Gemotions

He’d told her he’d be home by dinner, but now the evening light painted long shadows across her empty living room. The rhythmic hammering from next door was a mocking beat to the stillness of her apartment. She felt a growing sense of isolation, like a single note played on a piano that echoed for an eternity.

She tried to busy herself, but her movements felt clumsy and slow. She turned on the television, but the vibrant images seemed to mock her. She clicked through channels, searching for something to distract her, but nothing held her attention.

The light changed outside, and the noise finally lessened. As the workers packed up their tools, a different kind of quiet settled over the street. The quiet she had been waiting for; the silence that came before the night, and with it, the thoughts.