The Forgetting

by Hannah Beckerman

His attentiveness was unlike anything she’d experienced before. He’d listened intently to everything she’d had to say and asked questions in order to hear her opinions, not – like so many other men she knew – so that he could glaze over until it was his turn to speak again. His genuine interest in her thoughts and feelings had been almost revelatory.

‘Semantic memory is recall of facts. Common knowledge, if you like. It’s different to episodic memory, which is an individual’s personal history.’

I learnt to take care of myself and tried to avoid my dad’s rages.’

‘Whatever your parents did, it wasn’t your fault. You were a child. They were supposed to protect you and they failed. You have nothing to feel ashamed of.’

I don’t want to give her the oxygenation of contact

It is knowledge that has left me with a feeling of profound incompleteness: as though I am somehow unfinished, just a fraction of a whole.