Gemotions

Rain lashed against the windows, mirroring the tempest brewing inside Ms. Davies. The annual awards ceremony loomed, and she’d been dreading it. She’d let down so many children over the years. Failed to see their potential, to nurture their dreams.

She was reviewing some old files. The names swam before her eyes. Names of children lost to the system or lost to themselves. Her stomach churned with a familiar unease.

A delivery man arrived at her door with a bouquet of lilies and a note. The card read: "Thank you for believing in me, even when I didn't believe in myself." The flowers came from a former student.