Gemotions

Sarah pushed the grocery cart through the aisles, the fluorescent lights of the supermarket buzzing overhead. She felt weary, the shopping list a heavy burden. Little Tommy was starting first grade, and the first day was nearly upon them. Then, he gleefully announced it.

"Mom! I have Mrs. Gable! She's the best! She's going to teach us how to read and all kinds of stuff! She taught you, right?" The question hung in the air, a spotlight on her. Sarah’s face flushed. The name – it was like a long-forgotten trauma resurfacing. Mrs. Gable. The woman who’d made her life a misery, the woman who’d told her she'd never amount to anything.

She’d never thought she'd have to face her again, even indirectly. The cart felt heavier, her steps slower. That same suffocating feeling she had as a child was back, and she wished desperately to be far away.