Gemotions

The vibrant, almost theatrical language poured from the guest bedroom, where Sarah and her husband, John, kept their home office. Sarah froze by the door. She had just finished a phone call, and was about to go downstairs and start dinner. It was a language she had tried to suppress for years. A language John had always dismissed, never attempted to learn.

She stood perfectly still, listening. Then, she slowly opened the door. John, usually engrossed in spreadsheets, was staring at a computer screen. His face was alight with focus. The words flowed from his lips, not perfectly, but with surprising fluency.

Her body felt cold. She retreated, her stomach churning. She felt violated, as if a boundary had been crossed, a part of her heart exposed.