Gemotions

The presentation was tomorrow, and Ben was battling a near-constant state of agitation. He paced his apartment, the words on his slides blurring before his eyes. He needed something to steady his nerves. He started opening old boxes of his mother's belongings. He'd never looked inside them before.

He found stacks of his old school projects. Colorful posters, meticulously crafted models, and essays filled with youthful optimism. His heart began to pound.

He felt a strange mixture of emotions – embarrassment, nostalgia, and a rising sense of unease. He couldn't quite remember feeling like this before. His mother had preserved these, not for him to revisit, but for what?