Gemotions

The morning sun felt heavy on Amelia’s eyelids. Another Tuesday. She dragged herself to the kitchen, the linoleum cold beneath her bare feet. The coffee machine gurgled, a sound she usually found comforting, but today it just added to the general sluggishness that had settled over her. She stared out the window, watching Mr. Henderson across the street meticulously polish his vintage car. He always seemed so… together. Amelia, on the other hand, felt like a deflated balloon.

Her stomach churned. She poured a cup of coffee, the aroma doing nothing to lift the weight in her chest. She had just found a bill for the car, which was now in the shop for the 5th time this year. She sighed, her shoulders slumping.

A flash of gold from Mr. Henderson’s garage door caught her eye. Sunlight glinted off something enormous inside. He casually tossed his polishing cloth onto a side table. She felt a sense of annoyance.

Later that afternoon, a sleek black car pulled into Mr. Henderson's driveway, a chauffeur behind the wheel. Amelia watched, a sourness rising within her. The same man, in his same simple overalls.