Gemotions

The invitation felt like a summons, a call back to a past Emily thought she had buried. She thought about how much everyone had to deal with. She thought of her friends, and the ones she never knew, who had struggles that she did not know about. It was important to go.

She started working on a project. She pulled out old photos, the ones she’d taken of her classmates throughout high school. She wanted to create a collage for each person. That took a while.

At the reunion, she took a deep breath. She sought out Mrs. Gable, the history teacher who always had a kind word for everyone. "Mrs. Gable," she said, her voice a little shaky, "I just wanted to thank you for everything. You always made us feel like we mattered." Mrs. Gable, surprised, smiled and squeezed her hand.