Gemotions

She woke before dawn, a familiar tightness gripping her chest. The small apartment felt smaller than usual, the walls closing in. Sunlight sliced through the blinds, illuminating the dust motes that danced in the air. Each one seemed to taunt her with the idea of shifting, of disruption.

She rose and put on a pot of coffee, but it didn't help. The announcement in the hallway, taped to the elevator door, was a bomb dropped in the calm. She went to her computer, typed "condo conversion" into the search bar, then immediately shut the lid. She couldn’t bring herself to face the reality of the impending changes. The news had left her feeling like a taut wire, vibrating with some unseen current.

Instead, she started to clean, scrubbing the already spotless countertops, rearranging the books on her shelves, anything to provide a semblance of control. She spent the entire morning scrubbing and rearranging her small space, feeling a need to take the energy out on something.