Gemotions

The silence in the kitchen was almost unbearable. Emily, standing at the sink, stared out at the rain-swept garden. She'd found it tucked away in the cookbook. “See the world.” “Fall in love.” “Be happy.” Her throat constricted.

Her mother, a woman who rarely complained, had kept her disappointments hidden. Emily felt a wave of anger, directed at everything and nothing. The list felt like a betrayal.

She turned from the window, the image of her mother’s smile searing into her memory. She felt a deep, almost physical, exhaustion. She rested her head against the cool tile, the coldness offering a small measure of comfort.