— “It is. But sometimes I feel like she’s still around. Like I can almost hear her voice in the wind.”
She fell silent again. Michael didn’t push. He just drove, listening to the hum of the engine. A minute later, Eleanor added, almost as if apologizing:
— “That’s what happened tonight. I thought I was just going to the corner, and then I was miles away. I don’t know how it happens. It feels like I’m losing pieces of myself with every walk.”
Touched by her words, Michael said:
— “Well, I’m here now. I won’t let you get lost again. We’ll have you home in no time.”
Eleanor looked at him with sincere gratitude.
— “Thank you, Michael. You’re a good man. A light in the dark,” she whispered, before drifting back into silence.
The atmosphere in the car changed—it felt warm, grounded in a strange kind of mutual understanding. Michael felt as though this encounter wasn’t entirely random. Suddenly, Eleanor began to hum. Then, softly, she started to sing the lyrics to “Unforgettable.” She sang with such soul and depth that Michael felt a chill run down his spine. “Unforgettable, that’s what you are… Unforgettable, though near or far.” Her voice grew stronger, filling the cabin.
Michael couldn’t take his eyes off the road, but his heart was racing. That voice… it was waking up a memory he had buried decades ago.
— “That song…” he muttered, his voice cracking. “I know that voice.”
Eleanor looked at him with a soft, knowing smile.
— “It’s a song for those who have truly loved. There are things in this life that stay in your heart forever, no matter how much time passes.” She smiled sadly. “We all have an ‘unforgettable’ someone, don’t we?”
Michael was gripped by a nagging sense of familiarity, though he couldn’t place it. He tried to ask more questions, but she became vague again, retreating into her own thoughts. The cold night outside made the car feel like a small, safe island. Despite his attempts to restart the conversation, she remained quiet, offering only the occasional smile. Every minute of silence made Michael more desperate to know who she was.
He stole glances at her in the rearview mirror, convinced he had seen those eyes before. But where?
