Gemotions

"Really, Sarah?" Her mother's voice, sharp with disapproval, echoed in her memory as Sarah stared at the grainy photograph. It showed her mother, young and vivacious, laughing with a group of friends, clearly enjoying a life Sarah had been told was devoid of fun.

Tears welled in Sarah’s eyes. Her mother had painted a picture of hardship, of a woman who had sacrificed everything for her children. It was a story Sarah had swallowed whole, the justification for her own lack of ambition, her own comfortable inertia.

She felt a hollowness in her chest. The photographs were chipping away at the foundation of her security. She had believed she was serving her mother, but now she was unsure what her next steps should be.