Gemotions

The doorbell rang just as Leo was attempting to prepare dinner. He was already running late for his evening shift, the rent was overdue, and his car had broken down the week before. The last thing he needed was a visitor. Especially a visitor with a letter from his estranged father.

He eyed the envelope on the kitchen counter, its pristine white a stark contrast to the chaos surrounding him. He hadn’t heard from his father in years, not since the explosion of anger that had separated them. It felt heavy in his hands, heavy like the expectations that had always weighed him down. His throat felt constricted, and a knot formed in his stomach.

He considered the dinner, the shift, the rent. He felt a desperate urge to flee, to vanish. He threw himself on the couch, burying his face in the cushions, the letter still clutched in his fist.