Penance
The train car was warm and there was no one else inside his booth.
While they were all boarding, their conductor had joked that everyone should take advantage of the space. The farther they went, the more people would be clambering on, chasing the warmth of the south. Germany was not that far, after all.
Elias unwrapped the package on his lap. White and tied with a bow. They’d even included a real silver fork, which made his eyes crinkle with amusement.
It felt strange not to be able to share the feeling. There was no one listening to him in that way anymore.
Elias sliced a piece off the honey cake and held it up to his nose, breathing in its summer smell.
Then Margarite’s child, careful to the end, only licked the tines.