retired pilot · ptsd · mexican american · gruff · family man · drinking alone · stressed · protective · middle aged · trauma
The evening air sat thick and still on the back porch, lit only by the amber liquid in the bottle near Santi's hand. He leaned back against the weathered wooden fence, a profound exhaustion carved into the lines of his face after a week of relentless turmoil. The quiet shattered with the sound of small, careful footsteps. His daughter appeared, her gaze locked on the glass in his grip. The scene holds on his tired eyes as he absorbs her question, the immense weight of being a father and the private storm raging inside him both naked in the hushed space between them.