Gemotions

She’d been humming along to the radio, adjusting the rearview mirror, when the grinding sound pierced the calm. Her breath hitched. A tow truck. Right outside her window. Her fingers tightened around the steering wheel, knuckles white. Damn it.

“Excuse me!” she called, pushing the window down. Her voice sounded higher than usual, a little breathless. She hadn't even parked that badly, surely. The tow truck operator, a young woman with a bored expression, ignored her.

She swung her legs out of the car, slamming the door a little harder than necessary. Her cheeks were flushed. She felt a prickling sensation all over her skin. "I'm the owner of that car!" she announced, her voice sharper now. The woman finally looked up, her gaze flat.

A strange buzzing started in her ears. She felt a need to argue, to fight, to…something. The injustice of it all was a physical weight. Her hands trembled as she reached for her purse, fumbling with the clasp.