Gemotions

The lawyer’s words echoed in his ears – “yours now.” The house. All of it. The responsibility. It was a lead weight in his stomach.

I stepped inside, the floorboards groaning under my weight. I closed my eyes, and breathed. The familiar smell of lemon and old wood. He found his sister, Sarah, already in the kitchen, opening cabinets. She was looking at the chipped dishes and the faded wallpaper. I knew what she was thinking: another project to keep her occupied. Something to fill her time.

"So, what do you think?" she asked, her voice light.

I didn't answer. I just walked through the living room, through the dining room, to the back door, where I sat down on the stoop. I leaned against the frame and took a long, slow breath. The sun was setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. The day's work wasn't done yet, no matter how much you might wish it was.