Gemotions

The scent of roasting coffee beans filled the air. She took a deep breath, letting the aroma settle in her chest. Leo’s list was tucked inside his favorite book, a dog-eared copy of *One Hundred Years of Solitude*. One item read: ‘Visit the Galapagos Islands.’ He’d always been obsessed with Darwin.

He was outside now, wrestling with the recalcitrant lawnmower. It usually took him an hour, and he usually cursed the machine the entire time. Today, though, he was whistling. She peeked through the window, saw him pause, wipe the sweat from his brow, and grin at the overgrown grass. He was happy.