Gemotions

He’d lost his appetite. That was unusual for John. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee, which usually sparked his senses, this morning left him feeling sour. He kept poking at the bagel his wife had made for him, the crumbs falling onto the newspaper. The paper, with an article about the sale of the company, was an insult.

He read the article again, the cold, clinical language of the business analysts making him wince. The mention of “synergies” and “streamlining” sent a jolt of… displeasure through him. He knew what those words really meant: job cuts. His job cut. After 20 years.

The thought of facing his colleagues, their forced smiles and awkward congratulations, made his skin crawl. He preferred being alone, to stew in the darkness of his own thoughts. He went back upstairs without a word.