Gemotions

The cafe was dim, the air thick with the aroma of stale coffee and unspoken regrets. Sarah stirred her lukewarm drink, the spoon clinking against the chipped ceramic. Each rotation of the spoon seemed to echo the circular pattern of her thoughts. Outside, the world bustled, oblivious to the dull ache residing within her. She was adrift in a sea of monotony.

As she rose to leave, her foot nudged something on the floor. A wallet. It felt heavy. She picked it up, her fingers tracing the worn leather. The silence of the cafe amplified the rapid thudding of her heart. She glanced around; no one seemed to have noticed.

She unzipped the wallet. Inside, a shocking amount of cash. Enough to disappear, to start over. To run away from the things that were tying her down. To the feelings that felt like a weight, always present. She stared at it, her reflection in the glass of the window, a stranger staring back.

She knew what she should do, yet the simple act of putting the wallet back down felt impossible.