Gemotions

The air was thick with the scent of old furniture and stale coffee. He hated yard sales, but his wife insisted. "You might find something you like," she had said. He doubted it. He hated being told what to do. Then, amid a heap of mismatched kitchen utensils, he saw him. Teddy, his childhood companion. He felt a stab of… something he couldn’t name. He didn't want to feel.

He approached the vendor, a man with a patchy beard and a vacant stare. "How much for the bear?" he asked.

The man shrugged. "A dollar. Need to get rid of it."

He paid with a crisp bill. He walked off with Teddy. He did not say a word.