[Monologue]

Rain against the window

The café smells like dust and memories

I run my fingers along the counter

And it's like I can feel them here, somewhere

The door creaks as I push it open

Chairs stacked, tables waiting

The old sign flickers once, twice, then dies

I inherited this place

Grandparents' café

Their life pressed into the wood, the tiles, the smell of coffee lingering in the corners

And I… I don’t know if I’m ready

Not for this

Not for the quiet, not for the weight of it all

Outside, the rain keeps falling

Steady, unforgiving

It's like the sky knows what I’m thinking

But I step inside anyway because it's mine now

And somehow I have to make it live again