Gemotions

Rain lashed against the window, mirroring the storm inside him. He hunched over his sandwich, the crust feeling strangely rigid in his fingers. He hadn’t touched his work for an hour. It was all a complete waste of time. He was on auto-pilot.

The fluorescent lights in the breakroom buzzed, an irritating counterpoint to the silence. He thought about the team meeting this morning. Maya, the new analyst, had presented her findings with such confidence, and now she sat at the end of the table, making jokes with the manager.

He’d asked to be considered for a promotion last quarter. Nothing. He took a bite of his sandwich, and the blandness of the ham was unappetizing. He looked down at his hands, finding them to be clumsy and useless.