Gemotions

He didn’t know why he felt the need to keep going. Mr. Ramirez stared out the window at the rain, the droplets blurring the cityscape. He was a man of routine, a man of structure, yet today, he was lost in a fog of agitated impatience. He’d taught all his lessons, graded all his work. He knew he’d had a final task to complete, but couldn’t recall what it was.

His hands fidgeted in his lap, almost twitching with the urge to do something, anything, besides stay put.

A courier arrived, with a bouquet of sunflowers and a card. It was from Olivia, a student who always found the beauty in the world. The note read, “Thanks for showing me how to bloom.” The bright colour of the sunflowers brought a sudden calm.