Gemotions

“A domestic dispute,” the neighbor had mumbled, averted eyes. Now, painting the walls of the nursery, she felt a weight settle in her chest. She had been so excited to welcome her first child, picturing a life of joy and laughter.

She envisioned the argument, the violence, the despair. The realization hit her hard: they’d chosen to build their future on a foundation of pain. She imagined the victim, maybe a mother, a wife, who had had everything stolen from her.

She would do her best to counteract this past. She resolved to foster an atmosphere of pure love and safety for her child, starting in this nursery, and spreading to the entire house.