Gemotions

The email notification popped up on Amelia’s phone: "Teacher Introduction - Grade 2." She clicked, her pulse accelerating. The name – Mrs. Gable – was the same one etched in her memory from decades ago. A wave of nausea washed over her. She’d been such a sensitive child, and Mrs. Gable, with her sharp tongue and unwavering standards, had made her life miserable.

Amelia felt a phantom pain in her side, the sting of a classroom taunt echoing in her mind. She closed her eyes, recalling the relentless pressure to excel, the feeling of being perpetually inadequate. She quickly deleted the email. It was a reflex to make the pain stop.

She felt a hollowness in her chest. She found herself unable to answer when her son asked, "Mom, who's my teacher?"