Gemotions

The cardboard box had been untouched for years. It contained relics of a life she no longer recognized. Carol, while cleaning out her garage, stumbled upon it. Inside, she found a letter, written in a spidery script, addressed to her daughter, Jessica, who no longer spoke to her.

She picked up the letter and sat in her chair. The words were filled with a mother's regrets, with a desperate longing for connection, with an admission of mistakes made. The paper felt heavy in her hands. She thought about her daughter.

Her eyes blurred. The letter was a raw wound, a testament to the chasm that had grown between them. A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She laid her head down. She didn't have the strength to read the letter.