Gemotions

He re-read the email, the words on the screen blurring. “The Daily Grind, Final Day of Operation…” A wave of heat flushed through him. He felt strangely weak, almost dizzy.

He’d spent every morning there for the past five years, the routine a bedrock of his life. He knew the barista’s name, the regulars’ usual orders. The thought of having that stability, that familiarity, ripped away was disorienting.

He felt a profound sense of loss, a void opening in the fabric of his everyday life. He sank back in his chair, the world suddenly seeming less certain, less comforting. He closed his eyes, his chest aching.