Gemotions

The café buzzed around Clara, but she felt isolated, adrift in a sea of cheerful chatter. The aroma of coffee, usually a comfort, now seemed cloying. The small, portable air purifier she’d spent years perfecting, her life's work... someone had beaten her to it. A multinational corporation. He noticed every interaction, every laugh and glance he was privy to in the café. She picked at her pastry, the sweetness doing nothing to soothe the bitterness churning within. She couldn't focus on anything other than the injustice.