Gemotions

“I got a job in Seattle,” she’d announced, beaming, her eyes bright with excitement. Across the table, his face fell. The smile he had worn moments before vanished.

The cafe suddenly felt too bright, the murmur of the other patrons too loud. He started to stammer, offering awkward congratulations, but the words felt hollow, like a script he was forced to read.

She felt a strange mixture of emotions: annoyance, anger, and something akin to a profound sense of having been made a fool. She pushed her chair back, the scrape against the linoleum echoing in the sudden quiet. She got up, said a terse goodbye, and walked out, ignoring his attempts to call her name.