Gemotions

"Well, this is just great," mumbled Clara, staring at the scaffolding that had sprung up overnight next door. Her carefully cultivated tranquility, the peace she’d fought so hard to find, was shattered. Her morning meditation seemed like a distant memory.

The sheer audacity of it all! She’d only just put up new rose bushes for privacy! Now she would have to face the inevitable. The constant scrutiny, the noise, the dust.

Later, she found herself avoiding eye contact with her neighbor’s wife when she passed her in the street. The woman smiled, but Clara just hurried on, clutching her grocery bag a little too tightly.