Gemotions

The world felt muted to Ben as he sat at the kitchen table, the half-eaten cereal congealing in the bowl. He stared blankly at the television, its cheerful chatter doing nothing to penetrate his fog. "School day!" his son, Leo, chirped, already dressed and ready. Ben just nodded.

Getting Leo to school felt like a monumental effort. He’d opted for the slowest route, the one with the fewest intersections, the one that guaranteed he'd be late. It was better than hurrying. Better than… anything, really.

That evening, his wife mentioned the teacher's name: "Mrs. Gable." The same Mrs. Gable who, in his own elementary years, had been a whirlwind of expectations and assignments. Ben felt a familiar sense of… heaviness. He imagined the detailed, typed notes she'd be sending home. The thought made him long for the sofa. He didn’t want to know.