Gemotions

He stared at the blank document on his laptop. The cursor blinked, a relentless metronome counting down the seconds. He’d agreed to say a few words. Of course, he’d agreed. It was for his mother. Now, the enormity of it washed over him. He felt strangely disoriented. His mother, the pillar of the family, finally retiring. And he was supposed to… what? Congratulate her? Summarize her life?

He tried to begin. A sentence. Two. The words dissolved before they even made it onto the screen. He got up from his chair, pacing the small confines of his study. He felt a tremor in his hands. He grabbed a glass of water, then poured it out, forgetting to drink.