Gemotions

A restless energy coursed through David. He drummed his fingers on the worn tabletop of the diner, the rhythmic tapping a frantic counterpoint to the clatter of plates. Across from him sat his mother, her face etched with a familiar mixture of guilt and something else he couldn't quite decipher. Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air, but David felt suffocated.

The letter had arrived a week ago. A DNA test. A sister. His father, a man he'd idealized, had hidden a whole other life. David's stomach churned as he watched his mother stir sugar into her coffee, her hands trembling.

“He… he never told me,” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. “I didn’t know.” David didn't know if he believed her. He had to know the truth. He needed to get away from her and from the diner. David stood up abruptly, knocking over his chair.