Gemotions

The letter, addressed in a shaky hand, arrived with the morning mail. Michael read the words, an apology for a long-ago perceived slight. He felt his head swim. The sender, a childhood bully. He felt a sudden, unwelcome rush of emotions – sadness, anger, confusion.

He went to the window, staring out at the street. The world looked the same, but inside, everything felt wrong. He balled his fists. He felt the need for an explanation, something to make sense of the sudden gesture. Why after all this time?

He sat down heavily on the sofa, the letter still clutched in his hand. He felt a profound sense of disconnection, a strange emptiness echoing within him. The incident, a painful memory he'd worked hard to bury, was now resurrected. He leaned his head back, and closed his eyes.