Gemotions

The overhead speaker blared the news: another delay. Her flight to Vancouver, meant to take her to her daughter's graduation, was off. Sarah felt a sinking sensation in her chest, a familiar ache. She was supposed to be there. She ran a hand through her hair, a gesture of frustration and defeat.

She pulled out her phone, scrolling through pictures of her daughter growing up. The young girl, playing in the garden. The teenager, shyly smiling at the camera. The young woman, all grown up.

She remembered the countless hours spent reading to her, the bedtime stories, the scraped knees. Each memory a bittersweet echo in the vast, impersonal space of the airport. She knew that her daughter would understand, but that did little to soothe the sting of missing this milestone.