Serious help.

"What is this, like a deepfake or something?" she hissed. She wanted to get up and run as far as she could, but she needed to know more about this video. Who knows what else he might have on her?

"Nope. That really happened. That's you and me in August of 2018 at Danny's. We were engaged. I know it's hard to believe, but we used to be partners. I used to have a whole life, and then... something happened. Something that's hard to believe, but it's true."

Becky stared at him incredulously. "What could possibly have happened to make me forget all about you?"

He coughed. "Well, it's not just you. Somehow people just started forgetting me. Like, everyone. I showed up at work one day and nobody recognized me. I called my friends and they thought I had the wrong number. The worst, though, was when I came home and you didn't know me. You almost called the cops on me, you know?"

"No, I don't!" Becky spat. "I don't know any of this! You're saying we had a whole relationship and then I just got amnesia or something?"

"It's worse than that," Sam said with a frown. "Not only did everyone forget me, no one can remember me. If I walk away from you right now and come back in thirty seconds, you'll have no recollection of this conversation. You and I read the whole Kingsbridge series together - I guess it was a casualty of my predicament that you can't remember it either. You've read that book a dozen times and it just seems to fade when you're done."

She gawked at him for a second, then stood to leave. "Listen, buddy, I don't know if this is a prank-"

"Wait!" he pleaded. "Please, please, just give me a chance to prove it! Please don't leave again."

Again? "Have we had this conversation before?"

He sighed. "Dozens of times, in dozens of places. I keep trying different ways to convince you to help me and none of them work. I'm getting closer, though, I can tell. For weeks I couldn't even get a conversation going. Now I'm so close! I just need you to stay with me for a minute so I can prove that what I'm saying is true."

She sat back down reluctantly. "You're telling me we talk every day and I never remember it?"

"Not every day, but a lot of days. Some days I'll try dozens of times before I get frustrated and give up. Here, do you want me to prove it to you?"

She nodded. He sighed. "Ok, Becky, this part is important. You won't forget about me when we're talking or while you're focused on me, so you need to watch me very intently. I'm going to go around the room and do a few things, but you have to keep your eyes glued to me the whole time. Ok?"

She agreed and he was up. She watched as Sam strolled up to an old woman and swiped her tea. "Hey!" she called out after him. "That's my tea!"

The something strange happened. Sam pointed behind her and she turned to look. When she turned back, she stared at the table in front of her with confusion. She looked to Sam and blinked, then looked back down. He walked up to her and spoke.

"Hi, ma'am, I'm sorry. I think they gave me your tea accidentally."

"Oh, I don't think so," she replied politely. "I haven't ordered anything yet."

He walked back to the table where Becky rolled her eyes. "Great, you either took advantage of someone with severe dementia or got her to play along with your little prank. That's supposed to convince me?"

"Not yet," he replied. He took the tea over to the counter, removed the lid, and poured it all over the floor behind the counter. Several employees shouted and ran in from the back while the barista jumped back to avoid getting tea on her shoes.

"Hey, what the fuck?" she cried out. "What are you doing?"

She turned to get a towel to mop it up with, but when she turned back she seemed confused. She stared blankly at the floor for a moment. She was startled when Sam spoke. "Whoa, what happened there?"

She looked up at him. "I- I don't know. Something must have, uh, slipped? Or spilled. I don't know, but there's tea all over the floor. I've gotta clean this up quick, sorry."

He walked back over and sat back in front of Becky. "Remember me?" he asked nervously.