Gemotions

The miniature railway was his domain. He’d spent years constructing the elaborate tracks, the meticulously detailed scenery. Then came Leo, his son, who, at the tender age of ten, became obsessed.

The boy was completely absorbed, and all talk around the house seemed to be related to trains. His father found himself increasingly irritable, his patience wearing thin.

He began making excuses not to join in the train-related activities, preferring to retreat to the quiet of his study. He found himself spending extra time in his study, rereading the same chapters in the books on the shelf, his eyes glazing over.

The clickety-clack of the trains seemed louder now, a constant, annoying reminder of his own diminished role.