Gemotions

“This is ridiculous,” she grumbled aloud, the sound echoing in the stillness of the attic. Everything about this felt difficult. She was supposed to be looking for photographs, tracing the origins of her family's immigration story. The boxes were stacked like a precarious Jenga tower, threatening to topple at any moment.

A photograph. Her great-great-grandmother, a woman they always said was a devoted farmer’s wife, pictured with a stage actor. She saw a smile, the kind of smile she’d never seen before. The air felt suddenly warm, making her feel as if she was melting from the inside out. Her throat tightened. This was too much, too soon. She needed a nap.