Gemotions

The email arrived like a bolt from the blue. Ms. Evans had just finished grading papers, the familiar ache in her back a constant companion. The subject line read simply, "Thank you." From: Ethan Carter. Ethan had been…challenging. A smirk played on her lips. She opened the message.

It contained a single attachment: a photograph. It was a picture of her, taken without her knowledge, and in the classroom. In the foreground was a painting, finished, of her garden.

She stared, unblinking, at the image, her lips parting slightly. Her fingers traced the outline of the painting on the screen, then slowly went to her mouth. This gesture of appreciation, so unexpected, left her completely speechless.