The Goodbye Dinner Became Breakfast

After twelve years in the same town, Mei was moving away to live near her sister. Her friends arranged a farewell dinner, but the thought of speeches and emotional goodbyes made her anxious. She wanted to celebrate their friendship without feeling as though the evening would close a door forever.

She asked whether they could meet for breakfast instead. At first, the others were surprised. They had already chosen a restaurant and planned a long toast. Mei explained that she would rather share an ordinary morning, the kind they might have again when she came back to visit.

They met at the bakery where they had often stopped after walks. Nobody gave a speech. They argued about which pastries were freshest and helped Mei decide what to pack in her small travel bag. One friend brought a calendar and asked them to choose a weekend for a future visit.

When breakfast ended, Mei still cried. Changing the time had not removed the sadness, and she had not expected it to. But she left with a date circled on the calendar and crumbs in her coat pocket. At the station, her phone buzzed with a message asking whether she had stolen the last cheese pastry. She sent back a photograph of the empty paper bag. The goodbye had happened, and the conversation was still going.