Gemotions

The fluorescent lights in the office hummed, a monotonous drone that matched the tempo of David's day. He stared at the half-finished code on his screen, the words swimming before him. His head throbbed. The coffee he’d consumed hours ago had already worn off. He should be debugging, but the task felt like climbing a mountain.

A quick chat in the break room with Sarah, fresh out of college, confirmed his suspicions. She was bragging about a recent raise. David, who had been with the company for five years, clenched his jaw, the muscles in his face tightening. It wasn't the money itself, he told himself. It was the principle of the thing.

He slouched back in his chair, the squeak of the office chair amplifying the frustration in his head. The afternoon stretched before him, an endless expanse of unfinished tasks. He'd do them tomorrow, he decided. Or the day after.