Someone recently told me that, although he has lived in 17 cities in 23 years and doesn’t have any friends, at least 2,000 people in each of those cities remember his name.

At first, I thought he was insane. There’s no way that over 30,000 people could know him. But then I realized that his statement wasn’t so far fetched. He’s the type of person that people don’t want to forget, the type that leaves an impression—whether good or bad—and I will be among 1,999 others from Ann Arbor who will never forget him. That got me thinking: how many of the people who I’ve shared some of the most intimate moments with will remember me in five years?

There’s nothing considerably unique about me. I have one of the most common first names, follow a lot of the most basic fashion trends, and do enough in school to stand out among peers, but never go above and beyond. Considering the number of people we see and meet each day, I don’t expect all of my past hook ups to remember me because it's likely I won't remember all of them. Sure, maybe they’ll recall some small things—like a funny story I told them or maybe just my name—but they might not remember my favorite city or how we met, and that’s okay. I am not someone that people fight to remember.

In five years, it’s safe to say we won't all remember each other or the number of nights we spent together. However, as of today, I know that there are 3 people I will never forget no matter how hard I try. While I don’t expect them to remember me, I sure as hell hope they do.

Boy #1

You broke my heart dozens of times, but you know me the best, and you’ve also known me the longest. You were my first for many things and made sure I was well acquainted with the f*ckboy persona, so... thanks? I would say forget about me, but considering your parents still ask about me, I guess I can count on you to remember my name in five years (which, by the way, is probably the only thing I can count on you for).

Boy #2

No matter how many times I want to forget you, I can’t. Why? Because the scars on my back and the weight of your actions will forever haunt me. You already think I’m unworthy of your time, so in five years, I’ll be the most distant memory. I wish I could say the same, but no matter how much time passes—five, ten, twenty years—I will be forced to remember you.

Boy #3

You’re special. I will never agree with more than half of the nonsense you say and believe is right, but there’s a lot to remember you for. I haven’t known you for very long, but you’ve already impacted my life in more ways than you could imagine. You are the first to ever intrigue and mentally challenge me. While you may not remember everything (or anything) about me in five years, I sincerely hope that you can take something away from your time with me because I sure as hell have learned a lot from you.

So how many people will you remember, and how many people will remember you?