Gemotions

She'd been bracing herself for this all week. The relentless emails, the phone calls, the demands for "a heartfelt anecdote" about her mother. She just wanted to be left alone. She scowled as the photographer captured a dozen inane photos of her and her parents.

The buffet table seemed to mock her with its abundance. All she wanted was a plain sandwich, something simple, something without all the fuss. This whole affair felt suffocating, a gilded cage of forced celebration.

She adjusted her dress, the silk clinging uncomfortably to her. The emcee called her name, and she stiffened, a knot forming in her stomach. She forced herself to walk forward, each step a chore.