My hand shook as I opened it.
The video began playing.
Mark appeared on the screen.
He was sitting in the very chair I occupied.
He wore his gray work shirt.
His face looked tired.
He stared directly into the camera and took a long breath.
“Hi, Lee.”
His voice trembled.
“If you’re watching this, I either finally found the courage to show you everything, or something happened before I could.”
He attempted a small smile.
“I hope it’s the first one.”
I leaned closer.
He continued.
“Before I explain anything else, I need you to understand that everything in this folder is for you.”
He looked down.
Then back into the camera.
“My name is Mark Ellison. I’m fifty-three years old. I’ve been married to Lena Ellison for twenty-six years. We have a daughter, Sophie, who’s studying to become a nurse.”
He slowly recited our home address.
I frowned.
Why was he telling me things I already knew?
Then he said,
“My doctor told me practicing these facts aloud might help.”
My breath caught.
Mark swallowed.
“In March, I started forgetting things at work.”
He described misplacing tools.
Forgetting measurements.
Struggling to remember names he’d known for years.
Then he told me about a morning when he drove toward a construction site he’d visited daily for two months.
At an intersection, he suddenly couldn’t remember which direction to turn.
He didn’t recognize the road.
For nearly a minute, he didn’t know where he was.
Cars honked behind him.
He sat there terrified.
“I went to a doctor,”
he continued.
“Then another. They did tests. Scans. Memory examinations.”
He looked away.
“I told you I was going to the dentist.”
My stomach twisted.
I remembered those appointments.
I’d even teased him about suddenly becoming so enthusiastic about dental care.
He drew a trembling breath.
Then said the words that shattered everything I thought I knew.
“Lee, I have early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.”
I stopped breathing.
On the screen, Mark rubbed his face.
“The doctor says it’s still early. There are treatments that may help manage some symptoms. She says I could have good years ahead of me.”
His eyes filled.
“But she also says my memory will get worse.”
He paused.
I watched his hands tremble.
“One day, I might forget our house.”
His voice cracked.
“I might forget Sophie’s name.”
