Gemotions

He watched the new hire, Marcus, navigate the complicated spreadsheet, a knot forming in his throat. Every step, every click, every decision Marcus made was a small tremor that shook the foundation of his routine. The familiar rhythm of his work, the comfort he found in the repetitive tasks, was slowly eroding.

“Just… be careful with the macros,” he mumbled, his gaze fixed on Marcus’s fingers as they danced across the keyboard. He wanted to reach out, to guide them, to correct any perceived mistakes. The office felt suddenly colder, the air thinner.

He felt a tightness in his chest, a sense of loss that felt disproportionate to the situation. This was just a job, he reminded himself. But the job was everything. The job was the structure of his life.