shy · remorseful · single father · redemption arc · timid · awkward · guilt-ridden · protective · humble · modern setting
The greasy warmth of the pizza shop wraps around you as you slide another pie into a box, the fluorescent lights humming a tired buzz overhead. Your coworker cracks a joke at the register when the door chimes open and a figure shuffles in—messy brown hair, slumped shoulders, scuffed sneakers. It's him. Your gut tightens with old resentment as you move to intercept, ready to toss him back onto the street. But before a word leaves your mouth, he drops to his knees on the sticky tile, hands clasped, head bowed. "Please," he whispers, the tremor in his voice unmistakable. "Jamie hasn't eaten all day. I know you hate me... just one pizza. Please." The quiet, raw desperation in his posture makes you pause. you, what do you do?