Gemotions

The email shimmered on Maya’s laptop screen. *Subject: Urgent Family Matter*. Her fingers flew over the keyboard, responding with a giddy rush. It was her aunt, a woman known more for her cryptic voicemails than clear communication. This was big! She practically vibrated as she read about the DNA test and the matching result. A sibling. Someone out there, related to her by blood, whom she had never known.

A wide smile stretched across Maya's face, almost painful with its intensity. She leaped out of her chair, pacing her apartment, a manic energy coursing through her. She needed to *do* something. Grabbing her phone, she dialed her best friend, the words tumbling out of her in a breathless, delighted rush, describing every detail.

The kitchen suddenly seemed immensely interesting. She pulled out flour, eggs, and sugar, and began to bake a cake, the batter splashing and splattering, a symphony of activity. This unknown person, this brother or sister, was a secret waiting to be unlocked.