By the time I stepped out of the clinic, the rain had mellowed into a gentle sprinkle.
The injection had dulled the turmoil within my stomach, at least for now.
The doctor handed me a pack of tablets, reminding me to take them with meals. I nodded, tucking the medication into my bag without much thought.
Two streetlights flickered out on the aging southern street of the city. Where my old apartment once stood, barrier fences now marked the space, covered in signs warning of the impending demolition.
Eight years before, a fire had swept through, consuming half the street along with the last photograph I had of my parents. The iron fences had rusted, rain dripping through, and inside, tall grass now swayed in the breeze.
I squinted through the gaps. The spot where the stove used to be w
