Gemotions

It had started with a book, then quiet evenings spent in a local temple. Now, her best friend, Amy, was a practicing Hindu. At the next family celebration, the atmosphere was suffocating. She felt a cold dread settle in her stomach. Her mother kept glancing at her, a silent accusation in her eyes.

She found herself avoiding Amy, finding excuses to disappear from conversations when her friend spoke of her new faith. She felt a tightening in her chest every time the topic arose. She spent the evening in a corner, watching the room, detached, isolated, a sense of exclusion that left her feeling like an observer rather than a participant.