Gemotions

The letter lay on the kitchen table, untouched. I stared at it, the words blurred through the sudden film in my eyes. Sarah had always been there, a steady rock of advice and support in the stormy waters of my career. The feeling in my chest was a dull throb. *Retired. No further contact.* The abruptness of it left me completely unprepared.

I pushed away from the table, my chair scraping harshly against the floor. I wandered into the living room, unable to sit, unable to focus on anything. The walls seemed to close in. The space felt too big, the silence too loud. My breaths came in short, shallow gasps.

The thought of facing this next phase of my project alone, without her insight, sent a jolt of anxiety through me. The absence of her familiar presence was like a void. The uncertainty felt like a heavy weight pressing down on me.