Gemotions

Rain smeared the streetlights, turning the world into a canvas of hazy oranges and grays. Eleanor shuffled to her mailbox, the damp air clinging to her thin cardigan. Her reflection in the shiny metal showed a woman whose shoulders seemed perpetually bowed. Inside, nestled amongst the bills and junk mail, was a brightly colored birthday card. No name, just a generic "Happy Birthday!" greeting. A faint pang of something she couldn't name throbbed in her chest. She hadn't had a birthday celebrated in years.

It had been so long since she felt like celebrating anything. The fluorescent lights of her apartment seemed to hum with a lonely song. She opened the card, finding a printed message of generic well wishes. She closed it again, the cheerful image feeling somehow taunting. She tossed the card on the kitchen counter, its bright colors a jarring contrast to the muted tones of her life.