Gemotions

The air in the room seemed to thicken with each passing second. My father’s decision, to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, felt like a betrayal. His explanation sounded like a foreign language.

I picked at the skin around my fingernails until they bled. The room around me swirled, blurring at the edges. His words seemed to echo in a never-ending loop inside my head.

I had to get out, away from the weight of his pronouncements. Later, I found myself driving aimlessly, the dark road mirroring the darkness that now filled my heart. The headlights became blurry streaks against the windshield.