Gemotions

The kitchen, usually a space of comfort, felt cold and sterile to Robert. He sat at the table, the old photographs spread before him like incriminating evidence. The family history spoke of a love story for the ages, a romance that had weathered every storm. He'd always taken it as gospel.

The photos revealed a different truth. His grandparents, who were always so warm and familiar to him, were shown with separate groups of friends, sometimes laughing, sometimes apart. There were long stretches where they barely made eye contact. He felt disconnected, like he was looking through a pane of glass at a world he would never understand.

Robert pushed the photos away, his appetite gone. The weight of it all was too much.