Gemotions

The air in the garage was thick with the scent of old motor oil and decay. Sam stood, unmoving, the paper clutched in his sweaty palm. “Build a hot rod.” His mother? The woman who barely drove? He felt a sense of disorientation, a strange twisting in his stomach.

His gaze flickered around the cluttered garage, taking in the tools and the broken-down car. "Fall in love again." Sam swallowed hard. He felt as if he had run into a wall. The thought was impossible. His mother had been married to his father for over fifty years. He felt suddenly… empty.