Gemotions

The phone rang, a shrill interruption to the already strained silence. She watched him, the fresh-faced kid, answer it, his voice bright and enthusiastic. He was ready, she realized with a strange, twisting feeling. She was no longer.

She took a deep breath, trying to slow the racing of her heart. The room felt like it was closing in on her. She felt the pressure behind her eyes, the familiar weight of exhaustion. She had worked so hard, for so long.

“And that’s how you deal with difficult customers,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. She stared at the young man, his eagerness a stark contrast to her own weary indifference. She wondered if he would survive, if he would make it through the long, draining days.