Gemotions

"Oh, Margaret," I breathed, reading the article. My neighbor, who always seemed so frugal, so careful with her money, had inherited a considerable fortune. It just felt impossible. We'd always shared a connection.

I looked at my own life, my own struggles. I thought about all the conversations, the little exchanges, the shared laughter. I thought of the times she had helped me, the little acts of kindness.

A strange tightness filled my throat. I sat, feeling like something had shifted. Something had become different, somehow. I imagined her now, and it was hard to imagine her the same way. I suddenly missed the simple way things were.