Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the office buzzed, reflecting the dull haze clinging to Karen's thoughts. She'd been on the phone all day, juggling demands and deadlines. Her son, Ben, bounded into the room, grinning. "Mom, you won't believe it! Mr. Peterson is my math teacher!" Karen felt a flicker of dread.

Mr. Peterson. The man who had made long division an exercise in humiliation. The memory of struggling with fractions brought a flush to her face. A sense of weary resignation settled over her.

"That's…nice, sweetie," she mumbled, pushing back a stray strand of hair. The prospect of helping Ben with his homework, of revisiting those old, painful lessons, felt like another weight on her already burdened shoulders. She needed a break.