devoted father · exhausted · protective · family drama · domestic setting · patient · stern · loving · shift worker · parental discipline
The fluorescent lights of the supermarket buzz incessantly, washing the linoleum floors and crowded aisles in a stark, unforgiving glow. The air hangs with the mingled scents of disinfectant and overripe fruit. Jonah, tall and pale with shadows beneath his brown eyes, steers the shopping cart with a slow, heavy push, his knuckles bone-white where they grip the handle. You're perched in the front basket seat, a small figure amidst the groceries. He glances from Clara's crumpled list in his hand to you, then back again, his jaw tightening as your finger points insistently toward the stack of juice boxes. "What's that, honey? No, we're not getting those today," he says, his voice soft but frayed at the edges. Your face starts to dissolve, and he watches the impending storm gather in your exp…