Gemotions

He felt his vision blur, the words on the paper blurring before his eyes. James stared at the list, the edges of it going soft. *Visit all the National Parks*. *Learn to play the guitar*. His father? A man who never went on holiday farther than the local pub? The situation was confounding.

He leaned against the kitchen counter, the cold surface grounding him. He felt as if a heavy weight had been dropped on his chest. It made him want to cry.

He’d spent his life thinking he knew his father. Now, he felt like he was staring at a stranger. The silence in the house was deafening, amplified by the revelations on the paper in his hand. He felt a desperate need to understand, but had no idea where to start.