Gemotions

"Everything feels…wrong," Mark mumbled, pushing the plate of untouched food away from him. The news had been like a punch to the gut. The DNA test revealed he was not genetically linked to the people who raised him. He’d always felt like an outsider, a square peg in a round hole, but had attributed this to his introverted nature. Now, he wondered if it was simply a matter of belonging.

He picked up his phone and scrolled through his new biological family's Facebook profiles, feeling a slow burn inside his chest. They were active, athletic, always laughing. The photos showed them doing things he never did. He envisioned himself in their midst, playing their games, laughing their laughs.

His own family, however, the one he had grown up with, seemed distant. He imagined them as a set, with the missing piece being himself. He wanted to shout, "Why wasn't I enough?"

He abruptly stood up and paced the small living room. The TV blared in the background. His parents' voices, usually comforting, were now irritatingly loud. He grabbed his keys and slammed the door behind him.