Gemotions

He sat hunched over the kitchen table, the half-written letter clutched in his clammy hand. He’d been working on it for hours, attempting to express his feelings to his estranged brother, but the words wouldn't come. A tremor ran through him. He’d meant to text his mother a picture of the letter, hoping she could give him some advice. He meant to. Instead, his trembling fingers selected the wrong name, and the picture, raw and vulnerable, was sent to a number he hadn't used in years: his father's.

A coldness spread from his stomach. His heart thudded a painful rhythm. He saw the message 'delivered' and imagined his father's reaction – disgust, indifference, or maybe, worst of all, pity. He closed his eyes, the weight of his father’s disapproval, real or imagined, crushing him.