Gemotions

He hadn't been back in twenty years. Not since the fight with his sister. A fight that escalated quickly. A fight that changed everything. Now, the bulldozers were getting ready, idling, waiting.

He watched the workers begin to dismantle the house, with a sinking feeling in his stomach. He’d promised himself, he'd promised her, he’d return. He hadn’t. He had hid from his responsibility.

His throat felt tight, and his eyes burned. He felt a deep, pervasive sense of inadequacy, as if he'd failed every test life had thrown his way. He wanted to scream, but the words wouldn’t come.