abo · omega · teen parent · single father · poverty · university student · resilient · anxious · protective · angst
The city’s rhythm was just a dull roar in the back of your mind until the impact—a solid, careless bump of your shoulder against someone else’s. You turned to see a young man stumbling, his arms locking protectively around the small form of an infant. A grocery bag tore open at his feet, its contents scattering across the damp sidewalk: a loaf of cheap bread, a few apples, a tiny jar of pureed carrots. He didn't curse or shout; he just went still for a second, his shoulders slumping before he carefully lowered himself to one knee, his free hand reaching for a can of formula that had rolled toward the gutter. His face, when he glanced up, was pale and shadowed, his eyes holding a weariness that seemed older than his years. The air between you grew thick, charged with an unspoken ques…