The baseball game on TV lit up Ryan’s bedroom as he laid back against the pillows.

 

“How about a snack? Let’s raid the fridge.” Veronica slid her feet into Ryan’s slippers, not bothering to put anything else on.

 

“There’s some strawberries and a bottle of Pinot,” Ryan said. Their date had gone about as well as he could’ve hoped for. Better even.

Veronica kissed him on the forehead and winked. She slipped out of the room and returned with a bowl of strawberries and a glass of wine for Ryan. She traced his lips with the strawberry before feeding it to him.

 

“Why don’t you wash that down.”

Ryan grabbed the wine and downed it. He immediately felt spaced out — a little loopy. He stared into her icy blue eyes. Her ivory skin glowed in the light of the TV.

Veronica reached into the nightstand and pulled out a pen and paper. She scribbled something down, then got dressed and left.

After the front door slammed closed, Ryan squinted to focus on the note she'd written. It said:

 

I’M SORRY.

 

“Huh?” was all he managed before falling back into bed.

 

He never got up again.

 

* * *

When Veronica was done reviewing the memory, she tapped SUICIDE on the screen to confirm. She was part of the Civilian Oversight Committee on Privacy, charged with reviewing memories for foul play and deciding on police involvement. She printed a hard copy of Ryan’s last day. Ryan was very handsome in his jean jacket and five o’clock shadow. Good hair too. Abs. She held the memory in her hands and ran her fingers across the glass.

 

Veronica stepped out of the reviewing space and back into the main room of the morgue where the bodies were kept in stainless-steel rows. Ryan’s body lay on a gurney staring up into the fluorescent lighting. Before knocking on Dr. Johnson’s door, she undid the top buttons on her blouse and hiked her skirt up.

 

“Come in.”

 

“I just finished reviewing the guy out there and sent it to you for signature,” she said.

 

“It’s been a while since I actually watched one. Maybe I—“

 

“But you’re so busy? Why don’t you sign it, and we'll take a little break?” Veronica closed the door, walked over, and straddled him. Dr. Johnson shuddered with excitement, greedily smothering himself in her chest.

She smiled icily at the picture of his wife as she bent over his desk.

 

He signed off once they were finished.

 

As usual.

 

The family asked that the suicide not be included amongst Ryan’s memories.

 

Veronica was convincing.

 

They never did.

* * *

There was a perfect space for her latest souvenir in the white dresser in her bedroom. Inside the top drawer were rows of memories. All first dates. And last. Veronica placed the Ryan date in the bottom right corner next to Matthew completing the last row. Then she opened the drawer beneath it.

 

Empty.

 

But it was almost 7:30.

 

Plenty of time for her to get ready for her first date with Alex.