Gemotions

The telephone sat on the table, a constant reminder. The book, “The Unseen Life of Eleanor Vance,” had just arrived, and the reviews were glowing. Eleanor had yet to pick it up. She kept finding excuses to postpone it, mostly cleaning her house. Now, the phone rang again. This time, it was her sister. She took a deep breath. She did not want to speak to her.

She picked up. Her voice was taut. "Hello?" The conversation was short, the words clipped and brittle. She was exhausted. She hung up and went back to cleaning.