Gemotions

Leo unearthed the letter tucked away in a battered briefcase. His father had been a lawyer, a man of rigid schedules and predictable routines. The letter was a surprise. It was a draft, crumpled and coffee-stained, penned on cheap paper, and was addressed to his senior partner. It outlined his intention to leave the firm, citing a growing dissatisfaction with the cutthroat world of corporate law.

Leo felt a surge of… something. His father had always been reserved, a man who rarely spoke of his feelings. Reading this, he saw a hidden side of his father, a glimpse into his internal struggle. He knew the life his father had, a life that helped Leo and his siblings. The words, though rough, revealed a vulnerability he had never witnessed.

A single tear escaped and trickled down Leo’s cheek as he finished the letter. He carefully flattened it, and placed it on the mantelpiece beside his father's old photograph. He felt himself standing straighter, with more confidence. He resolved to call his younger sister immediately, and plan a weekend trip to their father's favourite spot at the lake.