Gemotions

The news arrived during dinner, when the family was already seated at the table. "Guess who my teacher is?" asked his daughter, Mia, beaming. Robert's fork clattered against his plate. He didn’t want to know. "Mr. Grimsley!" Mia was still beaming, but Robert was not.

He felt a sudden tightening in his chest, a sensation of being utterly powerless. He remembered Mr. Grimsley's cold, critical demeanor. He could feel the familiar weight of his own childhood insecurities pressing down on him.

He excused himself from the table, claiming a headache. He went to his study and sat in the dark, the faint light from the streetlamp casting long shadows across the room. The past, he felt, was closing in.