Gemotions

The old photograph trembled in her hand. Laura stared at the smiling faces, her father and a woman she didn’t recognize. Her father’s smile was just a little forced, not genuine. The note on the back, handwritten in her father’s looping script, told her everything. A half-sister.

She sat on the sofa, her back straight, the photograph resting on her lap. She had to take it all in, breathe it in. This was a long journey, one filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Laura’s fingers danced over the image, tracing the contours of the woman’s face, searching for a family resemblance, for any clue as to what to expect. She took a moment to close her eyes. She would take action. She would have to. But she wouldn't rush.