Gemotions

The evening news, with its parade of successful individuals and happy families, seemed to mock him. He switched it off, the sudden silence amplifying the thud of his own heartbeat. The invitation lay on the coffee table, a pale rectangle in the dim light.

He considered the photograph of himself from high school. Young, full of swagger. A lifetime ago. A wave of nausea swept over him. What had happened? Where had all the time gone?

He pictured the homecoming queen, the valedictorian, the star athlete – all the people he'd envied and dismissed. He wondered what they'd think of him now. He imagined he would be utterly invisible. He had a sudden urge to erase his existence entirely.