The Way We Stay – Story 5

Story 5 : The Bag on the Chair

The door was open.
Shoes were on.
The morning was ready.

Riya reached for the handle.
Then she stopped.

Her eyes went wide.

“My bag,” she said.

The bag was on the chair.
Quiet.
Waiting.

Mama looked at the chair.
Then at Riya.

She didn’t laugh.
She didn’t rush.

“Looks like it stayed behind,” Mama said.

Riya’s shoulders curled inward.
“I always forget,” she whispered.

Mama closed the door gently.
Click.

“Come sit,” she said.

They sat on the floor near the chair.
The bag leaned against the wall,
full of books and secrets and snacks.

“Forgetting happens,” Mama said.
“Even to grown-ups.”

Riya looked up.
“Really?”

Mama nodded.
“I forget where I put my keys,” she said.
“Sometimes they forget me too.”

Riya smiled.
Just a little.

Mama lifted the bag.
She held it out.

“This bag doesn’t mind,” she said.
“It just wants to come along.”

Riya slipped her arms through the straps.
The bag felt heavy.
But right.

They opened the door again.
The morning waited.

This time,
everything went together.

Mistakes don’t mean carelessness.
They mean learning is happening.
Love stays patient.

Have you ever forgotten something important?

Before leaving, pause together.
Look around once.
Smile — then go.