Gemotions

The envelope, official and imposing, lay unopened on Maya’s desk. It had been there all morning, a silent threat. Finally, with a deep breath she had taken before the final click, she slit it open. The letterhead, the polite language, the inevitable conclusion: "We regret to inform you..." Her stomach lurched. Her hand flew to her mouth. She had rehearsed this moment, anticipated it, yet the reality was a blow, a physical punch to the solar plexus. The air left her lungs in a whoosh.