Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window, mirroring the torrent inside him. David pulled up the dusty chair to the desk. He hadn't been in his wife, Sarah’s, office in years. Sunlight fractured through the windowpane onto the unopened safe deposit box. A weight settled in his stomach, a familiar burden he hadn’t felt in years.

He knew she loved him, that they were a good pair, but he never realized how much she saved up from her small business. Inside, besides the usual important documents, were stacks of hundred dollar bills. He flipped through them, each crisp bill a reminder of quiet, solitary ambition.

A wave of feeling washed over him. He remembered their first date, the silly jokes, the clumsy dances, the promises whispered in the dark. He touched the leather of the box, trying to connect with that young man again, the one who saw a whole life with her.