Excerpt from Chapter 3: The Coldest Shoulder

Howard Jacob Tully’s soul already felt kinder in his first-class seat on Delta airlines. This was a common experience he felt on his westbound business trips, as if he were reliving Manifest Destiny in modern accommodations. People on the West Coast were generally nicer, he felt, unlike the live-to-work colleagues he faced on a daily basis back east. Cares were taken lightly and life was filled with wonder and gratitude, an observation he could not help but notice; Tully couldn’t wait to interact with the people who lived cheerful existences in remote, nature-driven communities. Despite his status in the big cities, Tully had much to learn about fulfillment and peace of mind.

Tully experimented with his identity on his trip to Oregon. Instead of wearing his usual three-piece suit, Tully decided to look middle-class by sporting a nondescript polo and a pair of khaki shorts he found at Goodwill. He left his white-gold Breguet wristwatch from the Marine collection at home and adorned his left wrist with a Casio brand digital watch he got at a drug store. He missed his Breguet, he admitted, but Tully did not want to flaunt his success today. If anyone asked the purpose of his visit, Tully would say he was visiting his mother (long since deceased) and lucked upon a sweepstake for an upgrade to first-class. But to his dismay, Tully was alone in the cabin and could not practice his new persona with strangers. Even the flight attendants avoided conversation with him, as if they knew his secret identity and refused to humor his aging wish to blend in with lay people.

He’s going through a late mid-life crisis, his acquaintances would say behind his back. He’s getting too soft for marketing, he would catch around the corner of the office. With a few phone calls, Tully managed to snuff out these dissenters, but he did not feel that sense of accomplishment he once had earlier in his career when he crushed the competition or those that got in his way. They were right, he admitted, right and now unemployed. Guilt rushed over him like an overdue emotion, and he promised to pursue a meaningful life when he left the health insurance industry with a quarter of a century of experience and a sizeable amount of swealth under his belt.

But the businessman inside him was still alive and kicking. An early retirement at the age of fifty did not appeal to Howard J. Tully’s aptitude for victory so he had his people research an up-and-coming pharmaceutical company before his departure. A wise and respectable associate of his had recommended Wabash & Creeley, Inc., located in an unmapped region in the Northwest. She advised him of the opportunity in a handwritten letter sealed with wax days after he divulged to her his desire to change his life’s direction. The effort she put into sending such an elegant recommendation was worth an investigation, and Tully soon found the inquiry to be worthwhile. The findings about the company and its location was everything Tully desired: a historic community placated by a serene environment, a developing business that needed his learned leadership, but more importantly, Elpine Heights gave him an outlet for his real passion to become a beloved writer. Somewhere in the report was a note that read, “Elpine Heights is known to harbor some of the greatest minds in the literary world for its refuge from the overwhelming modern lifestyle.” Immediately, he found the contacts to W&C, Inc., faxed a flawless cover letter and resume, and, after finding a pleasant green folder, mailed a copy of his short story with a wishful note of his dreams to be published. Within a few days, the move was underway. After a few personal phone calls with a young woman from the Development Department who actually read his tale—she gave some advice to add dancing wildlife to his story—Tully decisively bought a ticket to Oregon, ready to live a deeper life.

Family Dinners

Eight Filipinos
And my sister's friend
At a dim sum pace in
Chinatown.

Belly full of wrapped seafood
Sizzling platters
Of peppered sirloin steak
Honey walnut shrimp
And the list goes on.

Let's keep it going
Let's eat all night
At the dim sum place in
Chinatown.