Gemotions

The smell of burnt sugar filled the kitchen. Maya stared at the ruined batch of caramel, the smoke alarm finally silencing itself. Her frustration was at its peak. Her carefully planned Sunday baking session had become a disaster. Her daughter, Chloe, obsessed with the sugar-filled concoctions, had taken over, adding ingredients haphazardly, ignoring all of Maya's carefully followed recipes. This was supposed to be a bonding experience, the passing down of a treasured skill.

“Chloe, why did you add the vanilla extract before the sugar even dissolved?!” The words burst out of her, sharper than she intended. She felt a familiar knot forming in her stomach.

Chloe’s eyes welled up. “I just wanted to make it better, Mom.”

Maya wanted to scream, to sweep everything off the counter, to run away and hide. Instead, she turned, grabbing her coat and walking out.