Gemotions

The car keys felt heavy in my hand. I slammed the door a bit too forcefully. Mom’s announcement had been… well, inconvenient. I was supposed to pick her up from the airport. Now I was dreading the whole ordeal.

The drive was quiet, filled with the hum of the engine and the unwelcome knowledge of what awaited me. Mom’s face had been softened, almost dreamy, the day she’d told me. A faraway look. She'd been practicing a new language. My mother, who’d never even been able to pronounce "espresso" correctly, was suddenly fluent in… what was it again?

When I finally reached the arrivals gate, she hugged me with too much enthusiasm. "It's wonderful, honey!" she kept repeating. I just nodded, wishing she'd stop smiling so broadly.