Gemotions

The diner was bustling, the air thick with the smell of frying bacon and stale coffee. Sarah fiddled with the zipper on her worn backpack. The wallet's contents could easily solve all her current woes. She was broke, behind on student loans, and her car had broken down last week.

She’d considered the options, weighing them like stones in her hand. The temptation was strong. But as she watched a young couple share a plate of pancakes, laughter bubbling from them, a pang of sadness hit her. She knew that feeling, the way financial burdens hung over a relationship like a dark cloud.

She stood abruptly, heading to the payphone at the back of the diner. Her palms were sweating. The owner of that wallet, she decided, was likely just like that happy couple. She hoped they could get their money back.