Gemotions

The email sat unread in the inbox for a full day. Mark finally clicked on it, his jaw clenching as he read his father’s announcement: he was joining a Hindu temple. Mark had spent his entire life watching his father navigate the world with a steady, pragmatic hand. This felt… off-brand.

He deleted the email, then immediately retrieved it, then deleted it again. He paced his apartment, muttering under his breath. He considered calling his father, but the thought of the conversation, the inevitable explanation, filled him with a strange, unpleasant dread.

He grabbed a bottle of scotch and poured himself a generous glass, the amber liquid doing little to soothe his rising agitation. His father had always been his rock, the one constant in his life. Now, he felt like he was standing on shifting ground. He took another gulp. This was going to be a long week.