2026-05-24 18:12:28Selma got emotional when he saw his father take the car keys off the kitchen table like they already belonged to someone else, the house was quiet in a wrong way.
Rain still dripped from Selma’s hair as he stood near the doorway, watching Rafael move slowly across the room.
Matilde sat on the couch scrolling through her phone like nothing had happened last night, like a man had not collapsed outside their gate.
Like Selma had not dragged his father inside half-dead, Rafael didn’t look at her not even at once. He just turned the key in his palm again and again, and Selma stepped forward.
“Dad?” Rafael stopped for a second and then continued walking. Selma followed him quickly “Where are you going” but he didn't answer.
Matilde finally looked up from her phone, “Don’t start another drama this morning,” she muttered, Rafael stopped at the door and his hand rested on the handle.
Selma felt something tighten in his chest. “Dad,” he said again, louder. “Talk to me.” Rafael didn’t turn but his voice came low and very tired.
“I’m going out.” Selma moved closer. “At this time?”
Rafael finally looked at him, his eyes were red. “I need air,” he said Selma shook his head quickly “You just got sick last night.” Rafael smiled faintly, “That’s nothing new.”
Matilde sighed loudly behind them, “Just let him go,” she said Selma turned sharply “You don’t care?” Matilde shrugged, “He is an adult.”
Selma stared at her, something inside him felt like it was cracking again and Rafael opened the door, cold morning air rushed in. Selma stepped in front of him instantly.
“Dad don’t.”
Rafael paused, for a long moment. Then slowly placed a hand on Selma’s shoulder, “I’ll be back,” he whispered. Selma’s eyes filled slightly.
“Promise?” Rafael hesitated just a second too long then nodded. “Yes.”
He walked out, The door closed softly behind him, Selma stood still listening, Matilde’s voice came from behind “You’re acting like a child.” Selma didn’t respond.
He walked to the window, outside, Rafael got into the old car and the engine coughed then started. Selma pressed his hand against the glass.
“Don’t go,” he whispered but the car moved slowly down the road. The rain had stopped, but the sky still looked heavy. Selma watched until the car turned the corner.
Then disappeared, Something inside him didn’t settle after that. It only grew worse, hours passed. Selma didn’t eat, didn’t speak, he just sat near the window waiting.
Matilde moved around the house like nothing mattered, music played softly from her phone and she even laughed at one point. Selma’s eyes stayed fixed outside, then a sound knocked at the door and he stood up slowly then walked toward the door.
His hand trembled slightly before opening it, two men stood outside putting on raincoats with serious faces and one of them held a cap in his hands, Selma’s chest tightened instantly.
“No” he whispered, the man cleared his throat gently. “Are you Selma Elias?”
Selma couldn’t answer, behind him, Matilde appeared in the hallway “What is going on?” and the man looked between them and said “I’m sorry” Matilde frowned. “Sorry for what?”
The man took a breath, “There was an accident on the highway.” Selma stopped breathing and Matilde blinked once. “What accident?”
The man lowered his eyes slightly, “The driver of a Toyota Corolla” Selma’s legs weakened instantly, “No” he whispered again and Matilde’s expression shifted slightly.
“who” the man continued softly, “He didn’t survive.”
The house went silent completely even the fan stopped sounding real, Selma felt his body go cold and everything around him blurred, Matilde stepped forward sharply.
“Who are you talking about?” The man looked at Selma, then lowered his voice “Rafael Elias.”
The name didn’t feel real, It didn’t feel like sound. Selma grabbed the door frame instantly, His knees gave way slightly.
“No”Matilde went still for the first time completely “No,” Selma repeated again but it didn’t change anything, the man continued speaking, but Selma couldn’t hear anymore.
Everything became muffled far away like underwater. His father’s smile flashed in his mind, the hand on his shoulder then the broken voice “I’ll be back.”
Selma shook his head violently, “No no no” Matilde stepped back slowly and her phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor for the first time in the entire story.
She didn’t speak, Selma suddenly ran past her, out of the house barefoot and rain had started again “Dad!” he shouted but no answer, he kept running past neighbors, past streets, past everything until his legs gave out.
He fell to his knees on the wet road, water soaked his clothes instantly and his hands pressed against the ground shaking “No” he whispered again but the world didn’t respond, only rain answered him, cold endless.
Selma looked up at the sky, his voice breaking completely “Dad you said you would come back” only thunder far away and in that moment, something inside Selma died with him.
