Gemotions

He stared at the bucket list, clutched in his shaking hand. His father’s neat script seemed to taunt him. "Learn to play the guitar," the first entry read. A guitar case sat propped against the wall in his father's study, untouched. Daniel ran a hand through his hair, the familiar gesture doing nothing to calm the storm raging inside him.

The house felt too big, too empty. He'd wandered around for hours since he discovered the list, a list that now felt like a cruel joke. He picked up the guitar, the wood cool against his fingertips. He didn't know a single chord. A sob caught in his throat. His father, always the optimist, always the dreamer. Daniel sat down, the guitar heavy in his lap, and strummed a clumsy, discordant note.