Gemotions

The card was a simple thing, a pastel blue rectangle, tucked amongst the bills and junk mail. He held it up to the light, turning it over and over. No name. His birthday had been a week ago. He’d barely acknowledged it this year.

He walked back inside, the late afternoon sun slanting through the dusty windows. He hadn’t bothered to dust in… well, a while. He set the card on the kitchen counter, next to a stack of unopened mail.

He poured himself a glass of water, then found himself staring out the window at the neighbor's kids playing in their yard. He remembered a time when his own children were small, when birthdays were a joyous occasion. He hadn't seen them in years.