My father started to suffer from memory loss right after his marriage. Or so my mother told us. She said they were married on May 26, while my dad’s memory told him it was June 25. This often their anniversary celebration, for his rose bouquet always came one month late. Mom seldom asked Dad to go shopping in the traditional market for her. But whenever Dad on going, she made sure that he brought a shopping list. Dad certainly had the list when he left for the market, but he would somehow forget it, and then would find it again only after he returned home. Of course, the that he made were based mainly on his memory of the list. Unfortunately, the items were usually different from Mom’s .
My father’s poor memory gave him certain advantages, though. For instance, he was with many secrets in my family and our community. Because of his poor memory, he had the of hearing everyone’s private matters. The reason was : Dad would not remember any of it, we thought. As for our neighbors, they liked to invite my father to dinner so that they could tell him stories about their children, parents, friends, and pets. They also believed the secrets in their families would never be . They were quite right, for my father cared about who did what to whom. But there is one thing he would never forget: showing up for dinner on time.
