Gemotions

The phone rang. It was Mrs. Chen, her voice tight with disapproval. The oak on the property line was “a mess,” she declared. Its leaves fell into her yard and the branches, she said, were too close to her roof. I let out a long, slow breath I didn't know I was holding.

I had so much to do. So many things I should be focusing on. This felt like the final straw. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I wanted to crawl into bed and hide.

“I’ll… I’ll see what I can do,” I said, my voice dull. The conversation ended. I let the phone fall to the counter, my arms heavy at my sides.