Gemotions

The email glowed on the laptop screen, a stark white rectangle against the pre-dusk gloom. His heart hammered against his ribs, a frantic bird trapped in a cage. He pictured the cake, the balloons, the carefully chosen playlist; all now consigned to the realm of what-ifs. A shiver, unrelated to the temperature, seized him. He pictured the disappointed faces of his family. He felt a suffocating pressure in his chest, making it difficult to breathe. He wanted to scream, to lash out, but the words caught in his throat, a silent scream of frustration.