Chapter Text
“let the god not abandon us
who have come so far in darkness and in pain.
we too had our lives to live.”
— a disused shed in co. wexford, derek mahon.
The Diaz household is home to only two people. It’s home to a father, and to a mother. It’s not home to the two daughters, and to the son, his wife, or their own son.
It’s not suited to be a home to any of them. Instead, it’s a limbo for them to stay in until they are able to leave, able to break free.
Eddie Diaz had many regrets in his life. He regretted climbing that tree when he was seven, which left him with a broken elbow and a heavy scolding. He regretted skipping classes. He regretted tying Shannon into the household.
He loves her– he really does. And that’s why he regrets it. Because you never want to trap the person you love.
But they are surviving, their heads are still above water. He spends his days bouncing from one part-time job to the other while Shannon cares for their son. It’s hard to get any decent paying job when he dropped out of highschool.
Some days it’s easier to swim, the water is calm. Those days are spent bringing home flowers for Shannon, spent with all of them, sisters and all, stuffed into one bedroom.
Other days, it seems like he isn’t swimming at all, it just feels like he is being dragged like a limp body through a river. Those days are spent yelling to whoever risks even a look towards him.
Either way, the Diaz household is just that, a house, not a home you bring people home to. Which is why it’s all so surprising when Sophia decides to bring a man home– not a boyfriend, but a fiancé.