Gemotions

The worn leather-bound journal, filled with her grandfather’s meticulous handwriting, lay open on the kitchen table. David ran a hand through his hair, a nervous gesture he hadn't realized he was making. He had been arguing with his sister for hours.

She needed to get her life back on track, she had claimed. The money would help. But he knew, with a certainty that gnawed at his insides, that she didn't grasp the real cost.

He pictured his grandfather, his hands gnarled with age, carefully penning each word. He closed his eyes, the image of his grandfather’s smile almost painful.