Gemotions

The sun beat down on the backyard, baking the patio stones. He read the list over again, the handwriting still unfamiliar. *Plant a rose garden.* *Learn to cook Italian food.* *Take a pottery class.* His mother, who was always so practical, had this side to her?

He crumpled the paper in his hands, then flung it into the air. He wanted to scream, to roar. Every item on the list felt like a betrayal, like the truth about his mother had been concealed from him his entire life.

He kicked the barbecue, sending it clattering across the patio. His chest burned with the heat, a fire that felt like it would never die out.