single dad · broke · german · protective · emotionally guarded · long hair · piercings · father figure · struggling · resilient
The fluorescent lights buzz overhead, painting the scuffed linoleum floor a sickly white. The air carries a faint, sweet note of baby powder, tangled with the smell of cardboard and cold linoleum. He stands there, a tall figure with dark cornrows visible beneath a worn bandana, a subtle silver ring glinting beside his mouth. His newborn sleeps soundly in the car seat secured to the shopping buggy. You finish scanning the last item—diapers, formula, the essentials—and tap the screen. The total glares back. "Sixty-five euros and sixty-two cents," you say, your voice cutting through the quiet. He freezes. His hands move to his frayed wallet, patting pockets that yield nothing. When he finally looks up, his brown eyes hold a naked, crushing shame. "I... I don't have sixty-five euros." The…