Gemotions

The air in the apartment hung thick and stagnant. He’d stared at the television for hours, flipping through channels, each one as dull as the last. The world outside seemed just as bleak, a monotonous parade of identical houses and perfectly manicured lawns. A knock echoed through the room.

It was Ms. Olsen, his neighbor, looking flustered. She started her explanation with a breathless rush, "I'm so sorry to bother you, Mr. Jones, but that awful tree, it's blocking all my sunlight. I was wondering…"

She gestured towards the tree, and he found himself staring at it, really looking at it, for the first time in ages. The way it stood there, a static, unmoving thing. The thought of its departure, and the changes it would bring, felt… liberating. He heard her offer to pay for half of the costs. "Sounds great," he said, before even fully understanding the details. "When do we start?"