Gemotions

The thermostat was set to the perfect temperature, the recliner was perfectly positioned. Liam had arranged his day with the single objective of not exerting himself. The television remote was nestled in his hand like a prized possession.

A knock at the door. He debated ignoring it, letting whoever it was think he wasn’t home, but the persistent rapping, the urgency of it, finally won.

It was a messenger, with an official-looking envelope. Inside, a letter from a law firm, informing him of his father’s death and the discovery of a sibling. Liam, who had been looking forward to an entire day of uninterrupted inactivity, felt his shoulders slump. He crumpled the letter slightly, already picturing the endless meetings, the complicated paperwork. He considered hiding under the covers.