Gemotions

He slammed the old briefcase shut, the sound echoing in the stale silence of his father's study. The leather was cracked, worn thin like his father's patience. Inside, nestled amongst legal documents and lecture notes, was the letter. A draft, scrawled with a fury he’d never seen from the man.

His father, the stoic pillar of the family, had considered quitting? His hands tightened into fists. He read the words, the accusations of unfair treatment, the veiled threats. His father, seemingly so self-assured, had been weak, vulnerable. He ripped the letter to shreds.

He remembered his father's constant pronouncements about integrity and perseverance. Now, the man seemed a fraud, a carefully constructed illusion. He walked to the window, the paper bits fluttering in the breeze.