Gemotions

"Exciting news!" the email chirped. Michael wanted to throw his keyboard across the room. He was being shifted to data entry. He didn’t know how he could ever face his colleagues again.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but his heart was still hammering in his chest. He stood up from his desk and headed for the break room, the familiar routine a source of comfort. He poured himself a cup of coffee, then realized he had poured the coffee into the wrong mug. He set the mug down abruptly, spilling the coffee onto the counter. He didn’t bother cleaning it up.

He closed his eyes and began to hum. It was the only thing he could do.