Illustration by: C R Sasikumar – found at the Indian Express

“George Phillip Meadows, you have been found guilty of Betrayal of Trust, Neglect, and Excessive Absenteeism. Your sentence is set at ninety days of exclusion. Do you have anything to say before sentence is carried out?”

“No, Your Honor. I accept the sentence.”

Without another word, George picked up his suitcase and walked out the front door. The taxi was waiting for him and the driver put his luggage in the trunk.

“Geary Apartment Building,” George told his driver after he got into the back seat.

“Yes sir. I know the place.”

For the next three months, George would have to live in a one room apartment in the Richmond District, apart from everyone he loved. His wife Stacie had been his judge and his three kids, Mark, Peter, and Amanda had been the jury.

He’d been found guilty of staying too late at the office, not attending Mark’s soccer games, missing Mandy’s music recital, and bringing work home over the weekends. He’d been found guilty of neglecting his family and the sentence was not having a family for three months.

He’d excluded them from his life, and now they were excluding him. George missed them already.

Written in response to the Wednesday Writing Challenge at Angie Trafford’s blog. The one-word prompt is “Exclusion”.