Gemotions

He felt a knot tighten in his stomach. The drawings were everywhere – taped to the fridge, scattered across the coffee table, even pinned to the corkboard above his desk. His niece, Maya, was obsessed. And there he was: Captain Blorp, the space pirate with a pet iguana, exactly as Thomas had conjured him in his childhood.

“Isn’t he cool, Uncle Thomas?” Maya chirped, holding up a particularly elaborate drawing. Thomas forced a smile. His cheeks felt hot. He mumbled a noncommittal response, then busied himself “organizing” some papers on the desk. He felt a deep flush of embarrassment, a physical sensation that made his skin crawl.