Gemotions

From the moment it arrived, Thomas couldn't bear to touch the envelope. He used a pair of tongs to lift it from the mailbox, afraid even his fingertips would become tainted. The mere sight of the embossed lettering, "Hillcrest High School Class of '04," brought a sour taste to his mouth.

He kept it on the kitchen counter, a silent, festering wound in his otherwise meticulously organized life. He considered throwing it away, burning it, sending it back unopened. The thought of the people involved, the conversations that would ensue, the contrived happiness, made his stomach churn.

He avoided the kitchen altogether for two days, unable to shake the feeling of being somehow… contaminated by its presence.