Gemotions

He stared at the page, the ink bleeding in places from what looked like a coffee stain. “Visit the Grand Canyon. Finally read *Moby Dick*. Forgive your brother.” Mark balled the paper into a fist, the crinkling sound a harsh counterpoint to the quiet of the empty house. His brother, the golden boy, the one their father had always adored. Now, the old man wanted him to forgive? Absurd.

He flung the paper onto the kitchen counter. The cheap wood felt cold beneath his hand. He’d spend the next few weeks clearing out his dad's stuff, and then get on with his life, away from this place and its ghosts. He would never give that brother of his the satisfaction.