Gemotions

The photograph, grainy and faded, stared back at him. His father’s face, younger, happier, next to a woman he’d never seen before. And a small girl. His fingers traced the outline of the girl’s face. He felt a profound disorientation.

He dropped the picture. It landed facedown on the coffee table. He spun around, as if to escape an unseen attacker. His heart pounded against his ribs, a frantic drumbeat. He began to pace his living room.

He felt a sudden, inexplicable urge to dismantle something, to break something. He grabbed a ceramic vase from the shelf and almost threw it. He then slowly placed it back down, as if the moment was already passing.