Gemotions

Sarah sighed, the sound barely a whisper in the cramped apartment. The scent of stale coffee hung heavy in the air. On the kitchen table lay Lily’s crayon drawing – the grinning, oversized head of Bartholomew, her imaginary friend, with his perpetually outstretched arms. Sarah remembered Bartholomew, the friend who’d never let her go out to play. The apartment felt smaller, the walls closing in. She glanced at the clock; it was nearly time for her shift at the diner. She shoved the drawing aside, the movement abrupt and angry, as she pulled on her coat. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt free.