On her last working day, Melina brought home a plant, a card, and a small box of paper clips she had accidentally packed among her belongings. There had been no big celebration. Several colleagues were on vacation, the manager was at a meeting, and she had said nobody needed to organize anything. She showed her husband Branimir the plant and asked where they should put it. He suggested the kitchen window, then continued peeling potatoes.
The next morning she woke at six. She did not know whether she should stay in bed on principle. She got up, put on the trousers she usually wore to work, and opened the cupboard for a cup. Their wedding set stood on the highest shelf, thin porcelain with a blue rim. For thirty-two years they had saved it for important guests and proper occasions. Somehow those guests always ate from ordinary plates, in case anything broke.
Branimir found her dusting the box. He said they could take a trip, now that they had their first free Tuesday together. She asked whether that was everything that had changed. He had retired two years earlier, with a dinner and a speech she had written from his colleagues' memories. She did not want the same ceremony. It was simply difficult to see her departure slotted between potatoes and the evening news.
He reminded her that she had said she wanted no celebration. Melina confirmed that she had said exactly that. It was unfair to expect him to read the unspoken continuation. But it was not too late to say she needed a little attention. They agreed on a picnic. She chose a spot beside a stream, and he packed lunch. When he reached for plastic plates, she put two blue porcelain ones in his hands. He did not object.
At the picnic she talked about work longer than she had thought she would want to. She would even miss the colleague who always left the door open. Branimir did not interrupt with suggestions for new hobbies. Only when she finished did he ask what she would not miss. The list became so long that they laughed between bites. Melina got the edge of the tablecloth slightly dirty, folded it under, and continued eating.
At home they washed the porcelain by hand. Everything remained intact, which almost seemed like a missed lesson, making her laugh at herself. They did not need to break anything to begin using it. She left two plates on the bottom shelf. The next morning she woke at six again. Branimir got up after her and asked whether she wanted breakfast. She said she did, but today she would eat it very slowly.