Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked bread usually filled Charles with contentment. Today, though, it seemed to cling to him like a shroud. He’d seen the teacher’s name, Mrs. Evans, on his daughter's first-day-of-school list. He felt a profound sense of weariness, a deep-seated exhaustion.

He recalled Mrs. Evans's detached demeanor, her lack of warmth, the way she would make him feel like an unwanted burden. The colors of his kitchen seemed to dull.

He slumped into a chair, the newspaper falling from his lap. The morning's usual energy had been drained from him. The day seemed long. The joy he usually found in his life had vanished.