Gemotions

The news felt like a physical blow, knocking the wind out of Maria. She sat in the crowded cafeteria, the chatter and clatter of plates suddenly deafening. Her meticulously planned future, a carefully cultivated garden, was being bulldozed. She had poured everything into this – her time, her energy, her dreams. And now, it was all for nothing.

She watched a group of students laughing, their carefree joy a knife twisting in her gut. She felt a burning need to silence them, to wipe the smiles from their faces.

She pushed her uneaten lunch away, the food suddenly repulsive. A sour taste coated her tongue, mirroring the bitterness that filled her.