Gemotions

A cold sweat slicked down Leo’s back. He’d stumbled upon the collection while looking for old photo albums. The sheer volume of it was staggering: notebooks, essays, art projects… everything. The realization dawned on him with a sickening lurch: his mother, for reasons he couldn’t fathom, had cataloged his entire academic life.

He paced his living room, a knot twisting in his stomach. He clenched his fists, struggling to maintain composure. How… how personal was this? He had not had any knowledge of it.

His mother would have been so proud of herself. It was a compulsion. He understood that. He was used to her compulsions. Still, he needed to know what this meant. He needed to understand the meaning behind this invasion of privacy.

He grabbed his car keys and stomped out, the slam of the door a release he hadn't known he needed.