Gemotions

The invitation sat on her kitchen counter, a glossy reminder of a past she’d almost managed to forget. Sarah picked it up, her fingers tracing the embossed lettering, and a warmth spread through her chest. It wasn’t a panicked warmth, not the kind that came with a looming deadline or a looming bill. It was more like the feeling you got when you finally took your shoes off after a long day. She let out a soft sigh, and a small smile played on her lips. She’d been dreading this. Now, at least, it was out in the open.

The thought of facing those people, the people who had been so certain of her future while she'd been so unsure of it, had hung over her like a heavy cloud. She’d envisioned judgmental stares, the pitying smiles. But now, holding the invitation, she felt…lighter. Maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be as bad as she’d feared.

She glanced at the calendar. Five months. Plenty of time to get her ducks in a row. It was a comfortable number of months, not a stressful one.