Diego is at the launderette. He has a big bag of clothes with him. He puts his clothes into a washing machine. He adds some washing powder. He closes the door and presses the button. The machine starts to make a noise. Diego sits down on a plastic chair. He looks around the room. There are other people there too. A woman is sitting near the window. She is reading a magazine. Diego looks at her. He knows her face. He thinks he knows her name. But he cannot remember it.

Diego tries to think. He closes his eyes. He says to himself, "I know this woman. I see her every week." He opens his eyes and looks at her again. She has short brown hair. She is wearing a red jacket. Diego thinks, "Is her name Maria? No, that is not right. Is it Sara? No, I do not think so." He feels a little silly. He wants to say hello to her. But he does not want to use the wrong name. He waits and thinks more. The washing machine is still going around and around. Then the woman looks up from her magazine.

She smiles at Diego. She says, "Hello! It is good to see you again!" Diego smiles back. He says, "Hello! It is good to see you too!" The woman says, "My name is Laura, by the way. I always forget to say it!" Diego feels very happy. He laughs a little. He says, "Of course! Laura! I am so sorry, I am bad with names." Laura laughs too. She says, "Do not worry, I forget names all the time!" They talk for a long time. They wait together for their clothes to finish. Diego feels much better now.

Diego arrived at the launderette on a quiet Tuesday morning, dragging a heavy bag of laundry behind him. After loading his clothes into one of the machines and adding detergent, he settled into a plastic chair to wait. Almost immediately, he noticed a woman sitting near the window, flicking through a magazine. He was certain he recognized her. Her face was completely familiar, yet her name was hovering just out of reach, somewhere at the back of his mind. He pressed his lips together, searching his memory, but nothing came. The harder he tried to recall her name, the more it seemed to slip away. Diego ran through a mental list of possibilities. "Is it Marina?

Elena? Perhaps it starts with an L," he thought, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was desperate to say hello, since they clearly knew each other, but calling her by the wrong name felt like a risk he was not willing to take. While the washing machine hummed and churned in the background, he stole a few glances in her direction, hoping that something, a gesture or an expression, might trigger the memory. Nothing did. He began to wonder whether he was overthinking the whole situation and decided he would simply wait and see what happened. Then, without warning, the woman lowered her magazine and caught Diego's eye. "Diego! How lovely to run into you here," she said warmly.

He smiled back, relieved that she had spoken first. "Great to see you," he replied, carefully avoiding her name. She seemed to sense his hesitation, because she added with a grin, "Laura, by the way, in case you'd forgotten!" Diego laughed, feeling the tension lift immediately. "I'm so sorry, it was right on the tip of my tongue," he said honestly. Laura waved her hand dismissively. "Honestly, don't give it another thought. It happens to everyone." They spent the rest of the wait chatting easily, and Diego left the launderette feeling both relieved and quietly amused.