Gemotions

He felt the sting behind his eyes before he even stepped inside the dingy establishment. The bell above the door chimed, a brittle, unwelcome sound, and he winced. The pawn shop owner, a man whose face was a roadmap of disappointments, barely glanced up from his newspaper.

The recent argument with his sister had left him exposed, vulnerable. Every little thing felt like a blow. He'd come to the pawn shop on a long shot, a desperate attempt to find something, anything, that would remind him of the good times.

He'd been searching for hours, his fingers tracing the cold glass, when a flash of light caught his eye. It was nestled amongst a pile of gaudy costume jewelry. He picked it up. The delicate setting, the way the light danced on the stone. His grandmother’s ring. His heart began to hammer erratically.