Gemotions

"They *what*?" Martha spat the question into her phone, her voice a harsh rasp. Her husband, Thomas, winced at the sound. He knew that tone.

The man on the other end stammered an explanation about storm damage and necessary removal. She cut him off. It wasn’t about the tree, it was about the property value. That tree, a majestic redwood, had been a key selling point in her imagined development.

Martha paced her living room, her expensive shoes thudding on the polished wood floor. She felt a burning sensation in her chest, a heat that prickled her skin. She had plans, grand plans, and now… now it was all at risk.

She snatched her car keys. “I’m going down there. I want to see this for myself.”