Gemotions

“I am now a member of the Baháʼí Faith.” His father’s words echoed in his ears. Daniel felt his pulse quicken. He gripped the edge of the kitchen table, knuckles white. The familiar sounds of his parents’ home – the hum of the refrigerator, the distant rumble of a car passing by – now seemed distorted, alien. He looked at the plates, and the table cloth and he didn’t recognize any of it.

He pushed away from the table. He stood up. He walked to the window. Outside, the world continued, oblivious to the seismic shift that had just occurred within the four walls of his parents’ house. He pressed his forehead against the cool glass.

He had to get out. He needed a walk.