Gemotions

The morning sun felt heavy on Amelia’s eyelids. Another Monday, another mountain of paperwork looming. She dragged herself to her desk, the chair protesting with a rusty groan. The new hire, a bright-eyed young woman named Chloe, was already there, beaming. "Ready to get started?" Chloe asked, her voice brimming with energy. Amelia just nodded, the gesture feeling like an immense effort. Coffee, she thought. Coffee and a miracle.

The first few hours were a blur of explaining processes that Amelia had long ago automated in her own mind. She found herself repeatedly sighing, the air escaping her lungs as if she were a punctured tire. Chloe, however, absorbed everything like a sponge, peppering Amelia with questions that required a level of mental acuity Amelia didn't feel she possessed.

By lunchtime, Amelia was slumped in her chair, staring blankly at her half-eaten sandwich. Chloe bounced over, notebook in hand, eager to continue. "Shall we go over the accounts receivable reconciliation?" Amelia just gestured towards the door with a limp hand. “You go ahead,” she mumbled, already envisioning a nap in the breakroom.