Remind me if I forgot

Jack had always been forgetful. As a child, he misplaced his toys; as a student, he left homework unfinished simply because he forgot about it; and as an adult, he constantly lost his keys, wallet, and phone. His life was a mess of misplaced objects and last-minute scrambles. No matter how many planners or phone reminders he set, nothing seemed to work.

One summer, Jack moved to a new city for work. The change was overwhelming—new streets, new people, new responsibilities. His forgetfulness became an even bigger problem. He missed meetings, left grocery bags at the store, and once even forgot to lock his apartment door overnight. It was frustrating, but he had grown used to it.

Then, he met Emma.

Emma was the complete opposite of Jack. She was organized, punctual, and had an impeccable memory. While Jack would forget his own birthday, Emma would remember obscure details about people she had met only once. They worked at the same company, and she quickly noticed Jack’s struggles.

“You forgot your notepad in the conference room,” she said one day, handing it to him.

Jack sighed, embarrassed. “Thanks, Emma. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

She smiled. “No worries. Just remind me if I ever forget something.”

He laughed. “That’s unlikely.”

From that day on, Emma became Jack’s unofficial reminder system. She’d text him meeting times, remind him to bring his lunch, and even leave notes on his desk for important tasks. Jack, in return, would try his best to remember things for her, though it rarely happened. It became their inside joke—“Remind me if I forget,” Emma would say with a grin, knowing full well Jack would forget first.

Their friendship grew, and Jack found himself depending on Emma more and more. He started to feel guilty about how much she had to remind him. “How do you do it?” he asked her one day over coffee. “How do you remember everything?”

Emma shrugged. “I just do. But I also write things down. Maybe you should try that.”

“I have! I forget where I write them down.”

Emma chuckled and handed him a small notebook. “Here. Keep it with you at all times.”

Jack appreciated the gesture, but, unsurprisingly, he misplaced the notebook within a week.

One evening, after a particularly hectic day, Jack and Emma decided to go for a walk by the river. The city lights reflected beautifully on the water, and for once, Jack felt relaxed. As they strolled, Emma looked up at the sky. “I love the stars,” she said. “Whenever I see them, I think about how small we are in the universe.”

Jack nodded. “And how our worries don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.”

Emma smiled. “Exactly.”

They walked in silence for a while before Emma spoke again. “I’m moving next month.”

Jack stopped. “Wait, what?”

She looked at him sadly. “I thought I told you. I got a new job offer in another city.”

Jack’s heart sank. “You’re leaving?”

Emma nodded. “I’ll still be around. We can text, call. But I won’t be here to remind you of everything.”

Jack felt a lump in his throat. “Who’s going to save me from myself?”

Emma smiled, pulling a small piece of paper from her pocket and placing it in his hand. “This might help.”

Jack unfolded it. The note read: ‘Remind yourself if I’m not there.’

Tears welled up in his eyes. “You always know what to say.”

She shrugged. “Just promise me you’ll try.”

Jack nodded. And for the first time, he made a real effort. He set alarms, wrote notes, and even tied a small ribbon around his wrist to remind himself of important things. It wasn’t the same as having Emma, but he was improving.

Months passed, and though they stayed in touch, life moved on. One day, while cleaning his apartment, Jack found Emma’s note again. He smiled, realizing he hadn’t forgotten a single important task that week.

Maybe, just maybe, he was finally learning.

One evening, Jack left his notebook at a café. Emma reminded him, saving his important notes. But one day, Emma moved away. Jack felt lost without her. Months later, he found a note in his pocket: "Remind yourself if I’m not there."

Smiling, Jack learned to set reminders. Though Emma was gone, her words stayed forever in his heart.