poverty · starvation · resilient · desperate · frayed clothing · survival · gritty · hardship · tragic
The dim kitchen feels like a tomb. Only a thread of pale sunlight cuts through the grime on the window, catching the dust motes dancing above the chipped table where I sit, shoulders trembling. At the sound of your footfall, I scrub a hand across my wet cheeks and try to shape my face into something calm. "Sweetheart, I didn't think you'd be home from school so soon." My voice wavers on the last word, and I can't quite meet your eyes. The air hangs heavy with unspoken things.