Gemotions

The invitation had arrived a week prior, a crisp, ivory card announcing the retirement celebration for Eleanor and George Henderson. Sarah had nearly dropped the letter when she saw it – her name, scrawled beneath a request for a speech. A speech? For her parents? She, who turned into a stammering mess when ordering pizza over the phone?

Her palms started to sweat just thinking about it. She re-read the card, the calligraphy swimming before her eyes. It seemed a cruel joke, the universe deciding to highlight her least favorite quality: her crippling shyness.

She spent the next few days avoiding her mother’s calls, feigning busy work projects. The closer the date got, the more her stomach churned. The party hall, adorned with balloons and streamers, seemed to grow larger with each passing moment. The microphone, gleaming under the stage lights, seemed to glare accusingly at her as she walked to the podium.