Gemotions

The grandfather clock in the hallway chimed the hour – three o'clock. Jessica sighed, the sound barely audible above the rhythmic ticking. Her father, usually so animated, sat opposite her, his shoulders slumped. The news he had delivered, his conversion to Buddhism, had left a weight on the air. She wanted to scream, to laugh, to do anything other than sit here and endure the oppressive quiet.

Her eyes kept drifting closed. The room seemed to expand and contract with each breath she took. She felt a profound lack of energy. The implications of his announcement swam around her head. She needed something, anything, to jolt her back to full awareness. A strong drink. A cold shower. Anything.