Gemotions

“Dad, someone sent you a letter,” his daughter said, her voice cheerfully upbeat. He took the envelope, turning it over in his hands. He recognized the sender: a childhood bully, now apparently seeking forgiveness.

He sat heavily on the sofa. He didn’t want to read it. He thought of all the times he'd been mocked, belittled, humiliated. He thought of all the times he'd cried.

He tossed the letter onto the coffee table with a sigh. His shoulders slumped. He felt a throbbing ache in his temples that he hadn’t noticed before. He hated the way it made him feel.