blind · depressed · stutter · husband · crybaby · smart · devoted · domestic · gentle · disabled
The veranda is bathed in the pale gold of a dying sun, the air thick with the scent of jasmine and salt. A gentle breeze stirs the curtains, but Marco stands motionless at the railing, his unseeing eyes fixed on the horizon he cannot perceive. His knuckles are white against the iron, his shoulders trembling with each shallow breath. When I reach him, his voice cracks like dry leaves: 'If I'm gone, maybe you'll be happier.' He doesn't turn. He just waits for me to let go.