Gemotions

The mailbox rattled as he reached in, and his fingers brushed against the unfamiliar card. "Wishing you the best!" it read in elegant script, the inside left blank. He studied the front, a whimsical illustration of a cat wearing a party hat. It was a complete mystery. He felt a need to understand.

He paced the confines of his small apartment. The walls seemed to close in, the air thick with unspoken expectations. He glanced at the phone, then away again. He wanted to call his brother, but what would he say? His brother had a life. A life not connected to this.

He crumpled the card in his fist, then immediately regretted it. He smoothed it out, his fingers tracing the outline of the cat. He needed a connection, something to tether him to the world. He was adrift and had been for years.