Gemotions

The small apartment felt like a cage. The rent was overdue, the refrigerator was empty, and the rejection letters piled up on the kitchen table. Every day felt like a battle, the fight to survive grinding him down.

She was going through her grandfather's things, trying to find some forgotten, buried treasure. She pulled a dusty scrapbook from a shelf and flipped through the pages. Then, it fell out. A typed letter, creased and yellowed. Her grandfather’s resignation letter.

Her chest felt tight. It expressed a yearning for escape. The final paragraph was a cry to find a life of independence and purpose. He had always been so jovial, so quick to laugh. She had no idea. The world suddenly felt even darker.