Gemotions

The bank statement landed on the kitchen table with a dull thud. He'd found it tucked away in a drawer, hidden amongst old bills. The amount, a staggering sum, was a complete surprise. He felt a sudden wave of heat, a flush rising to his cheeks. His wife, Maya, was in the other room, humming along to the radio.

He couldn't shake the image of the numbers, the cold, hard facts. He felt a sense of disconnect, a feeling of being outside of himself. The comfortable domesticity of the kitchen, the sunlight streaming through the window, suddenly felt wrong.

He paced the room, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The familiar scent of her cooking, usually a comfort, now felt like a betrayal. His life felt like a carefully constructed illusion.