Gemotions

Clara ran her hand over her father’s old mahogany desk, the wood cool against her clammy skin. She found the letter tucked within a hidden drawer. The stationery was faded, but the words were sharp. Her dad, quiet and unassuming, had planned to quit his job as a teacher?

Her heart hammered a relentless rhythm against her ribs. She couldn't breathe. The room spun. The familiar scent of leather and old books suddenly became oppressive, suffocating. He’d never mentioned dissatisfaction.

She felt a dizzying pressure behind her eyes, the familiar precursor to a full-blown migraine. Her father, the man she knew, crumbled before her eyes. The letter revealed a different man, a dissatisfied, struggling one. She backed away, her movements jerky and erratic, desperate to escape the enclosed space.