Diego walked into the launderette on a quiet morning. He had a big bag of dirty clothes with him. He put the bag down next to a washing machine. He opened the door of the machine and started to put his clothes inside. Then he heard a voice behind him. "Hi, Diego! It is nice to see you again!" Diego turned around and saw a woman with short brown hair. She was smiling at him. Diego smiled back, but he had a problem. He knew her face very well. He was sure he met her before. But he could not remember her name. His mind was completely blank. He felt embarrassed. He said, "Oh, hello! It is great to see you too!" He hoped she would say her name soon. The woman started to talk about many things.

She talked about the weather and the new shop near the launderette. Diego listened and nodded his head. He tried very hard to remember her name. Was it Sara? No, that was not right. Was it Lina? No, that was wrong too. He looked at her face for clues. Nothing helped him remember. She asked him, "How is your brother?" Diego was surprised. She knew about his brother. This meant they talked before, maybe many times. He felt bad because he still could not remember. He wanted to ask her name, but he was too shy. He thought it was rude to ask. He put his coins into the machine and pressed the start button. The machine started to spin.

Then something lucky happened. The woman's phone started to ring. She picked it up and said, "Hello, this is Nora." Diego felt so happy when he heard the name. Nora! Of course, her name was Nora! Now he remembered everything. They met at a friend's dinner a few months ago. They talked about books that night. He felt very relieved. After her phone call, Nora came back to talk to him. Diego said, "It was really nice talking to you, Nora." Nora smiled and said, "You too, Diego! We should meet again soon." Diego agreed and picked up his clean clothes. He walked out of the launderette with a big smile on his face. He was never going to forget her name again. He repeated it in his head three times: Nora, Nora, Nora.

Diego had been putting off his laundry for over a week, and his basket was overflowing with wrinkled shirts and mismatched socks. He finally dragged himself to the launderette on a gray afternoon, hoping to get everything washed and dried in under an hour. As he was sorting his clothes into lights and darks, a cheerful voice called out his name from across the room. He looked up and immediately recognized the woman walking towards him, but a wave of panic washed over him because he could not recall her name at all. She clearly knew him well, judging by the warm hug she gave him and the way she asked about his life as if they were old friends. Diego played along, smiling and answering her questions, while secretly searching every corner of his memory for her name. It was incredibly frustrating because the harder he tried to remember, the further the name seemed to slip away. The woman sat down on the bench beside him and began chatting about a book she had recently finished reading.

Diego found the conversation genuinely enjoyable, which made him feel even guiltier about the fact that he had no idea what to call her. He considered several strategies to discover her name without having to admit his embarrassing memory lapse. At one point, he thought about asking her how to spell her name, but that trick would only work if the name had an unusual spelling. He also wondered whether he could glance at her phone screen if a notification popped up, but that felt dishonest and a little desperate. Meanwhile, the washing machines hummed steadily in the background, filling the pauses in their conversation with a gentle rhythm. Diego was running out of ideas and beginning to accept that he might simply have to confess. Just as he was about to gather his courage and ask her directly, a second person entered the launderette and waved at them both. "Nora!

I thought I might find you here," the newcomer said with a grin. Diego felt a rush of relief flood through his entire body because now he had the name without having to reveal his forgetfulness. Nora, of course! They had met at a neighborhood gathering several months earlier and had spent the evening discussing their favorite authors. Everything clicked into place, and Diego silently thanked the stranger who had unknowingly rescued him from an awkward situation. As Nora eventually said goodbye and left with her freshly folded laundry, Diego called out, "See you soon, Nora!" He repeated the name under his breath several times, determined never to let it escape his memory again.