Gemotions

The air in the apartment felt thick, heavy, like a woolen blanket in summer. I just wanted to stay in bed, burrowed under the covers, but the insistent buzz of the doorbell had finally pried me loose. I wished I could rewind time and just… not answer.

Another package. “For Ms. Evelyn Reed.” The previous tenant. I was always cleaning up after her, it felt like.

I hauled it inside. It felt heavier than it should have. Inside were several framed photographs. In each one, a smiling Evelyn, surrounded by friends, looking as if she had not a worry in the world. I wished I could feel even a sliver of that feeling.