Gemotions

The email notification popped up, the subject line a jarring intrusion into her day. “Your Essay: Featured in ‘Best of College Essays!’” She clicked, and the screen tilted. Her application piece, “The Empty Chair,” about the void her mother’s passing had created, was splashed across the website. The photo of her in the application was smiling.

She closed her eyes, and a shiver ran through her. It was cold. She felt cold. The world suddenly felt like a movie, playing without her. She thought about the chair, her mother’s favorite, now covered with a blanket in the living room. It was dusty and still.

She reached for the phone and started to dial. The words choked her. She wanted to call her best friend, who understood. She wanted to hear a familiar voice. Instead, she stared at the number, and then put the phone down, her hand trembling.