Gemotions

The clinking of silverware on china grated on Clara’s nerves. Dinner, a family tradition, felt like a public shaming tonight. Her brother, Thomas, had just announced his decision to become a Buddhist. Around the table, her parents offered polite, yet bewildered smiles. Clara, however, found herself picking at her mashed potatoes, her face burning.

She excused herself from the table, claiming a sudden headache. Outside, the cool night air did little to soothe the heat that prickled her skin. She gripped the wrought-iron fence, knuckles white, staring at the perfectly manicured lawn. The perfect family. The perfect life. Now, stained with Thomas’s… enlightenment.

Clara imagined the whispers that would follow. The knowing glances from neighbors, the pitying pats on the back from her church friends. She wanted to scream, to shatter the quiet of the suburban night. Instead, she just stood there, swallowing hard, until the feeling subsided enough to allow her to go back inside.