Memories

Jerome snuck down the stairs into the basement of his house, careful to make sure that his wife and children were still sound asleep. It wasn't that he was particularly worried that they would wake up - he just didn't want to take chances. He didn't want them to know about what was stored in the extra room. No one else spent much time in the basement, and they especially weren't going to go digging around. It was used almost solely for storage, with stacks of boxes precariously placed around the room, and most of the walls inaccessible and unseen thanks to the massive amount of old things that they really probably needed to get rid of.

Jerome very carefully slipped around the pillars of junk towards the western wall, where there was a sliding wooden door that was barely visible thanks to the dust and supplies. He slid the door open and slipped into the room.

Inside that room was much neater than the rest of the basement. Jerome kept it out of sight and out of mind, so that he could use it as his own personal space. He justified it to himself frequently - plenty of guys had man caves that they wanted to keep to themselves, right? He wasn't weird for having this space that he kept a secret from the rest of his family, from the rest of the world. The lights inside were dim - not old, but intentionally weak. There were a few boxes, precisely labelled with the exact contents kept within, and those contents kept in a specific order.

He picked up one of the boxes - labelled Jennifer - and moved it on to a small table that was left clear. Lifting the lid off the box and setting it aside, he looked at the small jars carefully arranged inside, each with a label on the lid describing the event contained within. He had one in mind that he wanted to look at.

"Jennifer - April 26, 1973 - First date"

He was always sure to reseal the lids on the jars as tight as possible, to preserve their freshness, which meant he had to be careful about taking them back off. But he had years of practice at this point. It only took a moment to pop it off.

He went to the opposite wall and pulled from it a small plate and a spoon before returning to the table and having a seat. Ever so gingerly, he lifted a spoonful of the water in the jar and placed it onto the plate. The thick water held its almost gelatinous form, and inside of it he could see that day, as though it were happening for eternity in the water. Two young teens, awkward but in love, though they did not realize it at the time. Walking down the lakeside, talking about everything in the world. Not even realizing as they slowly drifted towards each other. Kissing for the first time almost reflexively, and only for a moment, before their faces burned a bright red and they could hardly stand to look at each other.

Jerome didn't know how long he watched the scene, or how many times he let that date repeat itself. It had been a long time since he had let himself experience that day again. A part of him was afraid that if he went back to his memories too many times, he would lose them, as they degraded and faded. But he couldn't just leave them, and never see them again. They were what made him who he was. And sometimes, like after the long day he had had, he needed to remember those things.

Putting the memories away was as delicate a process as it was taking them back out. Slipping the water back in its jar, making sure not to lose a drop. Sealing the lid. Sliding the jar back in place in its box, and the box back in place among the others. And finally slipping back out into the basement proper, and making his way back up stairs. It was still late at night. But he wouldn't be getting nearly enough sleep.

But to remember... It was worth it.