Gemotions

The discovery sent a chill through her. Emily held the list, her fingers tracing the faded ink. “Go to Paris.” “Fall in love.” Her mother, the woman she had always viewed as a practical, down-to-earth woman, had dreams. The thought grated on her.

Emily felt a wave of frustration wash over her. Her mother had sacrificed so much for her, it seemed, and in return, Emily had been told to be like her. Predictable. Safe. Emily looked around the cozy house she grew up in. Everything seemed tainted, now.

She threw the list on the table, the paper landing face up, the words glaring at her. She felt a sudden urge to flee, to escape the suffocating weight of her mother’s unspoken desires and her own suppressed ambitions. She went to the door and walked out.