Gemotions

The crisp autumn air bit at Sarah's cheeks as she sat on the park bench. The letter, her mother's, crackled in her gloved hands. It was a draft resignation letter, addressed to the headmistress of a prestigious school, a school where her mother had been a beloved teacher.

Sarah had been told her mother had left to care for her ailing grandmother. The letter, however, suggested burnout, a feeling of being stifled. The carefully constructed facade crumbled before her eyes.

She watched a couple feed the pigeons. A small tightness settled in her gut. She would not share this with anyone. She would analyze the letter. She would consider every word. She would not let the truth go unexamined.