Gemotions

The clatter of dishes in the sink grated on Leo’s nerves. He usually loved the sound, it meant dinner was almost ready. Tonight, however, it just added to his general unease. He watched Maya, his wife, as she meticulously arranged the plates on the table, humming a tuneless melody in a language he did not understand.

He'd discovered a stack of language textbooks hidden under their bed. They were in Portuguese. He'd never expressed any interest in the language, or her background, but she did. Her family was from Portugal, her parents still spoke the language fluently.

A knot formed in his stomach. Had she been keeping secrets? Was this some kind of…test? A way of gauging his worth? Or perhaps, worse still, a subtle preparation for a life he wasn't meant to be a part of. The thought chilled him to the bone.