"Do you still see Emma's face?" Carl asks. "Is it clear?"
"Yes"
" My wife's is getting blurry. When I close my eyes, I can visualize her hairstyle, the color of her eyes, her earrings. But I can't remember the actual shape of her face. Then I rush to the dresser and pick up her photograph, and it all comes back to me - but a day later, she starts to fade again. And her voice, I can't hear it at all anymore."
" Maybe forgetting is a subconscious act of self-preservation," I say. Maybe over time, if we can't see or hear them clearly, their absence is less painful."