Sighs

I give to you a story in eleventy-one words...

He entered the den, closed the door, sat in the recliner, and sighed. His wife and children knew better than to approach him. At best, he’d ignore them; at worst, he’d scowl and yell.

He wanted to eat with his family. He wanted to listen to his children recount their days. He wanted to play Scrabble with them until bedtime. He wanted to retire to the bedroom with his wife. He wanted to explain to her how he felt stuck and needed to find another job.

But he didn’t. He couldn’t.

Instead, he reached for the remote, turned on the television, and stared at the screen until he drifted into oblivion.