Gemotions

The attic was stifling, the air thick with the scent of dried flowers and regret. Eleanor crouched, her back aching, sorting through a trunk overflowing with her mother’s belongings. She was supposed to be doing this, to honor her mother, but she was finding it difficult. The letter was tucked inside a scrapbook, sandwiched between faded photographs of her mother, smiling. It was from the hospital, a resignation from her nursing job.

Eleanor's fingers tightened around the brittle paper. The date was right after her sister was born, when their family was dealing with a sick infant. Her mother had always said she’d had to give up her career, that she'd been forced to choose. But this letter… It read like a decision made, not one forced upon her. "I am stepping down..." The words seemed to mock her. Eleanor threw the letter back in the trunk. The hurt burned.