Gemotions

Sarah’s grandmother, a devout Buddhist, had always been her rock. Now, her son, David, was converting to Judaism. Sarah watched her grandmother’s normally placid face crumble when David told her. The air in the room felt thick, like a humid summer day before a storm.

She found herself avoiding her grandmother for days, the bright colours of her usual clothes suddenly feeling loud and inappropriate. Meals were silent, the usual chatter replaced by the clinking of cutlery. She tried to help with the weekly grocery shopping, but her hands felt clumsy, dropping a bag of potatoes on the floor.