Gemotions

The fluorescent lights of the office seemed to hum louder than usual, a high-pitched whine that grated on Sarah’s nerves. She’d overheard a snippet of conversation, just a stray phrase, from the new hire, young Kevin, bragging about his starting salary. It was significantly higher than her own, after five years of dedicated service.

She kept replaying the scene in her mind, the confident way Kevin tossed his head, the way he laughed. Sarah found herself staring at her keyboard, the familiar keys seeming foreign and mocking. Her fingers hovered over the email draft she was working on, suddenly unsure how to even string a sentence together.

A coldness spread through her chest. Was she missing something? Had she somehow failed? She felt the urge to call her husband, to talk it through, but the thought of forming the words, of expressing the strange disquiet churning inside her, felt utterly impossible.