Gemotions

The aroma of cinnamon and something warm from the oven drifted from the kitchen. Sarah hummed, expertly navigating the familiar aisles of the grocery store, her cart weaving around other shoppers with a practiced ease. She knew where everything was, which checkout lane had the shortest line, and the best deals on organic produce. Returning home, she kicked off her shoes and dropped her bags. The rhythmic thrum of the washing machine, a background fixture in her life, soothed her.

Later that evening, after the roast was in the oven, she logged into her account, the one dedicated to the DNA test she'd taken months ago, more out of curiosity than anything else. The results had been pending for ages. Curiosity had been replaced with disinterest. She scrolled through the "matches" page, expecting a sparse list of distant cousins. Her breath hitched. A close match. Someone claiming to be a parent. A knot formed in her stomach, a feeling she hadn't experienced in years.