The Meal We Ate in Turns

When Omar's first baby arrived, his friends planned a welcome dinner at his flat. They imagined sitting around the table, sharing food and hearing about the new family's first weeks. Omar agreed, although he worried that he would be too tired to act as a proper host.

On the evening itself, the baby cried whenever Omar sat down. His partner was sleeping after a difficult night, and he did not want to wake her. The food began to cool while he walked around the room. He apologised so often that his friend Ruth finally put down her fork.

She asked whether he would like them to leave, hold the baby or simply continue eating while he walked. Omar chose the third option, then changed his mind when the baby became calmer. Ruth held her while he ate. Nobody tried to turn the evening into the tidy dinner they had originally imagined.

Later, they washed dishes quietly and left two portions in the fridge. Omar realised that he had been treating friendship like another task he might fail. The next morning, he sent a message thanking them for the uneven evening. Ruth replied that dinner had been excellent, even in separate shifts. Next time, she added, they would bring food that tasted good cold and arrive without expecting all the chairs to be occupied.