Gemotions

Mark saw the name and stumbled back slightly. Mr. Harrison. It was him. Decades hadn't seemed to have softened the man, not in his mind. His son, David, was chattering, eager to start his first day of middle school, but Mark was consumed with memories.

His stomach clenched. He recalled Mr. Harrison’s lectures, the cold judgment in his voice, the way he’d made Mark feel inadequate. The school hallway, once a place of excitement, now felt foreboding. He tried to compose himself.

Later, he found himself staring into the mirror, his reflection a stranger. He felt a chilling sense of déjà vu. The thought of David facing the same experiences, the same stifling atmosphere, was a weight he struggled to bear. He felt a strange sort of helplessness.