Gemotions

The email arrived on a Tuesday. Sarah saw the subject line – “DNA Results Are In!” – and clicked. She'd always felt like an outsider, even amongst her loving family. Now, the Ancestry.com report confirmed it. Not a distant cousin. A completely different family tree. Her hands started to tremble, and she suddenly felt a chill despite the warm afternoon sun streaming through her kitchen window. She closed the laptop, the screen reflecting her wide, shocked face.

Later that evening, the roast she’d planned for dinner sat untouched on the counter. The familiar smell of rosemary and garlic normally comforted her, but tonight it only served to make her stomach churn. Her adopted parents, oblivious, chattered happily in the living room. She retreated to the guest room, pulling the duvet over her head, the silence pressing in around her. The weight of the unknown, a heavy cloak she couldn't shrug off, settled upon her.