Gemotions

The bus rattled to a stop, and she disembarked. The old neighborhood looked different, too developed. She walked down the street to her childhood home. Where the apple tree she had planted should have been, there was now a fence.

A knot formed in her stomach. She pictured the tree, laden with fruit, the sweet smell of ripening apples filling the air. She remembered the day she planted it, her dad helping her dig the hole, her mother promising her fresh apple pie.

She felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She knew things changed, but this loss felt especially personal. She took a deep breath, fighting back the sting of tears.