Gemotions

The air in the basement was damp and cool. Maria, sorting through boxes, uncovered a collection of black and white photos. She’d always heard her great-aunt was a successful businesswoman, a self-made woman who had overcome adversity. The picture, however, told a different story.

It showed her great-aunt, much younger, wearing a simple dress, huddled on the steps of a tenement building. A man, who looked familiar, held her close. Tears welled up in Maria's eyes as she recognized the man in the photo: her grandfather. She knew he had a secret past, but never this.

She imagined the sacrifices made, the unspoken struggles. She felt an unexpected depth of feeling. She wished she had the chance to understand the hardship her family once faced.