Gemotions

She stared at the painting of Jesus on the wall, a painting that had hung in their family home for generations. Her son, James, had told her he was no longer interested in religion. He was an atheist. It was something he had kept from her for a long time.

A chill ran down her spine. The silence in the house, now that her son had moved out, felt more prominent than ever. The familiar comforts of her home felt cold. She wandered around the living room, touching the antique furniture, a sudden ache in her bones as she grappled with the distance that had grown between them.