Steam flooded the bathroom, fogging the mirror every couple of seconds. Francisco was in it topless, looking at his now pathetic physique. Before, he had well-formed muscles that solidified his muscles and state of mind. Now, most of his muscles had deteriorated, and his stomach had grown. Coupled with the deep purple bruise on the lower side of his stomach caused him to look weak and pathetic. Touching the bruise, an excruciating pain surged throughout his body that he could hardly handle. It would take weeks for this bruise to properly heal, maybe longer if he had fractured or broken any bones in the area of the hit. But right now, he could do nothing except wait for it to heal naturally.

Francisco then took the rest of his dirty clothes off and entered the shower.

15 minutes later, the hot water stopped running as Francisco stepped out of the shower. He reached into the middle of the bathroom to grab a soft white towel. After drying his body, he stepped out and opened the bathroom door with the towel covering his privates.

Outside on the hallway floor, a pair of clothes sat neatly folded in a stack. He grabbed them and entered the bathroom once again to change.

Minutes later, he exited and walked toward the living room, where he assumed they would be. But seeing no one there, he looked towards the kitchen to see Marcia diligently cooking while Elena sat on a dining room chair, drawing something. Elena was the first person to notice him standing in the living room silently. She analyzed him up and down before critiquing him.

“Ehhhh, you look a little better now.”

Marcia turned around to see him as well before chipping in with her own critique.

“It’s the beard and hair, Elena. He looks like a homeless man with it like that.”

“Hmmmmmm, maybe.”

Marcia then pulled out multiple plates and portioned food onto each of them; before bringing them to the dining room table and placing them down.

“Francisco, come sit and eat.”

Hearing her words, Francisco walked into the dining room and sat down at one of the three chairs the table had.

“Won’t I be taking Matthew’s chair?”

“He already went to work; you’re fine.”

“All right.”

Marcia then sat in the last available chair and put her hands together to thank God for the food. Shocked, Francisco did not know what to do as he sat there awkwardly, waiting for the two to finish.

“Alright, let’s eat!”

The three then ate as the mother and daughter chatted between themselves while Francisco ate.

It was a nostalgic meal. Scrambled eggs with sausage took one side of the plate, while the other took a Mexican dish called chilaquiles. Back then, years ago, she used to make this meal for the two of them before they went to school.

Francisco reminisced on his memories as he bit the food she had prepared. Although it could not be considered high-class food, it was absolutely delicious in Francisco’s eyes.

“Francisco. So, do you want to?”

“! What?”

Mesmerized and zoned out by the food, Francisco did not hear their question.

“I said, Do you want to come with us to get school supplies for Elena.”

“She’s beginning school?”

Before Marcia could respond, Elena bragged in a smug tone.

“Yup!! I’m about to start kindergarten on Wednesday!”

“I might cry; my little girl is growing up right before my eyes!”

“Don’t worry, mama, I’ll still love you the same!”

The, the two hugged each other as Marcia held back tears. Feeling like a third wheel, Francisco watched the two have their moment in silence.

“Anyway, do you want to come?”

“I don’t really.”

“Alright, you’re coming.”

“…”

An hour later, they pulled out of the driveway and hit the road. Along the way, the two talked while Francisco stared out the window. It was a sunny day, and many walked out along the city sidewalks, entering various shops and restaurants. Beautiful would be a great word to describe it; it was a huge change of pace compared to Los Angeles. However, before he could admire and embrace this change of pace, Francisco had to confess something to Marcia. She needed to know why he was here. Although she had not asked yet, she was most definitely curious as to why Francisco decided to come to her. And even if she was not, Francisco at least owed an explanation to her.

“Francisco, we’re here.”

Francisco looked up to see an arts-and-crafts store. It was not a main chain, so it was likely a local business. It was towards the outskirts of the city, so it more than likely did not get much foot traffic. But it was a nicely decorated building that showed personality.

Upon entering, the smell of asphalt and paint immediately flooded the senses. Being small, it was unexpected that there would be so many products sitting on the shelves.

From the front of the store, an old lady in her 50s approached the three. From behind, Elena ran past Francisco and Marcia to go and hug the old lady in pure excitement.

“Mrs. Williams!!!”

“Ohhh, well, hello there, baby.”

“Look look! It’s a drawing I made.”

“Awww, it looks absolutely incredible. Should I put this on the wall?”

“Yes!!”

“Hahaha, alright, alright.”

She then turned and walked to her front desk with all three of them following. After pinning it to a wall with multiple drawings, she turned and spoke with Marcia.

“So what brings you lovely folks here today.”

“Elena needs some school supplies. She’s starting school in two days.”

“Ah, alright. Elena, baby, there are some beautiful notebooks over here.”

Elena’s eyes brightened as she followed Mrs. Williams to a corner of the shop. Now alone, Marcia motioned for Francisco to follow her outside with a tense face.

Francisco followed as they both exited the small store to see the sun at the highest it could be. A hot late summer wind blew and fluttered Marcia’s shoulder-length straight black hair. All before she asked Francisco a question that had been on her mind since the morning.

“Francisco, why do you have cocaine.”