Gemotions

The incessant banging. It grated on her nerves, a constant reminder of everything she couldn't afford. Sarah glared out her window. It was Roger, her new neighbor. A loud, boisterous man, always flaunting his wealth. "Of course," she thought. "It had to be him."

She spent the next few hours meticulously cleaning her own house. Every surface was scrubbed, every piece of furniture polished to a gleaming perfection. Her home became a shrine to order, a fortress against the encroaching disarray next door.

Then, she baked a cake. A particularly fragrant, elaborate cake. The scent of cinnamon and sugar wafted through her open windows, a delicate, sweet fragrance battling the smell of sawdust and varnish. She could almost taste his frustration.