A meal saved for later

When I arrived home, the food had been covered and kept aside for me. Everyone else had eaten earlier, and nobody had made a point of waiting. The plate was slightly cold, but seeing it on the counter made the long journey feel less lonely than it had outside. I.

I repeated it and ate while the house settled into its evening sounds. There was no speech about sacrifice, only a lid placed over a meal, I thought about how care can be quiet enough to miss unless we pay attention. I washed the plate with more gratitude than usual.