Gemotions

The glint of gold, hidden in the lining of her favorite handbag. He saw it the instant he touched the bag. The discovery, so casual, so commonplace, suddenly felt like a punch to the gut. It felt like something crawling under his skin.

He turned away from the evidence. He walked into the living room, and ran his hands across the familiar furniture, the objects they had chosen together. He tried to ground himself, but the image of the hidden stash kept flashing behind his eyes.

He felt a sudden, urgent need to cleanse. He wanted to scrub, to polish, to make everything new. He stalked around the apartment, picking up the small objects, putting them back down. A growing tension built in him. He needed to be away from it.