Retired
The smell of fresh espresso was enough to wake me up today. As I walked in the coffee shop, Jerry greeted me with a big “Hello.” He must have gotten an extra shot in his cappuccino, because it was much too early to be this chipper. “So what’s up?” I asked as I sat down. Jerry looked over at me with a big smile and said, “I don’t think I’m going to be seeing you here anymore. I’m done. I’m through with all of it. I’m retired.”
“You just up and quit?”
“Yep, that’s what happened,” he explained. “Sat at my desk and thought about what was really important to me, and that job just didn’t make the list.”
“Don’t mean to question, but I didn’t think you made enough money to be retiring at your age.”
“Well, I guess I’m not really retiring, more just changing my focus. I’ve always wanted to publish a magazine, so I got what money I had together, and I’m going to give it a go.”
“The next Business Week?” I supposed.
“No, you’ve got it all wrong,” Jerry corrected. “I’m going to write about the important things: sex, Cubs, and rock-n-roll. A magazine about the life. About the life I want to be living.”
I could see he was looking for approval, asking with his eyes, if I understood, if I felt his passion. To be honest, it seemed like a big mistake to give up a good job for something so frivolous. “That’s great,” I said. “I’m glad that you are living your dream.”
I never saw Jerry after that, but I still check the news stands.
