Gemotions

The aroma of freshly baked bread from the bakery next door usually lifted Eleanor’s spirits, but today it just made her feel…deflated. Mark, the new hire in accounting, was bragging about his starting salary during lunch. It was considerably higher than hers, despite her tenure of fifteen years.

She felt a strange sort of exhaustion settling into her bones. Her shoulders slumped, and she felt the urge to just disappear into the background. She tried to focus on her work, but the numbers blurred before her eyes, and she found herself staring out the window, watching the leaves swirl in the autumn breeze. The weight of her workload felt more substantial, pressing her down.

She skipped her usual walk home, opting for the bus, the rumble of the engine a monotonous soundtrack to her thoughts.