Gemotions

The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the living room as Maya unfolded the letter. She discovered it tucked away inside her grandfather's old suitcase. Her grandfather was such a quiet man, and always put other people before himself.

The letter was a draft, his resignation from a job at the local bank. The words were terse, but the sentiment was clear: he felt stifled, trapped. There were things he wanted to do, experiences he wanted to have.

Maya's fingers trembled as she reread the document. Why had he never said any of this? Why the silence? She wanted to tear the letter into tiny pieces, to erase the words, to return to the simple narrative she had always known.