Je me souviens.

I remember everything.

I remember faces, names, details.  There are people that I was in the same Grade 3 class who have no idea who the hell I am anymore, but I still remember their names and certain details about them, like their favourite hobby or the shirt that they wore most.  I remember birthdays, anniversaries, phone numbers (although, my penchant for numbers is leaving me with my increasing reliance on my phone, and the fact most of my friends are in a different area code).  Most of all, I remember things people tell me about them - stories from their past, a recent encounter with an ex, a funny situation they found themselves in, the thing that made them cry last.

Of course, I can't even remember what I had for breakfast, what I wore yesterday or the day before that, and I'm horrible at history.  I guess it all had to balance out somewhere.

Some people may think my ability to remember these things is a gift, and it is, but it also comes with a price.  I find I get bored easily and, in a way, lose the drive to continue a conversation.  So while I am a laconic person in general, this taciturnity increases exponentially because I internally roll my eyes and temporarily lose attention if I've heard something before.

Maybe I expect too much.  Well, not maybe, I do.  I expect my conversational partners to remember things that they've told me before and to only tell me novel and interesting things.  Most of the time I respond with a terse "Mmhmm" or "Right" or tell the person straight out that they've told me already.  It's a terrible habit and makes me an awful person to continue a conversation with.

Sometimes I let people retell the story, even if I remember every detail from the last time.  Maybe I should do that more often.  Perhaps there's some minute detail I missed in the last recounting of their tale, or maybe I've experienced something during the intermediate that allows me to offer insight I wasn't able to before.  Perhaps it would have helped save my last relationship.  I let myself get bored, I let myself get too angry, I let myself close off.

I'm a lady of few words, especially those verbally spoken.  While, it's my nature to be introverted, my lack of speech also comes from my extensive memory of conversations past and attention to details.

I remember everything. 

It's both a gift and a curse.