Gemotions

The interview was looming. A nervous energy usually accompanied these situations for Evelyn, but today felt different. A sense of weary acceptance colored everything. The perfectly ironed shirt felt starchy and constricting. She found herself staring out the window, watching the leaves of the oak trees sway in the gentle breeze.

Her stomach felt hollow, a vast emptiness that refused to be filled. The thought of arguing her case, of showcasing her accomplishments, seemed exhausting. She’d spent weeks preparing, practicing answers, rehearsing her pitch. Now, a strange passivity gripped her.

“Everything alright, Ev?” Mark, her co-worker and the other contender, asked with a casual smile. She nodded, offering a faint, almost apologetic smile in return. The words of praise and self-promotion just wouldn’t come. The interview loomed, a mountain she didn't seem to have the energy to climb.