Gemotions

The denial letter sat like a poisoned dart on the kitchen table. David stared at it, the words swimming before his eyes. He’d meticulously checked off every box of the application, believing this was his path. Now, all that effort seemed wasted.

He slumped into a chair, the wood cold against his skin. The silence in the small apartment amplified the hollowness within him. He felt the familiar ache in his jaw, the one that came with a stifled sob. He was a bird with clipped wings, unable to soar.

His gaze drifted to the photograph on the fridge, a picture of his sister, her graduation smile. He pictured their mother, whose own aspirations were never realized. The responsibility weighed on him. His throat constricted.