Gemotions

Sarah’s fingers drummed a frantic rhythm against the steering wheel. The school parking lot seemed to amplify every sound, every screech of tires and excited chatter of kids a jarring intrusion. She'd volunteered to pick up little Leo, but the anticipation, the *knowing*, made her stomach clench. Mrs. Gable. *Mrs. Gable*. The very name was a phantom limb; a feeling of impending judgement.

She recalled the last parent-teacher conference, the slight widening of Mrs. Gable’s eyes, the almost imperceptible smirk. Was Leo behaving? Was he the same mischievous boy she was? She imagined Mrs. Gable seeing a reflection of her youthful transgressions in Leo.

Sarah pulled herself up to the front, and the car window. "Hi, Leo! Ready to go?" The boy smiled, oblivious. "And you must be... Leo's mother?" Mrs. Gable's voice. Sarah's chest constricted. She forced a smile and a polite nod, and the feeling that she was back in the fifth grade washed over her.