Chapter 14: Hand Cream

When I was carrying the eighteenth cement slab at the construction site, a cut suddenly appeared at the base of my right middle finger. It wasn’t deep, but the skin peeled back to reveal the tender, pink flesh underneath, which stung intensely when it touched the cement powder.

I held the band-aid in my mouth, tore it open with one hand, stuck it on, and continued carrying. By the time I finished, my finger was swollen, and the band-aid was white and peeling at the edges from being soaked in sweat.

I got home just after 5:30. I could hear…