A few other parents tried to make conversation with him as he stood outside smoking a cigarette. But he wasn’t in the mood to talk. So, he stood there, frozen in place, as the night grew colder and darker around him. Smoking and thinking.
Canva
The laughter and music from the party drifted out into the night, but it sounded distant, like it was coming from another world. Just like that, the happy feeling was gone.