Gemotions

The afternoon sun beat down, intensifying the heat. She sat on her front porch, listlessly stirring her iced tea. She watched Mrs. Olsen, her usually cheerful neighbor, return from a shopping spree, bags overflowing. The woman always wore designer clothes and drove a new car. The car was just replaced the week before.

The records, accidentally left on the printer by Mrs. Olsen's handyman, had laid bare the truth. Multiple properties, substantial stock holdings, a lifestyle utterly removed from her own. She closed her eyes, and the world seemed to tilt. The endless effort, the constant struggle, suddenly felt unbearable.