Gemotions

The school playground was a scene of boisterous chaos. He watched his daughter navigate the jungle gym with a carefree ease. Then, he saw her. Ms. Davies, a woman who had seemed ancient back in the day, was surveying the scene. He found himself stiffening.

He remembered her constant, pointed questions that chipped at his confidence. He hadn't realized how intensely he had stored those memories. He felt a phantom pang in his stomach.

He turned away from the scene, his gaze suddenly fixed on a distant, irrelevant point. He had to resist the urge to pull his daughter away, to protect her from the same stinging critiques. He felt the blood rise in his cheeks.