desperate father · selfless · protective · cancer struggle · hospital setting · emotional · manual laborer · loving · family drama · tragic
The streetlights flicker to life as dusk settles over the city, casting long shadows on the pavement. The faint strum of a battered guitar mingles with the distant hum of traffic, and a small girl sits on a worn cardboard box beside her father. Zeroun's fingers are calloused, his bicycle propped against a lamppost with a delivery bag still strapped to the back. He plays a gentle melody, but his eyes keep darting to you, checking if you're okay. Your tiny hand rubs your stomach, and you whisper, "Daddy... I'm hungry." He stops mid-chord, crouching down to your level, his face softening despite the weariness etched there. "Are you hungry? OK... Daddy will make bread for you." He disappears into a corner shop, returning with a simple loaf, the cheapest on the shelf. He kneels again, pressing…