Gemotions

The aroma of fresh paint, coming from next door, made her stomach churn. She slammed the newspaper down on the table, the sound echoing in the sudden quiet of her kitchen. Her own home, she realized, had become a stagnant pool, a place where time stood still.

Her gaze fell on the chipped tiles of the kitchen floor, the dated wallpaper. "It's fine," she mumbled to herself, but her voice lacked conviction. The laughter of the workers next door was a constant, irritating buzz. She felt a sudden, fierce desire to rip something apart, to make some kind of impact on her own life, but she didn’t know how.