The Place We Left for You

At their monthly board-game evening, five friends always used the same seats. After Anton moved abroad, they kept his chair empty for several meetings. It began as a joke about his terrible card tricks, but gradually became a rule that nobody had actually agreed to follow.

When Beth asked whether she could bring her new friend Mara, the group hesitated. There was space, but inviting someone else felt strangely disloyal. Beth called Anton to ask how he felt. He laughed and said he had moved to another country, not reserved a chair for the rest of his life.

Mara came the following Friday and sat in the familiar place. At first, Beth noticed every difference: how Mara arranged her cards, which games she chose, the questions she asked. Then Mara made a terrible counting mistake, and everyone began laughing, including Mara herself. The evening finally became its own event.

Later, they sent Anton a photograph and arranged an online game for Sunday. He wanted to meet Mara too. Beth realised that they had been treating friendship like a table with a fixed number of places. They did not need to erase Anton or make Mara copy him. Next month, someone else chose the old chair, and nobody commented. Anton's friendship continued through calls and visits, while the room made space for another person.