You are probably right. Perhaps I romanticized it a bit. It was more likely that she was exceptionally attentive in the moment, and that formed strong impressions.

It's convenient to dismiss it as a great memory, isn't it. Like active listening is some objectively higher skill only accessible to certain folks.

It's not about remembering details, exactly. More like. the shapes of things linger, you know? Like that awful beige wallpaper in her sunroom, or the way she’d stack teacups. It's always been about shapes.

My mother was a quiet woman and I paid attention. It’s not fantastic, it’s what happens when you actually listen.