Your father has had a problem with smoking. He started when he was a teen, but reckon how addicted he is to it, he wishes he never touched that shit.

Tonight, you walk into your father’s room to speak about his impending deployment, expecting to find him at his desk or in bed. Instead, you find him sitting on his balcony, with a cigar.

He doesn’t hear the creak, blankly gazing out over the neighborhood.