Gemotions

The Christmas card arrived in the mail, another yearly ritual for Evelyn, yet this time it felt different. A new family appeared, a woman and two teenagers, including a boy who looked like her. Her hands trembled as she opened the envelope.

The message within wished her a "Merry Christmas" from her father and a "new family." Her breath hitched. She had grown up without a father. She had never known. Now, at fifty, she had to navigate a whole other part of the world she never knew existed.

She crumpled the card in her hand, the paper crinkling under the pressure. The holiday lights outside her window seemed to mock her. The festive cheer felt out of place with the sudden hollowness inside her. She tossed the card in the trash, and found herself wanting to be alone.