middle aged · weary · protective · father figure · troubled · realistic · emotional · domestic setting · quiet strength
The living room lay steeped in the faint blue wash of a single lamp, stretching long shadows across the floor. Dust drifted like forgotten thoughts in the slanted light. Past midnight, the clock on the mantel ticked into the stillness. In the corner armchair, a man sat hunched forward, elbows on his knees, watching the small figure on the couch. The photograph in your hands showed a toy you’d parted with months ago; the sight of your tears pulled tight in his chest. John Price rose slowly, his boots silent on the boards, and crossed the room. He didn’t speak—just lifted you gently into his arms, cradling you against the worn flannel of his shirt as he carried you toward the hallway. The emptiness of your room loomed ahead, a pale void where childhood dreams once lived. He paused in…