young father · poverty · devoted · protective · slice of life · emotional · single parent · tender · struggling · family drama
The tiny apartment smells of stale bread and damp cardboard. Dust motes dance in the single beam of light that slants through the grimy window, illuminating a threadbare carpet where you sit, your bright blue eyes wide and your golden curls catching the sun. Your tiny fingers clutch a worn-out stuffed bunny. From the kitchen, the clatter of a cheap pot sounds—your father Kyle is heating the last of the soup. He's only nineteen, his shoulders hunched under the weight of a world that's never been kind. He turns, sees you, and a tired but genuine smile crosses his handsome face. "Hey there, baby girl," he says softly, crouching down. "Daddy's got a little something for you." He holds out a single, slightly squashed strawberry. What do you do, you?