The coffee shop where we arranged to meet...

(NLDO) - It was a small garden cafe, located on a strange street, so strange that he couldn't even remember its name.

That morning, while wandering aimlessly, we decided to stop and sit together for a while. That was the first place where you leaned on me, sobbing and crying for a long time.

We shared all the deepest feelings in our hearts before she had a chance to go back and prepare for the wedding ceremony!

That was the first place where I collapsed into your arms, sobbing and crying for a long time.

That's the place where, just about a week after our wedding, we arranged to sit together. It was simply so he could stand there, silently observing the changes in me, seeing my eyes swollen with longing, sadness, resentment, and hurt, right after our honeymoon...

That's where we used to sit together, looking out at the small courtyard full of flowers, wishing that when we grew old we could be together in a setting like that.

That's where we used to sit together, looking out at the small courtyard full of flowers, wishing that when we grew old we could be together in a setting like that. That's where you never ordered coffee, but you always took the little spoon from my hand, stirred my coffee, took the first sip, and then wrinkled your pretty little nose and commented...

It turned out that even that brief time at the coffee shop was enough for us to experience the full spectrum of emotions in love. Then, one day, I suddenly realized that we couldn't continue like this anymore. I needed peace and complete happiness in a newly built family. And so, we parted ways!

That coffee shop has faded into the past, now just one of the places his thoughts turn to during turbulent times or when he suddenly recalls memories with someone from the past.

That coffee shop has faded into the past, now just one of the places his thoughts turn to.

It's been a long time since I went to work in the opposite direction, and I no longer have the chance to pass by the old cafe. I wonder if you ever feel a pang of sadness seeing this place with someone new.

He only knew that if one day he ever had the chance to return to the cafe, sitting alone in the same old corner, he was certain that the scent surrounding him wouldn't be just the aroma of coffee!

(Entry for the "Impressions on Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" contest 2026, part of the 4th "Celebrating Vietnamese Coffee and Tea" program organized by Nguoi Lao Dong Newspaper).

Source: https://nld.com.vn/quan-ca-phe-ta-hen-196260321203039138.htm