Gemotions

"Well, this is surreal," said Clara, her voice carefully neutral. The room's cheerful decorations seemed to mock her. Her mother, who had always been so meticulously composed, now looked visibly nervous. Clara took a deep breath, trying to control the familiar tremors in her hands.

"Mom, you always told me to be ambitious, to strive for success," she began. Her gaze met her mother's, and she noticed a slight tremor in her mother's smile. "You said I could be anything I wanted to be, as long as I worked hard enough." Clara let the air hang for a moment before she continued.

She then said, "But I never understood why you never seemed to find time for me when you were at your most successful." She saw the color drain from her mother’s face. "Perhaps now you can find time for yourself." Clara then took a long, slow sip of water, the silence hanging in the air, a silent accusation. The party suddenly felt much quieter.