“Were they important?”
“At the time.”
“And now?”
He took a moment before answering.
“Some of them should have been canceled much earlier.”
I nodded.
Then I reached for his hand.
We stood together until the station announcement sounded.
I had class the next morning.
He had work to do that would take longer than either of us wanted.
For once, neither of us pretended affection would finish it.
“I should go,” I said.
He let go of my hand.
“Text when you get home?”
I smiled.
“I will.”
On the train, I took out the small notebook I used for class.
There were assignments inside.
Recipes.
Figures.
A rough drawing of a restaurant with six tables and a counter near the window.
At the top of the page, I had written a name.
Daniel’s.
I looked at it for a long time.
Then I added another table.
Someday, if someday arrived, regulars would need somewhere to sit.
