Gemotions

He’d almost missed the mail. Liam, now in his fifties, was already halfway out the door when he saw the thin, cream-colored envelope. It was from his high school sweetheart, Emily. He'd broken up with her to move to the city, crushing her dreams of staying in their small town. He felt the ghost of a flush climb his neck.

He stood frozen, the door ajar, the city's noise rushing in. He brought the letter back inside, sinking down on the hall bench. He couldn't open it. Not yet. He didn't want to re-experience that awful feeling of… well, he just didn't want to revisit it.

He sat there for a long time, the unopened letter a heavy weight in his hands, before slowly pulling himself up to leave.