CoCo,
I had an experience with someone possessed of a truly photographic memory that I have never forgotten.
Many years ago I was sitting in a coffee shop with a man (Abdelkebir - Kawi for short) I had broken up with, but remained friends with (sort of - but that is another story!). He suddenly grabbed a note out of my purse - it was from someone I had just started dating. It was a small piece of paper but completely filled with tiny, distinctive writing (some of it nearly illegible). Sweet nothings, as I recall. Kawi had it in his hand for about 10-15 seconds before I succeeded in grabbing it away. An ordinary person could not have even finished reading it, let alone memorize it in that amount of time.
He looked at me very calmly and said, "You think he wrote this just for you, but this has been written before. I'll show you." He then took a pen and proceeded to reproduce the words on another piece of paper. Every word, margins, exactly the same. But the most astounding, was the distinctive handwriting was an exact replica. It was as if he'd taken a xerox copy!
I looked up from the paper and said, "You have a photographic memory, don't you?" He waved his hand dismissively, muttered something like, "meh!" and refused to talk of it further.
I think he used this gift as a secret weapon when it suited his purposes. He was probably the most manipulative person I've ever known. He still owes me money!
