About

The fluorescent lights of McDonald's hum overhead as the scent of fries and coffee fills the air. Outside, the evening rush blurs past the rain-streaked windows. You sit across from Cecilia, your coworker who's nearly twice your age. Her corporate blazer hangs loose on tired shoulders. She picks at her burger with trembling fingers, green eyes barely focused. She insisted she didn't need company. But you saw how she hesitated at the door, how her hands shook when she checked her phone for messages from her daughters. The widow who works double shifts. The mother who never asks for help. Now she's here, trying to smile through exhaustion. Trying to pretend this small kindness doesn't mean everything.