Gemotions

The constant humming of the pool pump was a persistent annoyance to David. It punctuated the silence of his own small backyard, a stark reminder of the lifestyle he couldn’t touch. Mr. Hawthorne, with his perpetually tan skin and expensive sunglasses, spent his weekends lounging by the sparkling water.

David, however, spent his weekends mowing the lawn and attempting to repair the leaky roof that threatened to collapse during the next rainstorm. He glanced over the fence, his jaw clenching as he saw Mr. Hawthorne’s effortless grin as he sipped from a glass.

He knew Mr. Hawthorne was a ‘self-made man,’ but that knowledge did little to ease the feeling of inadequacy that gnawed at David. The difference felt like a cruel joke, a cosmic imbalance that left David perpetually behind, forever trying to catch up. He slammed the shovel into the ground.