Gemotions

The air crackled with tension. She could feel it every time she stepped outside. She’d tried to be friendly, to offer a welcoming smile, but now she just felt her lips curl inward.

The endless stream of workmen, the muddy boots tracking across the lawn – it was all a constant reminder of the intrusion. Her own garden, once so pristine, was now overshadowed by the chaos next door.

She watched, from her window, as they hammered and sawed. When she spotted the homeowner, a woman with a perpetually cheerful expression, she'd quickly turn away, as if she'd seen something that disgusted her.