left Telasco to me, on the condition that I give up my “childish fantasy” as he put it and stay home to run the family business.”
“Wow, sounds like your dad had some serious control issues,” said Henry, not knowing what else to say or do. “Believe it or not, I can relate.”
“I believe you can, Henry,” said Jason, looking at Henry in a way Henry wasn’t used to. “But, I’m not looking for sympathy or anything like that. My life turned out just fine. I’m likely a lot wealthier now than if I’d gone pro, but that’s not the point either. I didn’t chase my dream, Henry. Not many of us get the opportunity to go after our dreams, and when we actually do, even fewer of us actually take the risk to chase after it.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Henry, I was going over your presentation, you know, giving it a closer look to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”
“And …?”
“And … well, your artwork is … is amazing.”
“Excuse me, sir?”
“Henry, please don’t call me sir, you don’t work for me anymore. I’m here as a friend. You are a truly gifted artist, I mean beyond anything I’ve ever seen before and I have a pretty good eye for this kind of thing. Henry, if I can offer you this one piece of advice, don’t think of the fact that you no longer work at Telasco as a setback, but as an opportunity for you to chase your dream as an artist. Do what I didn’t. You weren’t meant to work the eight-to-five shift in the corporate world; you’re far too talented for that.”
Jason reached over and put his hand on Henry’s shoulder.
“You’re going to be just fine,” he said, “and to make sure, I added a little extra to your check. Think of it as an investment in your new future.”
Henry felt a lump in his throat, but fought it down with another drink.
“Thank you, Jason,” he said when he finally regained his composure. “I don’t know what to say.”
Jason got up and held his hand out.
“Say that you’ll consider my advice and pursue your dream.”
“I will,” said Henry.
“Good luck to you.”
“Thank you,” said Henry, standing up as well. “I hope you find someone who can create the right campaign for you.”
Jason nodded, then turned around and left.
Henry sat back down and looked at the glass in front of him, which a moment before seemed half-empty but was now clearly half-full.
“Everything okay?” asked Craig coming back from the other end of the bar.
“Yeah,” replied Henry as he picked up the glass and downed the rest.
“Did he take you back?”
“Nope,” said Henry. “Better. He told me to chase my dream.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It would be, except for one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Not a that, but a who.”
Not bothering with the glass, Henry grabbed the Jack and drank it straight from the bottle.
“My wife,” he said as he set the bottle back down on the bar. “You’d best call me a cab.”
Chapter 2
A Slow, Tedious Affair
“We have a major snarl along Channel 1753, where a multi-vehicle wreck has completely blocked traffic. Clean-up crews are on their way, but those traveling along 1753 may want to consider alternate routes …”
Gsefx turned the vidcon off. He’d heard enough.
“Great, just great,” he said aloud, as his vehicle crawled forward, along with the rest of the inbound commuters. Like Gsefx, they were all making their way in from the thousands of outlying systems they called home, to their jobs on Laxor, the primary business hub for this sector.
He glanced at the console chronometer for the third time in the last five ebyts and slammed a fist into the top of the console.
“Gralt!” he shouted. “So much for getting to the juricking office early and catching up on my juricking work. At this rate, I’ll be lucky just to arrive in time for my first meeting.”
Even under the best of circumstances, the commute to Laxor from his home on Clangdor was a
“Wow, sounds like your dad had some serious control issues,” said Henry, not knowing what else to say or do. “Believe it or not, I can relate.”
“I believe you can, Henry,” said Jason, looking at Henry in a way Henry wasn’t used to. “But, I’m not looking for sympathy or anything like that. My life turned out just fine. I’m likely a lot wealthier now than if I’d gone pro, but that’s not the point either. I didn’t chase my dream, Henry. Not many of us get the opportunity to go after our dreams, and when we actually do, even fewer of us actually take the risk to chase after it.”
“Okay, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Henry, I was going over your presentation, you know, giving it a closer look to make sure I didn’t miss anything.”
“And …?”
“And … well, your artwork is … is amazing.”
“Excuse me, sir?”
“Henry, please don’t call me sir, you don’t work for me anymore. I’m here as a friend. You are a truly gifted artist, I mean beyond anything I’ve ever seen before and I have a pretty good eye for this kind of thing. Henry, if I can offer you this one piece of advice, don’t think of the fact that you no longer work at Telasco as a setback, but as an opportunity for you to chase your dream as an artist. Do what I didn’t. You weren’t meant to work the eight-to-five shift in the corporate world; you’re far too talented for that.”
Jason reached over and put his hand on Henry’s shoulder.
“You’re going to be just fine,” he said, “and to make sure, I added a little extra to your check. Think of it as an investment in your new future.”
Henry felt a lump in his throat, but fought it down with another drink.
“Thank you, Jason,” he said when he finally regained his composure. “I don’t know what to say.”
Jason got up and held his hand out.
“Say that you’ll consider my advice and pursue your dream.”
“I will,” said Henry.
“Good luck to you.”
“Thank you,” said Henry, standing up as well. “I hope you find someone who can create the right campaign for you.”
Jason nodded, then turned around and left.
Henry sat back down and looked at the glass in front of him, which a moment before seemed half-empty but was now clearly half-full.
“Everything okay?” asked Craig coming back from the other end of the bar.
“Yeah,” replied Henry as he picked up the glass and downed the rest.
“Did he take you back?”
“Nope,” said Henry. “Better. He told me to chase my dream.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“It would be, except for one problem.”
“What’s that?”
“Not a that, but a who.”
Not bothering with the glass, Henry grabbed the Jack and drank it straight from the bottle.
“My wife,” he said as he set the bottle back down on the bar. “You’d best call me a cab.”
Chapter 2
A Slow, Tedious Affair
“We have a major snarl along Channel 1753, where a multi-vehicle wreck has completely blocked traffic. Clean-up crews are on their way, but those traveling along 1753 may want to consider alternate routes …”
Gsefx turned the vidcon off. He’d heard enough.
“Great, just great,” he said aloud, as his vehicle crawled forward, along with the rest of the inbound commuters. Like Gsefx, they were all making their way in from the thousands of outlying systems they called home, to their jobs on Laxor, the primary business hub for this sector.
He glanced at the console chronometer for the third time in the last five ebyts and slammed a fist into the top of the console.
“Gralt!” he shouted. “So much for getting to the juricking office early and catching up on my juricking work. At this rate, I’ll be lucky just to arrive in time for my first meeting.”
Even under the best of circumstances, the commute to Laxor from his home on Clangdor was a
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