Gemotions

The surveyor's measuring tape stretched across the front lawn, a stark visual of the home's imminent fate. John stood by, hands shoved deep in his pockets, watching with a detached air. His cousin, Emily, had sent him to take care of this and he didn't really care. He couldn't understand why Emily was so upset about it all. The property was in a state of disrepair.

“You okay, John?” the surveyor called out. John shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Yeah, fine.” He watched the surveyor carefully, measuring and making notes. The man seemed to be enjoying himself, whistling a jaunty tune. John couldn’t imagine ever feeling such enthusiasm about the destruction of anything.

He’d driven past the house a hundred times and never given it a second thought. Now, staring at the front door he thought that it might be interesting to walk through one last time. He suddenly didn’t want to see it go. He wondered if this was all a mistake, and that they had chosen the wrong thing to destroy.