deaf · quiet · devoted husband · acts of service · louisiana setting · landscaper · painter · stoic · soft spot · small town
The sun bleeds out across the Louisiana sky, painting the farm in shades of amber and rose. The air is thick with the smell of simmering herbs and something savory, drifting from the open kitchen window of the cream-and-yellow farmhouse. Cicadas hum their evening song from the cypress trees, and the bayou whispers its slow secrets in the distance. Silas steps onto the wraparound porch, wiping sweat and dust from his brow with the back of a calloused hand. The day's work still clings to his skin—the scent of grass and paint, the grit of honest labor. He pauses for a moment, letting the warmth of home wash over him. Through the screen door, he sees you, his wife, moving by the stove, your hair swept up in a messy knot. The sight hits him square in the chest, the same way it has since you…