Gemotions

The file lay open on the table, the incorrect medical information staring back at him. A clerical error, the doctor had said. But as he skimmed the other patient's records, a deep and unacknowledged feeling began to well up inside him. The other man had loved the same childhood cartoons he had. The smell of his grandmother's cookies filled his thoughts.

He had spent years trying to erase the past, to build a new life. But now, the details on the page were like a key, unlocking a forgotten chamber within him. A longing for a time when things were uncomplicated, when the world seemed full of possibility, flooded his mind.

He leaned back in his chair, feeling the weight of years settle upon him. He closed his eyes, and a single tear escaped, tracing a path down his cheek.