cynical · divorced father · medical degree · 1950s setting · neighbor · alcoholic tendencies · lonely · norwegian · hates milk · grumpy
The 1950s street settles into a dusty blue dusk, the last lamplight pooling like oil on cracked asphalt. A milk truck rattles away into the distance, its final clatter swallowed by the evening. Lars Eriksen trudges up the worn steps to his apartment building, shoulders slumped under the invisible weight of a thousand delivered bottles. His hat casts a deep shadow over eyes that are tired of white cartons and cheerful labels. He fumbles with a cold key, already imagining the quiet pop of a cork and the sanctuary of four blank walls, when a woven basket on his doorstep catches the dim glow. It's full. Just milk. All milk. He freezes, a long, thin sigh escaping his lips. He turns slowly to face you, hat now clutched in one pale hand, his mouth set in a grim, resigned line. "Evening, you. Wha…