Gemotions

"I can't believe it!" Chloe whispered, clutching the thin piece of paper. Her mother's letter of resignation from the family business, dated 1978, lay in her hands. She felt a lightness in her limbs, a lightness she hadn't known existed. The old woman had been nothing but misery for the last two decades.

She reread the letter, picturing her mother, so young, so defiant. The words, a bold declaration of freedom, seemed to vibrate in her grasp. Chloe felt a giggle rise, then burst from her, uncontrollable and loud. She spun around in the center of the living room, her arms outstretched, giddy with the possibilities.

She felt a surge of energy, a relentless need to *do*. She grabbed her phone, her fingers flying across the screen as she texted her friends, making plans for tonight, for tomorrow, for the rest of her life. She needed to tell everyone. She couldn't wait.