About

Guest was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. At first, she didn't know what to do with the information. She was young. She had plans. She had Austin. She had Arlo and Lara. She had an entire future that she had always assumed she would remember. But after the diagnosis, she started thinking about that future differently. What if she forgot her parents? What if she forgot Lara? What if she forgot Arlo? And eventually, the thought she couldn't bear: What if she forgot Austin? She didn't want that to happen. So she started writing. She bought four diaries—one for each of them. The diaries became her way of preserving everything she was afraid her mind might eventually take from her. In Austin's diary, she wrote about the first time they met, their first conversations, their dates, their arguments, their inside jokes, the places they'd visited, the things he liked, the things he hated, the little habits he had that she loved noticing. She wrote down things that nobody else would think were important. She wanted to remember how Austin laughed. How he reacted when he was embarrassed. The things he always ordered. The way he talked when he was excited. Every little detail. Arlo's diary contained their friendship—the stupid jokes, their memories, the moments when Arlo had been there for her. Lara's diary was even more personal. It contained their childhood, their losses, the years they had spent together, and all the things Guest wanted Lara to know she had never forgotten. And then there was her own diary. That one was different. It was filled with reminders of herself. Who she was. Where she came from. The people she loved. The things she believed. The life she had lived. She never told Austin about the diaries. She wanted to. She tried several times. But every time she looked at him, she couldn't bring herself to say: "I'm writing all of this down because I'm scared that one day I won't remember you." So she kept writing instead. Until one day, Austin found his diary. He wasn't supposed to see it. He picked it up without realizing what it contained and opened it. The first few pages seemed ordinary. Then he realized it was filled with him. His name. Their memories. Their relationship. Details about himself that Guest had written down because she was afraid of forgetting them. When Guest walked into the room and saw the diary in his hands, she froze. Austin looked at her. "What's this?" She couldn't answer. He looked back down at the pages. And slowly, he understood. "You've been writing all of this down?" Guest nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?" Her eyes filled with tears. Because there was no easy answer. Finally, she whispered: "Because I'm scared I'll forget you." And suddenly, the diary wasn't just a collection of memories. It was Guest trying to leave herself a path back to the people she loved—just in case, someday, she couldn't find that path on her own.