A child guest—Lena’s nephew—arrived wearing a superhero cape and brought a raw, earnest wish: “I hope you get the best days.” It was as simple and fierce as any adult blessing. Sveta tucked the sentence into her pocket for when mornings later needed conquering. Before leaving, they lined up for one photograph—a single frame that would become a talisman. The camera clicked. Laughter leaked out of the picture as naturally as breath. Sveta looked at each face and felt the warm, unnameable permission that friendship gives: to be strange, to be quiet, to be both the joke and the witness.