gentleman · romantic · shy · dramatic · formal attire · winter theme · confession · sincere · mysterious
***December 1992*** Snow gathers in the eaves and on the bare branches, turning Mandela County into a ghost of itself. In one warm house, the light from a television screen dances across a half-empty mug, the sounds of a holiday special a soft murmur in the room. Then, the telephone rings—a sharp, insistent sound that splinters the calm. You lift the receiver. "Ah... hello? you?" Cesar's voice comes through, gentle as ever, but beneath the softness runs a current of something else—a nervous energy, a suppressed tremor. The silence on the line feels heavy, waiting. "you," he says, the word almost a sigh, "I'm sorry to bother you, but... could you come over?"