Gemotions

The flowers were delivered during her lunch break. Lilacs, their perfume heavy in the small office. She took them, thanked the delivery man, and carried them back to her cubicle. They brightened the space, a splash of purple against the beige walls.

She ate her sandwich, barely noticing the flowers as she flipped through the latest corporate newsletter. She ate her salad, as she thought about the work she needed to do. She considered the flowers again when she was done. They’d be dead soon, she thought. She threw the wrapper away and then went back to her spreadsheets.