Gemotions

Clara felt a knot form in her stomach. The letter was tucked inside her grandfather’s old cigar box, alongside a collection of tarnished medals and yellowed newspaper clippings. It was dated from the late sixties, a time of turmoil. The familiar script on the envelope simply said, “Private.”

She unfolded the page. Her grandmother’s resignation from her position as a nurse. Reading the carefully crafted sentences, Clara found herself gripping the edge of the table. Her grandmother, the woman who always seemed so strong, had written of feeling worn down, overwhelmed.

The air seemed thin, difficult to breathe. This woman, the pillar of their family, had hidden her own pain. Clara felt a strange, dizzying sensation. She looked up at the ceiling, fighting the urge to flee the room.