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Chapter 10 THE FUNERAL PROMISE
Tears dropped from Selma's eyes when he saw the wooden coffin being lowered into the ground. It didn’t feel real, neither the soil nor the crowd, not even the white cloth draped over trembling shoulders around him.Only the sound was real, earth hitting wood each one heavier than the last. Selma stood at the edge of the grave with his shoes sinking slightly into damp soil. Rain had stopped, but the sky still hung low like it hadn’t decided whether to cry again.His hands were numb completely and behind him, people whispered voices he didn’t care about. “He was a good man.” “Such a tragedy.” “Alcohol took him.” Selma heard none of it properly, only fragments of broken pieces like a radio too far away.The priest’s voice rose and fell somewhere in front of him but Selma’s eyes stayed fixed on the coffin, the same coffin that held his father inside it.Rafael Elias. A man who used to fix engines with tired hands, a man who used to smile softly when Selma came home from school, a man who
Chapter 9 THE LAST DRIVE
Selma got emotional when he saw his father take the car keys off the kitchen table like they already belonged to someone else, the house was quiet in a wrong way.Rain still dripped from Selma’s hair as he stood near the doorway, watching Rafael move slowly across the room.Matilde sat on the couch scrolling through her phone like nothing had happened last night, like a man had not collapsed outside their gate.Like Selma had not dragged his father inside half-dead, Rafael didn’t look at her not even at once. He just turned the key in his palm again and again, and Selma stepped forward.“Dad?” Rafael stopped for a second and then continued walking. Selma followed him quickly “Where are you going” but he didn't answer.Matilde finally looked up from her phone, “Don’t start another drama this morning,” she muttered, Rafael stopped at the door and his hand rested on the handle.Selma felt something tighten in his chest. “Dad,” he said again, louder. “Talk to me.” Rafael didn’t turn but h
Chapter 8 THE NIGHT OUTSIDE THE DOOR
Selma jolted awake when his father first hit the gate again like a man knocking on a door that already belonged to someone else, he sat up instantly on his bed.The room was dark except for the faint glow of the streetlight slipping through the curtain, then he heard his voice again calling “Matilde”. Selma stood up slowly, barefoot against the floor, and moved toward the hallway.The house was too quiet, except for the knocking and he reached the front door but didn’t open it. Instead, he listened and a few minutes outside, rain had just started falling. It started soft at first then heavier, Rafael knocked again and this time weaker.“Open the door”Selma’s hand hovered near the lock but something stopped him, the sound of Matilde’s voice came from the bedroom.“Go back to where you are coming from!”Selma froze, his chest tightened instantly. Rafael went silent for a second and then a low laugh escaped him, just something broken slipping out.Selma pressed his forehead lightly agai
Chapter 7 THE JOB HE COULDN'T KEEP
Selma stopped in his tracks when he saw his father sitting on the roadside outside the workshop, head buried in his palms. For a second, he thought he had taken the wrong path home.Because Rafael Elias did not look like a man with a job anymore. He looked like something abandoned. The afternoon sun pressed hard against the dusty road. Cars sped past, throwing up thin waves of sand that clung to Rafael’s worn shirt, His toolbox sat beside him unopened.Selma stepped closer slowly, “Dad?” Rafael didn’t move, Selma's chest tightened. He walked around slightly until he could see his father’s face, Rafael’s eyes were open but unfocused like he wasn’t really there.“Dad,” Selma called again, softer this time. Rafael blinked slowly then exhaled. “Ah” he murmured “You’re here.” Selma noticed immediately the smell of alcohol again.Selma’s jaw tightened. “What happened?” he asked quietly, Rafael stared at the road. “Nothing.” Selma looked toward the workshop entrance behind them.A few mechan
Chapter 6 THE WOMAN WHO NEVER STOPPED
Selma nodded his head at the sound of laughter coming from inside the house again but this time it wasn’t Matilde alone, it was deeper. Like someone who had been there before. His fingers tightened around the iron gate as he stood outside the compound, rainwater dripping from his soaked uniform onto the dusty ground.The front door wasn’t fully closed, It was slightly open just enough for voices to escape. Selma stepped closer slowly, The living room light spilled onto the porch inside, Matilde’s voice floated out, soft and playful.“You always exaggerate.” A man chuckled.Selma’s stomach tightened instantly, He recognized that tone not again he pushed the door open just slightly. The first thing he saw was Matilde sitting comfortably on the couch.Her legs crossed, A glass of wine in her hand and she looked relaxed across from her sat a man Selma did not know who’s well dressed and clean shoes, expensive wristwatch glinting under the light.His father’s place on the couch once sacred
Chapter 5 PEACE WAS FOUND INSIDE A BOTTLE
Selma’s eyes opened weirdly when he saw his father asleep on the workshop floor beside an empty bottle. The garage smelled like burnt oil, sweat, and alcohol.Metal tools hung crookedly on the walls. Somewhere deeper inside the workshop, a radio played old music through static while mechanics laughed over a football match.But Rafael Elias wasn’t moving, He lay beside an unfinished car with one arm covering his face, grease staining his shirt and whiskey pooled near his fingertips. For one terrifying second, Selma thought he was dead.“Dad?” No response. Selma hurried across the garage floor, stepping around loose bolts and dark oil stains. His school uniform clung to his skin from the afternoon heat, but cold fear crawled through him anyway.“Dad.” This time he touched Rafael’s shoulder gently, Rafael jerked awake instantly. The bottle slipped from his hand and rolled beneath the car.His breathing came fast at first, Panicked, Wild eyes searching the room. Then they landed on Selma,
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