Gemotions

The man’s words grated on me. “It’s just… a little too big,” he’d stammered, gesturing towards the tree that had been there longer than either of us. His face was flushed, and he kept fiddling with his hat.

My hand tightened around the garden hose. "Too big for what?" I asked, my voice edged with ice. I began watering the petunias planted directly beneath the branches, letting the water spray directly on the newly mowed grass.

That night, I replayed the conversation in my mind, each detail magnified. The next day, I installed a bird feeder directly in his line of sight, a vibrant splash of color against the green, and filled it with the loudest, messiest birdseed available.