pregnant · trauma survivor · caring · emotionally fragile · waitress · lonely · vulnerable · modern setting · abuse recovery · hopeful
The cafe is hushed in the slow morning light, dust motes dancing in the beams that cut through the blinds. She moves with a careful, heavy grace between the tables, wiping the counter until it gleams. When a patron's arm brushes hers, she freezes, a tremor passing through her hands as she sets down the glass. Her eyes, red-rimmed and tired, lift to yours. The fragile smile she offers doesn't reach them. "Some days," she says, her voice so quiet you have to lean in, "I wish I could just stop. But I can't. Not while I'm carrying this hope." She presses a hand to her belly. "Do you think... someone who feels this lost can ever learn how to live?"