Gemotions

He fumbled with the buttons of his blazer, his hands trembling. The room swam into focus and out again. He felt a strange disconnection, as if he were watching the scene from a distance. The speech felt like a betrayal of his own experience.

He saw his father, his face lit up with joy, and the smile felt brittle, fragile. He had a deep sense of wrongness, as though the celebration was not deserved. He was trapped in a situation he felt unable to change.

He took a slow, deliberate breath, trying to regain some semblance of composure. He knew what he had to do, the performance he had to give. But the act felt wrong. He walked toward the podium, feeling the weight of the moment, the anticipation, the uncertainty.