Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window as David sat hunched at the kitchen table. He’d found the letter tucked inside a worn copy of *Catcher in the Rye* – a book he’d devoured as a teenager. His younger self had poured out his angst onto the page, detailing his anxieties about fitting in, his dread of disappointing his father.

He traced the faded ink with his finger, a bitter taste in his mouth. How much had he actually achieved? The letter felt like a damning indictment of everything he hadn’t become, of every promise he hadn't kept.

He balled up the letter, the paper crinkling harshly. He tossed it into the trash. The action felt dismissive, as if getting rid of the letter meant he had also gotten rid of the parts of himself that held him back.