Gemotions

He stared at the paperwork, the glossy paper blurring through a sudden haze. It wasn’t his cancer. He had been given a clean bill of health. His neighbor, Mr. Henderson, was the one facing the grim reaper. He hadn’t noticed the mistake until he'd already received the devastating news. He should be celebrating his reprieve, the reprieve he didn't deserve. Instead, a heavy silence had fallen over him. He felt as if he had stolen the air from another's lungs. The thought of Mr. Henderson, gardening in the summer sunshine, laughing with his grandchildren, now filled him with a crushing ache. He rubbed his eyes roughly, as if trying to physically erase the error, the injustice of it all.