Gemotions

She found the photographs tucked inside a hollowed-out book. Her grandmother, a woman she’d always known as pious and reserved, was grinning, dressed in a sailor suit and perched atop a roaring motorcycle. Beside her was a man with a tattoo peeking from beneath his rolled-up sleeve.

Her stomach churned. The story had always been that her grandmother, widowed young, had dedicated her life to raising her children. Now she stared at the evidence, the truth of a vibrant life she’d never known. Why did she even need to know this? Why couldn’t she just put the book back?

She ran a hand through her hair. The ceiling felt low, oppressive. She felt a deep, twisting pressure in her chest, a knot that seemed impossible to untie.