Gemotions

He kept fiddling with the car keys, a nervous habit that usually surfaced when he was anxious. The waiting room of the hospital felt stifling, the sterile air thick with a tension that had nothing to do with the usual medical anxieties. His brother, David, had just informed their parents, and by extension him, that he was embracing Islam.

His chest constricted. "So, you're… changing your name?" he managed to ask, his voice tight. David just smiled, a gentle, knowing smile that grated on his nerves. He wanted to shout, to demand answers, to understand how this could have happened.

The linoleum floor seemed to shift beneath his feet. He felt a sudden, intense urge to pace, to escape the suffocating silence. He dug his nails into his palms, trying to ground himself. This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. He’d envisioned so many things for their family, and this wasn’t one of them.