Bruce nodded. "Come downstairs. Breakfast is ready."
A little while later, Bruce and Sam were having breakfast together.
Sam was still thinking about the dream he had the previous night. It had brought back fragments of a past he had almost forgotten. Lost in thought, he barely noticed Bruce looking at him.
"Hey, boy," Bruce said casually. "You seem worried today. Is something wrong?"
Sam snapped out of his thoughts and shook his head.
"No, it's nothing."
He continued eating.
"I know you're worried about finding a job," Bruce said. "It's tough to find a stable one these days, right?"
Sam knew his father was wrong, but he didn't argue. He simply nodded.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself," Bruce continued. "We'll find a better job for you."
Then he smiled.
"Your old man is still earning, so don't worry about anything."
A smile appeared on Sam's face.
"I know. You're still a great electrician."
They finished breakfast while chatting happily and then left the house together for work.
As they walked toward the bus stop, they noticed a poster announcing a fair that would be held that evening. They exchanged glances.
Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"Think you can leave work early today?"
"I can," Sam replied. "But what about you?"
Bruce grinned.
---
By evening, the sun was beginning to set. Bruce and Sam wandered through the fairgrounds, each holding a can of beer.
Bruce glanced at him.
"I'm curious. How did you manage to get leave?"
Sam laughed.
"Simple. I told my manager my dad was very sick and that I had to leave because it was an emergency."
Bruce stared at him seriously.
"That's exactly what I told my boss."
Sam's laughter instantly vanished.
Bruce burst out laughing.
"Aww, look at my sick boy. You've gotten so skinny. Let me get you a hot dog."
He headed toward a nearby stall while Sam remained where he was, sipping his beer and watching the rides and shops with a distracted expression.
As he looked around, he noticed a skinny girl standing several meters away. She appeared to be around his age.
She seemed to be searching for someone.
Her face looked pale and exhausted. Dark circles surrounded her eyes, and the calm glow he remembered was gone.
Sam frowned.
Have I seen her before?
Then a chill ran down his spine.
It was Maria.
But something about her was different. She looked troubled, burdened by something invisible.
Without realizing it, Sam tightened his grip on the beer can and began walking toward her.
With every step, her features became clearer.
His attention was so focused on Maria that he accidentally bumped into a tall, muscular man, spilling beer all over the man's shirt.
Before Sam could react, the man grabbed his collar.
"Apologize right now, boy," he growled. "Or your mom will pay for it."
The moment the man insulted his mother, Sam forgot everything else.
Including Maria.
"You bastard!"
Sam grabbed the man's collar in return.
The man immediately seized Sam by the throat, slammed him against an ice-cream stall, and threw a punch.
Sam barely dodged it.
In desperation, he snatched an ice-cream cone from the stall and smashed it into the man's face.
While they struggled, Sam kept trying to find Maria in the crowd.
But she was gone.
The man took advantage of his distraction. He wrapped an arm around Sam's neck, choked him, and slammed him onto the ground.
Everything went black.
---
When Sam finally regained consciousness, his vision was blurry.
A crowd had gathered around him.
He felt someone's lap beneath his head.
"Maria..." he whispered weakly. "Is that you? You came for me? I knew—"
Before he could finish, he was slapped.
Startled, Sam rubbed his eyes and looked again.
He wasn't lying in Maria's lap.
He was lying in Bruce's.
Bruce frowned.
"Who are you talking about?"
"N-no one," Sam replied quickly.
He stood up and searched the crowd as if looking for someone.
"What are you looking for?" Bruce asked.
"Nothing. I'm just... nothing."
Bruce looked unconvinced but said nothing.
The two of them began walking home.
The streets were mostly empty, lit only by a few scattered streetlights.
Sam held a pack of ice against his swollen face while Bruce casually ate his hot dog.
"Does it still hurt?" Bruce asked.
Sam nodded.
"Who told you to fight that guy anyway?"
Sam touched his bruised cheek and winced.
"He insulted my mom first."
"Fair enough," Bruce said. "Now stop talking before you make it hurt even more."
For a few moments, they walked in silence.
Then Bruce spoke again.
"By the way... who's Maria?"
Sam froze.
His eyes widened with surprise.
"I don't know."
Bruce could tell he was hiding something, but he chose not to press further.
As they reached home, Bruce asked while locking the door, "Want some dinner?"
"No," Sam replied. "I've had enough for today."
"Alright," Bruce said. "Let me take a look at your back."
Sam didn't answer.
When Bruce turned around, he realized Sam had already disappeared upstairs. He let out a sigh and headed to his own room.
Bruce sat down on the edge of his bed and stared at a portrait of Lilly hanging on the wall.
In the picture, she looked young and full of life. She stood in a grassy field, holding a handmade bouquet while looking directly at the camera with a gentle smile.
Bruce carefully took the portrait into his hands.
"Hey, Lilly," he whispered, as if she could hear him. "See how even the simplest things have become difficult without you?"
His voice trembled.
"I need you. I really do."
Years of buried pain finally broke through the walls he had built around himself. Tears streamed down his face as he hugged the portrait tightly.
Unable to hold back any longer, he lay down on the bed, clutching the frame against his chest.
---
Meanwhile, Sam sat on the floor of his room, searching through an old suitcase.
After a few minutes, he found what he was looking for—a faded school group photograph.
His eyes moved across the faces until they stopped on Maria.
She stood in the front row beside the class teacher.
Sam gently touched the photograph, as if he wanted to return to that exact moment in time.
Then the image of the girl he had seen at the fair flashed through his mind.
The dark circles beneath her eyes.
The exhausted expression.
The concern written across her face.
Sam was confused.
Had that really been Maria?
Or was it simply his imagination, influenced by the strange dream he had the previous night?
Countless thoughts battled inside his head.
But one question troubled him more than any other.
If that truly was Maria... then what had happened to her?
As he continued staring at the photograph, a forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced.
Sam's eyes widened.
His mind went blank.
"This can't be..." he whispered.