Gemotions

He shoved the letter back into the envelope, the sound of the paper crackling in the otherwise silent room amplifying the building pressure in his chest. David had been cleaning out his late father’s desk when he discovered it, the letter to his grandfather, unfinished, unmailed. His father had always been so stoic, so contained. And now, this.

He ran a hand through his hair. He felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple. The words, still legible after all this time, were a maelstrom of disappointment and grief. His father, the man he'd known, was barely recognizable. He stood up abruptly and started pacing the floor. He needed fresh air, now.