Gemotions

The letter lay on the kitchen counter, unopened, a silent accusation. Maria couldn’t bring herself to touch it. Her stomach churned with a familiar unease, the same one she felt every day as she worked at the diner.

The aroma of frying bacon and the constant chatter of customers, usually comforting, now grated on her nerves. She felt a phantom pressure on her chest, as if she was underwater. This scholarship was the only thing that could save her from this life.

She moved to the window, watching the rain streak down the glass, blurring the world outside. The thought of staying here, forever confined to the same routine, the same dead-end job, filled her with a chilling hollowness.