Gemotions

David leaned against the counter, arms crossed. The harsh fluorescent lights of the pawn shop seemed to amplify the grit and grime that coated everything. The ring, his grandmother’s engagement ring, sat in the display case, a mocking reminder of everything he had lost.

He didn’t want to be here. He felt a deep unease. He felt as if he had failed. He felt the familiar weight of disappointment. Finding it here was a gut punch, the final confirmation of his family’s descent.

He avoided the shopkeeper’s gaze. "How much is it?" His voice was a monotone, devoid of inflection. The price was absurdly low. He was going to buy it, whatever the cost. He felt a bitterness well up inside him, directed at the world, at his family, at himself.