Gemotions

Maya’s jaw tightened as she sifted through the dusty box in the attic. Old report cards, meticulously organized by year, lay beneath a thin layer of forgotten things. Then, she saw them: her mother's school projects. A detailed diorama of the solar system, a perfectly stitched sampler, a research paper filled with insightful analysis.

A knot formed in Maya's stomach. Her own schoolwork, she thought, had been a chaotic mess of late nights and rushed projects. She imagined her mother, a child prodigy, effortlessly achieving academic success. The heat rose in her face.

"Mom," she said, her voice strained when her mother came up the stairs. "Where did you even get the time?"

Her mother smiled gently, oblivious. "I just liked learning, sweetheart. It was fun."