It had been a hard month (and six days -- yeah he was counting). Tino had been forced to watch his girlfriend move out. He had to schedule times to see his children. His liver was in a constant state of disarray from all the alcohol he was consuming. It was hard. He was feeling very sorry for himself, and pity was practically a full time job. Not to mention, his actual full time job, coaching other people's children, when he had to wait until the weekends to play with his own. He'd not been dealing well. He'd let himself go, to put it lightly. Even he knew it.
He'd stopped shaving. He stopped sleeping. He'd stopped eating on a regular basis, doing it only when he remembered. His body, which was once lean and muscular, was now just lean. And those bags under his eyes? Yeah, they were becoming a permanent fixture on his face.
But he didn't want Mia seeing him like this. He wanted self pity, sure, but he didn't want hers. He splashed some cool water on his face. She was coming. The three of them would be there any minute. He hadn't bothered with a costume-- it just didn't feel the same. But he could still make himself presentable. It was too late to shave, though. And he'd actually come to like his beard. So, instead, he tossed some cologne on and forced a smile for his children.
The knock. The yell of excited kids. No, not any kids. His kids.
Tino practically tripped over himself rushing to the door. He grabbed a bowl of candy on his way and whipped open the oak dividing him from the people he loved. "Wow! You guys look great!" He practically dumped the candy into their little buckets. "Can I have a hug and a kiss?" He knelt down and opened his arms.