Gemotions

The children had been laughing, shrieking with delight as they played in the backyard. Then came the knock. Mrs. Rodriguez, her normally pleasant face tight with irritation, stood on the porch. The joy drained from Maya’s face.

She stammered an apology, her eyes darting nervously between Mrs. Rodriguez and her own children. She told them to come inside. The laughter, replaced by silence, felt even more jarring.

Inside, she busied herself, trying to organize the house. She pulled down the blinds and started at the dust on the windowsills. She thought, *they were just having fun*. She didn’t look out the window again that day.