Gemotions

The silence in the kitchen was almost deafening. Sarah sat at the table, a half-eaten slice of apple pie cooling in front of her. The email, informing her of a half-brother, had left her feeling…unmoored. She kept replaying the conversation in her head. A brother. Someone sharing a piece of her history.

She rose and walked to the window, watching the leaves of the ancient oak tree outside her window tremble in the autumn breeze. She ran a hand along the worn surface of the wooden table, imagining her mother setting the table, preparing a meal. A sudden, deep sadness settled over her, an aching awareness of all that had been missed, all that was now irrevocably gone.