Memory of a gold fish???

Few days back I met a childhood-neighborhood-friend of mine. The ones with which you play ghar-ghar, teacher-teacher and all the repeating-repeating kind of games. She spotted me strolling in kamla nagar and called my name excitedly.The moment that followed was one full of frustration, humiliation and compunction for my brain just refused to register this person. The person with whom I'd learned to tie my shoelaces , went for kanjak during nav raatri all around the neighborhood, played with Barbie dolls, held pool parties(ya those plastic, inflated pools...duh)..the person with whom I lived day in and out,for almost 15% of my lifespan(if I die at 70 years of age).And the next moment was even worse when I realized who she was. Swallowing the pang of conscience under my breath, I said, "Guddu!!!"...
Her disappointment in my memory changed into, well, a little less of disappointment. We hugged and chit chatted for a while and then parted ways with a hopeful promise to meet again.
Why didn't I recognize her?...
I have always boasted about my impeccable memory and I was always good at the date part of history and birth dates, damn birth dates never seem to leave me. You ask me anyone's birth date and I remember it( of course, if i was ever told in the first place).
I almost have whole of my family tree with all their birthdays on my tips.
I guess the answer lies in the fact that she has changed a lot since the last time we met when she was this tall(relatively),bob-cut, rather skinny girl. And now, short(again, relatively), long-haired, healthy, bespectacled young woman...
some transformation huh?...