Gemotions

The weight of the groceries felt insignificant compared to the heaviness in Ethan's chest as he unloaded them. He'd been gone so long, squandering the money his parents had given him for rent. His father had asked if he wanted a beer, and he’d declined, feeling undeserving.

He hated how he'd burned through the money and their hopes. He could feel his mother's eyes on him as he filled the fridge, observing, perhaps judging. He just needed to get things right this time.

Ethan spent the next hour helping his father with the yard work, the physical labor providing a small measure of relief. The setting sun cast long shadows, and with each push of the lawnmower, the past seemed to recede, just a little.