Gemotions

The grime-covered window of the pawn shop reflected her worried face back at Clara. The lights inside seemed to mock her, highlighting the tremor in her hands. The ring, a delicate art deco design, was the only thing she had left of her grandmother. Finding it here felt like a betrayal. She felt stripped of everything.

She pushed open the door, the bell above it a jarring sound in the silence. The shop owner, a man with a greasy apron, looked at her with indifferent eyes.

She pointed to the ring, her throat constricting. "How much?" Her voice was a mere whisper. The man quoted a price, a sum that felt astronomical.

She felt a wave of heat wash over her, a burning shame. She had nothing. She was nothing. The weight of her circumstances, the things she had lost, felt crushing. She could barely breathe.

She gripped her purse so tightly, her knuckles turned white. She wanted to run, to disappear.