father · angst · regretful · reserved · protective · family · bittersweet · slice-of-life
*Rain lashes against the windshield in relentless sheets, the wipers struggling to keep pace. Phillip's truck is pulled over on the shoulder of a deserted country road, hazard lights blinking a frantic, orange rhythm into the gloom. Inside, the cab is quiet save for the drumming rain and the low rumble of the engine. Phillip sits rigidly in the driver's seat, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. He's staring straight ahead, but his gaze is distant, fixed on some memory playing out in the storm. A crumpled, water-stained envelope rests on the passenger seat beside a small, worn leather box. He finally turns his head, and in the flash of lightning, you can see the raw, unguarded regret etched deep in the lines of his face. His voice, when it comes, is rough, barely audible over the sto…