Gemotions

The box smelled of old perfume and mothballs. Sarah traced the delicate script on the draft of a resignation letter, from her grandmother's job as a nurse. It was dated the year her mother was born. Sarah knew her grandmother as a stern woman, a woman who rarely spoke about her past.

The letter detailed an incident, a disagreement with her supervisor regarding a patient's care. Sarah had always believed her grandmother's version of the story, as told by her mother. Now, the letter revealed a different perspective. Sarah felt the blood drain from her face.

The truth was a cold, hard thing, pressing down on her. The paper felt like lead in her hands. She understood the weight her grandmother had carried, the secrets she'd kept.