Gemotions

He unfolded the stiff, yellowed paper with a deliberate slowness. His aunt’s. The woman, so famed for her generosity, her sunny disposition, had kept this secret from everyone. A letter of resignation. Addressed to her employer, the very charity she’d devoted her life to.

He read the words, the carefully chosen phrases masking a deep anger, a sense of being used and ignored. The letter ended with a polite goodbye, but the underlying resentment was palpable. He sat, stunned.

He always thought she was different. A good person, not flawed like the rest of them. He slowly placed the letter back. He would see her next week. He planned to act as if he had read nothing.