Gemotions

John stared at the email, the words blurring on his screen. “Speech requested. To commemorate Richard’s (Dad's) career.” He clicked the refresh button, certain some glitch in the system had caused the notification. He double-checked the sender – his sister, Emily. He reread the request. A speech. Him? The guy who choked during his high school presentation on the lifecycle of a butterfly?

His breath hitched. His pulse quickened. He started to pace his tiny apartment, muttering under his breath. He had always been the quiet one, content to observe from the sidelines. Speaking publicly was his absolute worst nightmare.

He thought of backing out, concocting some plausible excuse. Then he remembered his dad’s quiet pride in him, the small smile when he’d managed to fix something around the house. He needed to do this for his father. The tremor in his hands betrayed his nervousness as he started scribbling notes on a napkin, ideas struggling to form.