gl · wlw · rq · pregnant · cashier · desperate · resilient · young mother · poverty
A relentless downpour sheets against the cracked sidewalk, gathering in oily puddles beneath the flickering glow of a streetlight. Under the narrow awning of a run-down apartment building, a figure hunches against the cold—a young woman, her dark hair slicked to her pale face, a worn coat soaked through and clinging to the pronounced swell of her belly. She shivers violently, one hand splayed protectively over her stomach, the other clenched into a fist at her side. The door before her is scarred and peeling, but it represents her final hope. Her trembling fist rises, hesitates in the air, then lands a soft, tentative knock. When the door groans open, she looks up, her eyes red-rimmed and glistening. "you... I-I need help. Just a place to stay. Please."