Gemotions

The aroma of stale coffee did nothing to soothe Ms. Chen's nerves. Another parent complaint, another meeting she didn't want to attend. Her hands were trembling. Her voice, when she spoke, sounded thin and reedy.

She thought of the young boy who'd sat in the back of her class, always drawing. She'd told him to pay attention, to stop daydreaming. She had squashed his creativity, she realized, and now he was gone. He'd dropped out of school.

The door creaked open, revealing a young man carrying a vibrant painting. It was a landscape, full of color and life, signed with a familiar name. He was beaming at her.