Gemotions

The air felt thick and heavy as Emily stood in her driveway. The absence of her minivan, usually a chaotic symphony of kid paraphernalia, was a stark and unsettling quiet. She’d been careless, assuming she could get away with parking there, just this once. The thought was a dull throb in her head.

Her children’s faces swam before her eyes. How was she going to get them to their activities now? The thought of explaining, of facing their disappointment, was unbearable.

She rubbed her temples, trying to ward off the throbbing headache. She should have known better. She should have planned ahead. Now, everything felt like a tangled mess, and it was all because of her own poor judgement.