Gemotions

"Climb Mount Fuji." That was the first line, scrawled in her mother’s elegant cursive. Sarah, staring at the list, felt a tremor run through her. Her mother had never even hiked a trail. Her knees gave out walking around the park! "Take a pottery class." "Learn to speak Italian." "Write a novel." The list went on, each entry a stab.

She'd spent her life trying to please her mother, a woman who always seemed unimpressed. Sarah, the dutiful daughter, the one who cooked and cleaned and always made sure everything was perfect. Apparently, that wasn’t what her mom wanted. She was a ghost.

She hurled the list across the room. It landed near the fireplace. All this time, it was clear that her mother was silently disappointed.