A Fading Memory

The soft hum of an ATM fills the air in a luxurious mall in Jakarta,the Capital City of Indonesia. A tall, slender man with neatly combed hair and clear-framed glasses stands before the machine, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. His fingers hover over the keypad, but his mind is blank.

What was the PIN again?

Valdi Amarta exhales slowly, his frustration mounting. He knows these numbers. He has typed them in a hundred times before…..but now, they seem lost in the void of his mind.

A sharp beep startles him.

"Do you need additional time?" The message flashes on the screen.

He remains motionless, heart pounding, as if the machine itself is mocking him. After a few more agonizing seconds, he sighs in defeat, presses the Cancel button, and retrieves his card.

As he steps out of the ATM room, his eyes land on the two people who mean everything to him, his wife, Nanette and their daughter, Viona patiently waiting.

"Did you get the cash, dear?" Nanette asks, her warm smile as gentle as ever.

"The ATM couldn't dispense cash," Valdi lies effortlessly, forcing a casual tone. He doesn’t want to admit the truth. that he forgot his own PIN. How could he? How could a man known for his sharp intellect, the head of Sigma Research Laboratory, a professor celebrated for his brilliance, forget something so simple? If Nanette found out, she’d tease him endlessly.

She tilts her head, thoughtful. "Why did you even need to withdraw cash, honey? You could have just used a credit or debit card."

Her words hit him like a shockwave.

Why did I need cash?

His steps falter as a chilling realization settles in. He doesn’t just not remember the PIN, he doesn’t even remember why he needed the money in the first place.

A lump forms in his throat. This isn’t like him. Valdi is meticulous, a man who thrives on precision and details. His research lab is the backbone of pharmaceutical and food safety in Indonesia. Even the government relies on him for infectious disease studies. His memory is supposed to be unshakable.

Yet today, in front of an ATM, he stood blank. utterly lost.

And it’s not the first time.

Two weeks ago, at work, he had forgotten the numeric PIN to his own office. He stood there, staring at the keypad, his mind grasping at nothing. Embarrassed, he had pretended to make coffee in the pantry, trying to calm himself. When he returned, the numbers flowed from his fingers effortlessly. As if his brain had reset itself.

But now? Now, it’s happening again.

He takes a deep breath, pushing the thought aside.

At the restaurant, Nanette slices up chicken steak for Viona, who sits happily in her baby chair. She glances up when she hears Valdi sigh.

"Oh, dear, are you upset because you couldn’t withdraw cash?" she asks, her tone light. "You know we can just use my card."

Valdi shakes his head. "It’s not that, Hon."

Nanette doesn’t look up, continuing to cut the food into small pieces. "Then what is it?"

He hesitates for a split second…..lies.

"Just work. It’s piling up. On Monday, I have to analyze a virus sample, study its genome."

Nanette finally looks at him, her eyes soft yet firm.

"Darling, we made a promise. Saturdays and Sundays are for family. You were the one who insisted we shouldn’t let work interfere with our weekends. You even made me promise not to schedule student consultations on Sundays. And now, you’re the one breaking that rule?"

Valdi stares at her, his heart sinking. Did I really say that?

He searches his mind desperately, grasping for the memory, any fragment, any trace that confirms her words. But there’s nothing. Just a vast, terrifying emptiness where recollection should be.

A cold sensation creeps up his spine. How could he forget something so simple? This wasn’t just a misplaced thought or a moment of distraction, this was a memory that should have been his, yet it was slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.

He forces a smile, masking the unease bubbling beneath the surface. "You’re right. Maybe I just need a break. How about a weekend trip next week?"

Nanette’s face lights up, her eyes shining with excitement. "That sounds perfect! We can leave early Saturday and return Sunday. Viona will love it. I’ll get the villa keys from my mom, we can stay at our Astyna family villa."

A familiar tightness grips Valdi’s chest.

The villa. Her family’s place. A symbol of everything he doesn’t quite belong to.

He swallows down the discomfort and casually suggests, "How about a hotel instead, honey?" His voice is steady, but inside, his mind is unraveling. "There’s a new hotel in the mountains, styled like a Balinese resort. Let’s stay there. It’ll be a fresh experience."

Nanette doesn’t hesitate. "Alright, hotel it is!"

She smiles at him, warm and full of love. so effortlessly happy, so certain in their life together. Valdi smiles back, but it feels fragile, like a mask that might shatter at any moment.

Because deep down, a silent, terrifying question lingers.

Will his love for her last forever?

Or will that, too, one day fade away?