Introduction
Bill was burned out at 28 years old. He hated to admit it, but he was totally fried. He detested when friends and coworkers grumbled about working late nights or being exhausted from a day at the office, because Bill knew they were really bragging about their jobs and their work. Besides, they were rich men's problems, not gritty blue collar work. And so, at first, Bill called himself a pussy and yelled at his red-eyed reflection in the mirror in the morning, telling himself to suck it up. But mornings started to feel like a monumental effort just to lift the sheets to get himself out of bed. And some weekends he'd spend the entire morning just staring at the blank ceiling of his tiny condo, unable to get his limbs to move.
He finally admitted he had a problem, and it was ironic, really. He had worked very hard through college and a one year apprenticeship afterwards. He studied long hours and worked as a bus boy at a restaurant, and in those days he was happy. He had very little money but a good group of friends and lots of time to have fun. He had gotten a dream job at a very well respected trading firm, done very well, and then got a coveted position working commodities. It seemed like all his hard work had paid off, but suddenly he found himself with tons of money and very little time to enjoy it. Most of the weekend was spent reading for work and other research. His hours at the office started very early and the days were long. What finally snapped Bill out of his rut was the realization that he had acquired most of the material things he had thought he would ever want, and he had no time to enjoy them.
Bill finally approached his Human Resources department, and was surprised at how understanding they were of his proposal. The older lady with the sympathetic smile gave Bill a knowing look and said people in Bill's position often took sabbaticals from the firm. She insisted it be called a sabbatical and not a "leave of absence." HR would be much happier that way. Plus, she was sure he was going to come back, she informed him. Some people just rested and some took the trips around the world they had always wanted, but it was something to be expected from the hectic work of the firm.
Two weeks after deciding he needed to take a break, Bill found himself filling his small sedan with clothes and other random belongings, and pointing his car away from the coast. As he drove through the rolling hills and green valleys of the fertile farmland, Bill thought about how surprisingly easy it had been to find a spot that appealed to him. The cabin he had found and rented online seemed spacious and still cozy, with dark wood walls and ceilings, and a big fireplace. The biggest selling points had been the beautiful wrap around porch with views overlooking the surrounding farmland, and the high speed internet. Bill knew he needed a break, but he couldn't imagine not working at all. What he could happily imagine was himself sitting in a rocking chair on that porch, doing a little day trading online while soaking in the views of rural life. He smiled to himself as he drove steadily away from the coast, feeling relief at the uneventful three months of summer he was going to spend far from the hustle and bustle of his office. At least, that's what he thought was in store for him.
As Bill turned his car off the highway, he immediately caught the first glimpse of the tiny town he was going to call home for the next 14 weeks. The cozy hamlet was right off the interstate, a mere two hours from his condo, but it looked like a totally different world. The main street housed the main businesses of the town, which all served travelers on the interstate. There were three large gas stations, all of which offered diesel, and two of which included big, attached convenience stores for weary travelers looking for a snack or something to drink. There were three chain fast food restaurants and a big, friendly looking diner just past the gas stations. There was an auto mechanic and a Hilton Garden Inn. But other than four small trailer homes a bit further down the road, that was it for the town. This was otherwise farm country. Bill had read online that the children in the surrounding area gathered in town every morning to take a school bus 20 minutes down the interstate to the next exit, which is where the nearest elementary and high schools were located. The nearest bank and the nearest bar were also at that rest stop. The little town was small, lonely, and perfect for what Bill had wanted.
He drove up two small rises, less than a ten minute drive from the interstate. After passing through a thin stand of trees, the cabin came into view. When Bill parked and opened his car door, he was pleased that he had to strain to hear the traffic on the interstate below. In fact, he couldn't hear much of anything beyond the wind flowing through the fields behind him. It was perfect.
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Chapter 1: Settling In
It didn't take long for Bill to settle into a very comfortable routine. Always an early riser, and industrious to his core, he woke by 4 am almost every day. In the warm darkness of the cabin, he fired up his laptop computer and did some early market research while sipping a strong cup of coffee in the glow from his monitor. Once he was satisfied with his research, he was cleaned and out his front door dressed very warmly and casually for a walk down to the nearest of the big gas station convenience stores. He preferred walking to driving, even though the early morning breeze came down from the distant mountains. Despite it being summer, that icy breeze chilled him every morning. He liked the walk in the dark, it allowed him time to think and woke him up almost as well as the coffee. And it was a little bit of good exercise in the morning. At the usually empty convenience store, Bill grabbed a small, freshly baked muffin, the daily paper from his home city, and a huge cup of steaming hot coffee. Then he walked back for the favorite part of his morning stroll, watching the horizon glow and then brighten as the sun rose.
By 6 am he was back in front of his computer, where he did a little day trading as soon as the markets opened. Bill usually stopped trading by nine, at which point he made himself a big lunch at home and enjoyed a leisurely day. He read the entire paper while he ate, a luxury he had rarely gotten to enjoy before he decided to take this little break. Sometimes he watched a little tv, mostly the business news. Sometimes he took a little nap on the couch. But he was back on his computer by 1:30, doing a little more market research and a little more trading, but he was always done by 3:30 in the afternoon. The rest of the day was more time to relax. He often drove down to the diner near the interstate for an early dinner, but sometimes he watched movies he rented online, and sometimes he read books he had always meant to read. Whenever he got tired, he went to sleep, and the day started again when he woke.
By the end of his second week at the cabin, Bill knew the decision to take a break was helping him. He simply felt healthier, more alert, and happier. He was more relaxed than he could remember being since he was in high school. And he was also enjoying his routine.
Bill had even made friends with the night shift clerk at the convenience store he visited early every morning. Dave was a short, skinny kid with an ample amount of acne on his young face. After Bill's fourth visit to the store, Dave remarked that he liked Bill's visits because it helped keep him awake during the long, empty hours just before his shift ended at six. Bill and Dave got to talking, and Dave explained that he was attending the community college two hours further up the interstate. Dave was working at the convenience store to help pay for his schooling, and living at his family's farm house twenty minutes from the town. Dave could not believe that Bill had picked their little town, of all places, to take a break from his important and fast paced job in the city. Bill tried not to make his work sound important or fast paced, but Dave didn't believe any other type of job would have let Bill save enough money to take three months off from work.
Early one morning, a little bleary eyed but refreshed from his morning walk in the dark, Bill walked into the bright neon lights of the convenience store. As he grabbed the jumbo size coffee cup and began to fill it with the hot, dark brown liquid, he barely registered that Dave seemed glued to one of the security monitors behind the counter. As Bill filled the last bit of his cup with whole milk and carefully applied the lid, he noted Dave also hadn't bothered to say hello.
Danish in hand, Bill walked towards the cash register and Dave looked up at him for the first time. Furtively, Dave looked around the store, confirming they were alone, as Bill, still not understanding the unusual behavior, fumbled in his pocket for his wallet.
"Hey Bill, buddy," Dave said quietly, eyes scanning the parking lot to make sure nobody was coming in the doors, "If I show you something great, can you keep it a secret?"
