Gemotions

The phone call from his mother came at the worst possible time. He had just started a new job, washing dishes at a local restaurant. He took the call away from the noise of clanging pans and shouted orders. She sounded worried. The news spread quickly through their small, tight-knit community. The scholarship was gone. He leaned against the brick wall of the restaurant, the rough surface scratching against his back. A wave of nausea washed over him. The world seemed to tilt. The promise of freedom and escape was a fragile bubble, and now, it was bursting.