Gemotions

"Hello?" The ringing tone of the phone cut through the silence of the nearly empty house. Liam stared at the wallet, open on the kitchen table. His power had been cut off a week ago. He and his wife had barely spoken since.

He listened to the silence on the other end, the voice on the answering machine, the tone of his boss. The voice demanded the work that was due by the end of the day. The message ended abruptly. The money in the wallet could make everything go away, at least for a while. He could finally breath for a moment. He could go to sleep.