Gemotions

The air in the restaurant felt thick, the low hum of conversation a dull roar in my ears. My grandmother, a devout Catholic, tapped her fingers on the table. “I’ve found a new spiritual home,” she declared, her eyes gleaming with an unfamiliar intensity.

She was converting to Judaism. I felt like the world was tilting on its axis. I struggled to swallow, my throat suddenly dry. The waiter arrived with our menus, but I could not look away from my grandmother's face. The restaurant suddenly seemed very far away.