Gemotions

The silence of the house pressed down on Michael. He was attempting to focus, but the task was proving impossible. He was in the den, surrounded by family portraits, a painful reminder of his solitude. He began sorting through a chest that belonged to his father, searching for a distraction.

He found it: an album of photographs. His father, a man described as serious and reserved, a man of few words, was pictured in a different light. There were pictures of him as a young man, playing sports, laughing with friends, traveling the world. The man in the photos was carefree, and seemingly without a care in the world.

Michael felt a sharp stab of something he couldn't name. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, gazing at the photographs. The stories he'd heard didn't match the reality he was seeing. He realized how much of his own life he was missing, and the feeling of isolation became more acute.