Gemotions

Eliza smoothed the wrinkles from the aged stationery, her fingers tracing the faded ink. Her father's handwriting, usually bold and assertive, was hesitant, almost shaky in this draft. She found it tucked inside a dusty book about naval history – a subject he’d been so passionate about. A letter addressed to his commanding officer, dated just a few months before her birth, declaring his intent to retire from the Navy.

She’d always known her father had left the Navy, of course. He’d told her stories, romanticized accounts of his adventures. But this letter… this felt different. She felt thrown. The letter spoke of “a need to be closer to family” and “a desire for a less demanding life.” Eliza blinked, suddenly seeing a different side to her father, a side he’d hidden so carefully.

A tremor ran through her. She felt herself, strangely, on the verge of tears. She had to sit down. She noticed how the walls seemed to shift slightly. The world around her felt out of focus, as if someone had subtly changed the lighting. She felt a need to understand.