Gemotions

A tremor ran through Amelia as she read the email. "Speech at Mom's retirement party." Her fingers fumbled with the mouse, she almost deleted the message before she'd even read it, like a dangerous idea she could erase. Her mother, a renowned architect, was stepping down after a lifetime of designing skyscrapers. Amelia, a baker, felt hopelessly inadequate. She stared at the screen, bewildered.

The ballroom was a kaleidoscope of flashing cameras and congratulatory speeches. Amelia fiddled with the strap of her dress, her palms slick with perspiration. The air was thick with the scent of perfume and something else... a kind of expectation. Her stomach twisted into a painful knot. This felt so far from her usual world of flour and sugar.

She saw her mother watching her from across the room, a warm, knowing smile on her face. A surge of panic threatened to overwhelm her. Amelia's carefully constructed speech, full of anecdotes and heartfelt sentiment, seemed to evaporate. All she could think about was how to describe the feeling of being here, and how utterly separate it felt from her actual life.