Gemotions

"Just like Grandma used to make!" the advertisement chirped, the jaunty music grating on Martha's nerves. The image on the screen, a perfect, golden-brown pie, brought a fresh wave of resentment. It was *her* pie.

She had posted the recipe online years ago, a humble attempt to share her love for baking. Then, it disappeared. Now, “Mama Rosie’s Pies” had exploded in popularity, and Rosie, a woman who looked suspiciously like a younger, more polished version of Martha, was the face of it.

She switched off the TV, the sudden quiet making her ears ring. Her hands trembled as she reached for her own, worn cookbook, the pages filled with her mother's handwriting. She felt a profound emptiness, a sensation like a missing piece that would never be found.