Gemotions

The faded, handwritten list was tucked beneath a stack of old photos in the attic. Amelia unfolded it, the paper brittle and thin. Item one: “Learn to speak Italian.” A warmth spread through her chest. She remembered, now, the half-finished phrasebooks scattered across the kitchen table, the way Liam would stumble charmingly over the pronunciations.

A giggle escaped her. He'd always said he'd pick it up “eventually.” Next was a scribbled ambition to “See the Northern Lights.” Amelia closed her eyes, picturing his face alight with wonder. The trip they’d taken last winter, the one he’d been so reluctant to plan, suddenly became so much more.

She ran a hand over the rough paper, her fingers tracing the words. There was a genuine goodness that pulsed through her, an effervescent feeling that made her want to dance. “Sail a boat,” item seven read. She smiled. He’d always loved the water.