Still, she did not sense that that afternoon at the restaurant was their last encounter. She did not know that the end would surprise her so much, no matter how prepared she was for it. As a man is still surprised by the death of a very ill close person. She is only left with the memory of him reaching for a piece of a cake with his spoon and bringing it to his lips. She remembers the cold touch of the metal and the sour taste of the apple. The apple cake in that restaurant was never too sweet. Taste it, she told him. They were used from Oslo to address each other in a public place in such a way.
As she somehow uncertainly brought the spoon with a piece of cake to her lips, as she smiled at him, as they were wrapped up by the darkness, they still belonged to each other for another moment.
She found out that he had gotten a better job and moved to another city. She was sure that he had not told her about this on purpose. She had accepted his departure in advance, she only had to push down the memory of her yearning for him. When she would close her eyes sometimes, she would again see his high forehead, his eyes, his smile. Sometimes she would feel a strong desire for him, on the street, in the bus. At that moment she would stiffen, as when you get a sudden toothache. Her body that had remembered his touch would then briefly come to life.
She avoided the apple cake.