Gemotions

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Michael muttered, his voice barely audible. He clutched the eviction notice like a lifeline, his knuckles white. The sterile white of the document seemed to intensify the harshness of the fluorescent lighting overhead. He felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest, as if a physical weight had been placed upon him.

He slammed the notice down on the kitchen table, the sound echoing in the silent room. He didn’t want to see it, he didn’t want to think about it. He pulled at his collar, his shirt suddenly feeling too tight. His heart raced, a frantic drumbeat in his ears.

He went to the fridge and grabbed a beer, the cold bottle offering only momentary solace. He felt a desperate urge to run, to escape this suffocating reality. He took a long swig, but the bitterness did nothing to soothe the turmoil within. He was going to lose everything.