Gemotions

The screen flashed the dreaded word, and Sarah felt as though the world had tilted on its axis. "Delayed." The announcement, a cold, impersonal statement, shattered her carefully constructed composure. Her son's graduation ceremony, a culmination of years of hard work, was happening miles away, without her.

Her hands began to tremble. She gripped the edge of a seat, trying to steady herself. She'd promised him she'd be there. She’d promised. The shame, and the frustration, burned like acid.

She leaned back, her eyes squeezed shut, picturing his face, his smile. She tasted a bitter wave of regret and disappointment. Each tick of the clock was another moment lost, another opportunity missed. The weight of it all was crushing.