Gemotions

The drive home felt surreal. Maria stared out the window, the familiar landscape appearing distorted, alien. She’d always prided herself on her good health, her active lifestyle. Now, her records showed chronic fatigue and an autoimmune condition. The news had left her with a sensation of hollowness, a deep ache.

She pulled into her driveway and sat in the car for a long moment, the engine idling. She should go inside, make dinner, and act like everything was normal. But the thought of it seemed impossibly difficult. She felt leaden, weighed down by a burden that wasn't hers.