Gemotions

The woman stood with her arms crossed, watching the bulldozer tear through the back wall. The noise, the dust, the destruction – she couldn't stand it. Her childhood home, the place she’d tried so hard to escape, was being erased.

She thought of her mother, who’d poured her heart and soul into that house. The garden, the roses, the countless hours spent tending to it. That woman had never recovered after her death, she knew it.

A wave of frustration washed over her, and she had to clench her teeth to stop a sob from escaping. She wasn’t sad, exactly. It was more like a deep, persistent ache, a feeling of violation. The bulldozer roared, and the back of the house collapsed in a heap of rubble. She turned away.