Vera arrives at the ferry terminal early in the morning. She has a bag on her shoulder and a ticket in her hand. She looks around and sees her friend, Dana. Dana is standing near the ticket window. She looks unhappy. Vera knows why Dana is unhappy. Last week, Vera promised to meet Dana for lunch. But Vera forgot. She did not call Dana. She did not send a message. Dana waited at the café for a long time. Then Dana went home alone. Vera felt very bad about it. She wanted to say sorry. She did not know how to start. But now Dana is right in front of her. Vera takes a deep breath. She walks over to Dana. She says, "Dana, can we talk?" Dana turns and looks at her. Dana crosses her arms. She does not smile. "Hello, Vera," she says.

Her voice is quiet and cold. Vera feels nervous. She says, "Dana, I am really sorry about last week. I forgot our lunch. It was wrong. You waited for me and I did not come. I feel terrible about it." Dana looks at the floor. She does not speak. Vera continues, "I know sorry is not enough. But I want you to know that I care about our friendship. I made a big mistake." Dana looks up slowly. "Do you know how long I waited?" she asks. "Almost one hour," says Vera. "Yes," says Dana. "One hour. I felt so stupid." Vera shakes her head. "You are not stupid. I am the one who made the mistake. Not you." Dana sighs. She is still not smiling, but she is listening. The ferry horn makes a loud sound. People start to move toward the gate.

Vera looks at Dana. "I bought you a coffee," she says. She holds up a cup. "It is your favorite. Oat milk, no sugar." Dana looks at the cup. She looks at Vera. Then she says, "You remembered my coffee order." "Of course I did," says Vera. "I remember the important things. I just forgot the time last week. I am so sorry." Dana takes the cup slowly. She wraps her hands around it. Then she says, "Okay, Vera. I forgive you. But please do not do it again." Vera smiles. "I promise," she says. They walk together toward the gate. They talk and laugh a little. By the time they get on the ferry, they feel like friends again. Vera is very happy. She knows that saying sorry is not always easy. But it is always worth it.

Vera spotted her friend Dana the moment she entered the ferry terminal. Dana was standing near the ticket window with her arms crossed and her eyes fixed on the floor, which told Vera everything she needed to know. The two women had not spoken properly since the previous week, when Vera had failed to show up for a lunch they had been planning for days. She had not called, not messaged, not offered any explanation at all. Vera had spent the whole week rehearsing what she would say, but now that Dana was right in front of her, every carefully prepared word disappeared. She adjusted the strap of her bag, took a slow breath, and walked over. "Dana," she said quietly, "do you have a minute? I really need to talk to you." Dana looked up, her expression guarded. "Go ahead," she said, her voice flat and controlled.

Vera chose her words carefully. "I am genuinely sorry for standing you up last week. I know that waiting alone for an hour must have felt awful, and I had no right to leave you without even a message." Dana was quiet for a moment. "Do you know what the worst part was?" she said. "It was not the waiting. It was wondering if our friendship even mattered to you." The words hit Vera harder than she had expected. "It matters more than you know," Vera said. "I got completely caught up in something at work, and instead of reaching out, I just kept putting it off. That was selfish of me, and I am truly ashamed." Dana studied her face, as if deciding whether to believe her. A low horn signaled that boarding would begin shortly, and both women glanced toward the gate.

Vera reached into her bag and produced a coffee cup. "Oat milk, no sugar," she said simply. "I remembered." Something in Dana's expression shifted. She took the cup, wrapped her hands around it, and was quiet for a few seconds. "Vera, I appreciate the apology," she said at last. "And I appreciate that you remembered the coffee. But what I really need is to know that you will communicate with me when things get difficult, not just disappear." Vera nodded. "That is fair, and you have my word," she said. They walked together toward the boarding gate, talking more freely with every step. By the time the ferry pulled away from the dock, the tension between them had lifted, and both women felt relieved.