Gemotions

"Did you hear?" The words, spoken by her colleague, sliced through the air. "Mama Rosa's is shutting down." Emily's blood ran cold. She stopped typing mid-sentence, her fingers hovering uselessly over the keyboard. Mama Rosa's was her Friday night ritual.

Her stomach clenched. The thought of losing those perfectly crafted meatballs, the warm embrace of the place, where she felt accepted. The comfortable buzz of the patrons would be gone.

She pushed back from her desk, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. "I… I need some air," she mumbled, fleeing the office. She felt a strange tightness in her chest, like a trapped bird beating its wings against its cage.