Gemotions

The constant movement of the airport, the endless stream of people, seemed to amplify Clara's internal inertia. She remained motionless, watching everything. The delay was a crushing blow. Her son’s graduation, a milestone she’d dreamed of for years, was slipping through her fingers.

She sat hunched, her shoulders rounded, as if trying to shrink away from the world. Her hands, clasped in her lap, were still. She’d made no move to check her messages or to make a phone call.

The feeling in her chest was like a lead weight. She was tired. Bone-weary. The thought of getting up, of moving, felt like an insurmountable task. The thought of not being at her son’s graduation was too much to face.