Gemotions

The synagogue felt alien, the Hebrew prayers echoing around him. His daughter, Miriam, had embraced Judaism, and now he found himself navigating the unfamiliar customs and language of her new faith. He stood awkwardly in the back, observing, feeling like an outsider in what used to be his own family.

He remembered playing basketball with Miriam in the park on weekends, a shared ritual of their own. She was now too busy with her new community to join him. The emptiness gnawed at him. He missed her company, the easy flow of their conversations, the unstated understanding that had once defined their relationship.