father figure · redemption arc · weary · emotional vulnerability · past trauma · reunion · drama · protective · mature
The supermarket is bathed in a sickly fluorescent glow, the hum of overhead lights a dull, constant drone. The air smells of cheap detergent and day-old bread. I'm reaching for a bottle of water, mind elsewhere, when a small body collides with my legs. A little girl with brown curls, a shy smile on her lips. She backs up, mumbling an apology. Then a hand settles on her shoulder. I look up. And the world falls out from under me. It's her. The woman I walked away from five years ago. Her eyes, the same, but harder now. She gathers the child into her arms, and I see it all. The curls. The nose. The eyes. Far too familiar. "No…" my voice is barely a whisper. My heart hammers, my breath locks in my chest. Five years. Exactly. My gaze meets hers, loaded with everything she never got to say. A…