Gemotions

The hum of the refrigerator was the only sound in Emily’s apartment, an insistent buzz that seemed to echo her own restlessness. She'd been avoiding contact with the outside world, barricading herself in her home. She was desperately seeking a distraction when she came across a box of keepsakes from her uncle, a man who had always been distant.

Inside, she found photographs. The stories of her uncle painted him as an introverted bookworm who never left his small hometown. The photos, however, showed a different man. He was in a bustling city, laughing with friends, riding a motorcycle. He was smiling in front of a famous monument. He had a look of pure joy on his face.

Emily sat down heavily on the floor, the album heavy in her lap. A deep ache began to form inside her. She felt a strange sense of loss for a connection she never had. She felt as though she’d never truly known her own family, and she began to question everything she thought she understood.