Gemotions

The delivery trucks had been arriving all morning, unloading boxes upon boxes at the new house. She watched, a pit forming in her stomach. The new neighbors, she had heard, were from out of state, wealthy beyond measure.

She had been saving for years to finally replace her old, clunky refrigerator, which was now making a terrible groaning sound. Now, she felt a profound sense of… something… as she watched the movers carrying in a brand-new, stainless-steel appliance for the house next door.

She felt a tightening in her chest, making it hard to take a full breath. She picked at a loose thread on her sweater. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being judged, though she had never even met the new neighbors.