This choice: Martin leaves the party early, enraged at Bradley Jr. • Go Back...Chapter #4Martin leaves the party early, enraged at Bradl... by: Clockworange   Martin was shaking in anger. "After building this company from scratch with your father, I would expect a little more respect from you. What happened with the Kamesky deal was a mistake and, regardless of who should be held responsible for the failing of our IT system, I have provided more than enough value to the firm to forgive it."
Bradley Jr. shot back, "What you did 15, 20, or 35 years ago is of little importance in today's world. Face it, Martin. You're slipping. We need young, energetic, risk takers at OwensEllisJonsson. This company's profits had grown by a paltry 2 percent per year. I think it can do better with some new blood. That means cleansing it of the old blood."
"Old blood? And that 2 percent growth has been stable, Bradley. We were one of the few firms that posted a profit during the most recent recession, thanks to our conservative strategy. I just wish I was younger, so I could show you how wrong you are about finance!"
"Sorry Martin, but your time is almost up. I'm going to take this company to the top. Something neither you or my father was apparently interested in doing."
It took an enormous will power not to strike the young man on the spot. But Martin stormed back inside the restaurant, seeing his friends and associates chatting away without a care in the world. Had they even noticed he was gone for the past 20 minutes?
Martin grabbed his wife's coat, beckoning her to follow him out. "Come on, Barbara. I've had enough of this. Let's go home."
His wife gave him a perplexed expression and asked, "Why? Honey, what's wrong?"
"They don't want me around the firm any more. This isn't my retirement; they're forcing me to resign!"
So the old man, with his wife in tow, left the restaurant without saying goodbye. Bradley Owens Sr. and the restaurant owner both noticed him leave and tried to console him. But Martin wanted nothing more to do with the firm that he had helped create from nothing. He was upset by many different things, all of which seemed to revolve around his age and lack of youth.
Barbara and Martin arrived back home in their gated community. The house was a small mansion, with three floors, five bathrooms, a garage with four spaces for cars, an enormous grassy front yard and a swimming pool in the backyard. But Martin was willing to sell it all if he could just get another chance to prove himself as the insightful businessman that he believed he still was.
It was late in the evening, and Martin decided to head to bed rather than stay up late and watch TV like he normally did. Earlier that spring, he had herniated a disc in his lower back, which made him take sleeping pills to ignore the pain and help him sleep. Unfortunately, he developed a dependence on the pills and now needed them to fall asleep for any reason. Another symptom of getting old... his body was breaking down in real time.
So, having taken his pills and slipped on his pajamas, Martin climbed into bed along with his wife.
"What did Bradley Jr. say to make you so angry? I don't understand, Martin." She groaned sleepily.
"It was nothing." Lied Martin, tossing and turning until he found a comfortable spot for his back. "Just realized that it was all bullshit. Even my old friends. I didn't want to be there anyway. Good night, dear."
It was 10:45 pm when he fell asleep that Friday night. It would be his last day as Martin Ellis, grandfather and financial consulting executive. Indeed, it would be his last day living the life that he had become so tired of!
At midnight, a very peculiar thing happened. Martin's essence swirled out of his body in a mist-like vapor. Imperceptible to human eyes, it rose up to the ceiling and faded through the roof. Floating on the crisp, nighttime air, it tumbled and spiraled away from their neighborhood. It danced over the passing cars, buildings, and street intersections, moving in a purposeful direction by some unknown force. From Martin's perspective, he was sleeping in a thoroughly unconscious state, unable to be awoken by anything until the transfer was complete.
Martin's essence faded below a rooftop and disappeared into the body of another person. Then, that person's essence sprung forth and wafted upwards, being guided by the same force that dragged Martin's essence to its new spot. It swirled into the air and got sucked into Martin's aging body, still resting peacefully a few miles away.
The question is: whose body does Martin now wake up inside?
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