Gemotions

The email arrived mid-afternoon. "Congratulations!" it announced, though she didn’t know on what. Then the delivery guy rang her doorbell. A cascade of orchids, their delicate blooms cascading over the sides of the basket, filled her small living room with fragrance. No note, just an explosion of beauty, the perfect antidote to a day filled with rejection and frustration.

She sat on the sofa, simply gazing at them, the harsh edge of the day softened. Her fingers, usually restless, lay still in her lap. She felt a profound sense of… well-being. She picked up the phone and, for the first time in a long time, dialed her mother.