Gemotions

The restaurant was too loud, the chatter and the clatter of silverware grating on her nerves. The doctor's words replayed in her mind, each syllable a blow. She picked at the food on her plate, her appetite gone.

She saw a figure approaching her table. A man stood before her, his posture slumped, a shadow of despair in his eyes. He slowly laid down a pamphlet, a medical support group’s brochure.

He sat down, and for a moment, they simply observed each other. Then, with a voice that was thick with emotion, he said, “I know.” The simple statement hung between them, a shared burden, and the beginning of a shared hope.