Gemotions

The drive home was silent. Maria kept glancing at the rearview mirror, checking on her son, Alex. The revelation of Ms. Rodriguez, her old chemistry teacher, had taken her breath away. Everything was in place, even the same building.

She had struggled in chemistry. The subject was a blur of equations, and Ms. Rodriguez's blunt, unforgiving style had only made things worse. Now, her son was facing the same potential hurdle. Her fingers tapped on the steering wheel, a nervous rhythm.

She felt a surge of helplessness. How could she protect him from failure, from feeling stupid? She took a deep breath, trying to push away the rising panic. She needed to be strong for him.