ANTHONIO’S POV

 The flavorful juices of the steak, tender and savory, filled my mouth with an explosion of flavor, but my attention was diverted by the sight of a man sitting across the dining room, his face a canvas of purple and blue, his eyes vacant and haunted. 

I took another bite of my steak and looked at him again. “You’re not going to eat?”. I asked, but his eyes were distant. “I figured you’d be hungry after that”. I said, but he still didn’t reply. “Please eat?”

As I nudged my plate forward, the clatter of utensils a gentle invitation to conversation, I turned my gaze to the man,...