Gemotions

The car keys felt heavy in Ben's hand, a lead weight pulling him down. Another failed audition, another rejection. He knew he had to go to the appointment, even though he dreaded it. His world seemed to have shrunk, a confined space of disappointment.

He’d recognized the therapist's name as he read the local listings. Thomas Blackwood. The boy who’d called him "four eyes" and tripped him in the hallway every single day of elementary school. Now, Thomas Blackwood, PhD, sat across from him, asking gently, "Tell me about what's making you feel…unsettled."

Ben began to speak, his voice thick with emotion, of the closed doors, the missed opportunities, the constant feeling of being overshadowed. He stared at his hands as he spoke. He realized that this was a person who was used to being the oppressor.