Patrick McDonald was the kind of guy that when he was bumped into roughly by a stranger, would think, Out of my way jerk and would say "Excuse me." When he received a ticket on the freeway he would think, Die pig, die and say,"Thank you very much."

Patrick pondered on wondrous things and never did any of them. To him dreams were surreal instead of realized. He did everything for everyone else, because he wouldn't help himself. He walked the same route he always took, to the unfulfilling job he worked at five days a week for eight hours a day, to pay for the house he despised. He didn't know or couldn't do anything else. He could have lived his entire life that way.

I sure do hate my life, thought Patrick, and he did too. He detested everything about it. He despised his nine to five job. He hated self-important men with their pompous speeches, he hated power lunches, he hated fax machines.

How did I ever pick this career? Then again, he knew the answer to that question, Mom and Dad. It seemed Mr. and Mrs. McDonald had always known what was best for Patrick, pointing out the proper path toward success. They knew the right private school to send him too, the right private college for him to attend. They knew the right restricted neighborhood to live in. They liked anything exclusive, those two.

Patrick suddenly tripped over the curb and fell on his ass. Standing up quickly, he looked around to see if anyone had noticed. The street was nearly deserted and his embarrassment was met only with weak sympathetic smiles from a couple of pedestrians. He nodded self-consciously to a balding gentleman passing by, as if to say "I'm O.K." He brushed off his clothes and noticed he now had a rip in the knee of his favorite blue slacks. The story of my life, he thought to himself bitterly.

He continued his trek, less hurriedly this time. His knees were stinging from the fall and he wondered if they were bleeding, Lost in his thought as he was, Patrick did not see the motorcycle bearing down on him as he stepped off the curb and began crossing the street.

Patrick

Zoe

J.D.

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