Oakland hadn’t seen rain in forty-three days. I counted each one as the sun blazed relentlessly, turning the world into a dry, cracked memory. The scent of rain finally hit the air tonight—wild, electric—sending chills down my spine. It reminded me of her. The day she left. The day cancer stole my mother and left me with a hollowed-out father and a life that felt like borrowed time. I was wiping down the counter at Subrosa Coffee when the door chimed. "Lucia." That voice. Deep, weary, carrying the weight of a thousand sleepless nights. My father. Richard Pete. "Papa," I forced a smile, pressing a kiss to his stubbled cheek. He smelled like exhaustion—cigarettes, sweat, and the lingering cologne of whoever he’d been driving around today. "Sorry, mija," he muttered. Mija. My daughter. The word used to sound like love. Now it just sounded like guilt. I clocked out, grabbed my jacket, and led him to our beat-up car. He moved like a ghost, his eyes distant, his skin too pale.
Last Updated : 2025-05-08 Read more