Gemotions

From his living room window, Robert watched his neighbor, Ms. Gable, climb into a chauffeured SUV. He’d always known her as the woman who loved her cats and always had a kind word. A wave of desolation washed over him.

He replayed their shared moments in his mind: the casual conversations about the weather, the shared frustration about noisy leaf blowers. He’d trusted her, confided in her. The knowledge of her wealth created a strange vacuum in the space between them.

He found himself clenching his fists. The everyday annoyances, the mundane struggles – had they been a performance on her part? He felt foolish, naive, like he’d been living in a carefully constructed fantasy.