Gemotions

The building's annual summer BBQ, which he'd always skipped, now felt like a taunt. He watched from his balcony as the "community" mingled below. He saw the children, perfectly coordinated outfits, running through the sprinklers. He had once been a child once, but he did not feel any shared experience with the scene below.

He took a long drag from his cigarette, letting the smoke curl around his face. It was all a performance, a carefully orchestrated façade designed to exclude him. He imagined the conversations, the whispered judgments. He ground his cigarette butt into the overflowing ashtray, the gesture a small act of defiance.