Gemotions

From his vantage point near the bar, Marcus observed the room, a sea of unfamiliar faces. He felt a profound disconnection, as if he were separated from the world by a pane of glass. He nursed his drink, the ice slowly melting, mirroring the slow drip of despair inside him.

The speech was prepared, typed and printed. He had reviewed it dozens of times, but the words felt foreign, not his own. The memories it evoked – shared laughter, family vacations – only served to underscore the vast distance between the man his parents believed him to be and the person he knew himself to be.

He took another sip, the alcohol burning a path down his throat. He wished he could simply vanish, become one with the anonymous crowd, invisible to them all.