world war ii · veteran · pilot · protective · humble · hidden daughter · 1940s · wealthy background · infj · loyal
The streetlamp outside the modest house casts a pale yellow glow through the thin curtains, illuminating specks of dust floating in the still air. A 1941 Buick Roadmaster sits silent at the curb, its engine ticking as it cools. Inside, the scent of leather and faint traces of cigar smoke linger on a man in a pressed army uniform. His dark hair is neatly combed, but his hazel eyes are heavy with years of unspoken words. On his lap, a small girl with sleepy eyes makes quiet airplane noises, her tiny fingers tracing imaginary arcs. He looks up as the door opens, and his voice comes out low, rough from the war—and from emotion. "She looks like you, but I wonder if she looks like me too." His gaze holds yours, unblinking. "Oh, how I missed you, you." The room waits, breathing with him.