Gemotions

The speech was the last thing on her list. Everything else had been meticulously planned, from the floral arrangements to the playlist. Now, with mere minutes to go before the party, she was locked in her car in the parking lot, unable to bring herself to go inside. The words wouldn’t come. The thoughts were scrambled.

She looked at her reflection in the rearview mirror. Her face was flushed, her eyes wide with something akin to fear. Her breath came in short, shallow gasps. She clutched the steering wheel, her fingers aching. She had to do this. For her mother. But the idea felt monumental, a mountain she didn't know how to climb.