though I’d been neglecting it — as if too much time had occurred without giving it the proper amount of ambient lighting, and it was wilting like a neglected plant.

I felt sorry for this memory. I swore I would try not to forget it again, but I knew details were evaporating with every passing moment that I would never be able to replace.