Gemotions

The new guy, Kevin, was enthusiastic. Too enthusiastic, frankly. Sarah felt a small, almost imperceptible tremor in her jaw as she showed him how to operate the customer service software. She'd answered the same questions, handled the same complaints, for so long that the words felt hollow in her mouth.

The office was filled with the usual buzz, the ringing phones, the hurried footsteps. Yet, everything felt distant, as though she were watching it all from behind a pane of thick glass. The endless cycle had become a prison cell. “Just remember to be polite, even when they’re yelling,” she instructed, the words barely audible. She felt a profound sense of inertia.