Gemotions

The morning felt promising. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and the sky was blue. He found himself whistling on his walk to work. He enjoyed the simplicity of his life, the predictable nature of his day-to-day existence. He enjoyed his mornings.

At lunch, he overheard the conversation. A group of the juniors were discussing their salaries. The new graduate, Ben, was earning considerably more than he was, a man with twenty years experience at the company. He found himself unable to eat. He felt an unsettling heat crawl up his neck. He felt exposed.