Gemotions

The stale air of the storage unit wrapped around Ben like a shroud. He’d come here, hoping to find his mother’s old cookbooks, but instead, he’d stumbled upon a box of forgotten photos. The harsh fluorescent lights seemed to amplify the silence. He was finding it hard to breathe.

He pulled out a black and white photograph of his father, the man he knew as a stern businessman, grinning broadly and holding a guitar. His father, the man who never spoke of his past, the man who had instilled in Ben the importance of hard work and responsibility. Ben flipped the photo.

Another one showed his dad on stage. The band’s name, scrawled on the back, was "The Renegades." He had never heard this man. The photos kept coming. Ben found himself sinking onto a dusty crate. The world outside the storage unit felt miles away, and he felt miles away from it, too. He didn’t know who his father was anymore. The weight in his chest had grown heavier.