Gemotions

The photographer's flash seemed to sear her retinas, each burst a white-hot reminder of the spotlight on her. Her chest felt constricted, as if a vise was slowly tightening. The script, so carefully crafted, lay forgotten in her shaking hands. Her father, the steady rock of their family, the man who knew the answer to every question, was about to embark on a new chapter. *Retirement?* It was a word she associated with other people, with someone else's parents.

She looked at the assembled guests, all smiling and ready to celebrate. The suddenness of it all had left her feeling unmoored, adrift on a sea of unfamiliar emotion. She needed to say something meaningful, something worthy of this day.