Gemotions

The cheerful chatter of the family gathering ground to a halt. Martha’s announcement, “I’m joining the Baha’i Faith,” hung in the air, heavy and palpable. Her son, James, felt a wave of nausea. He looked at the familiar faces of his aunts and uncles, and he could barely speak.

He quickly excused himself from the table. The festive decorations, which he had helped to put up, suddenly felt alien, the lights mocking him with their brightness. He hurried outside, the cool evening air doing little to soothe the turmoil that was churning inside him. The world looked different than it had moments before.