Fake It ’til You Make It

“Are you very sure about this?”

“Absolutely positive,” answered Jake.

“But you know it is very risky to be trying new things at your age. What if it doesn’t work? Can you afford to start all over again? What about your family? Will they survive without your salary? At least the corporate world offers stability and a constant income, and you could do this hobby of yours on weekends,” lectured his soon to be ex-boss.

Jake shook his head. “Stability? Do you know how many times I’ve had to panic about layoffs in the fifteen years that I’ve been here? Ten. I’ve had to reapply for my job three times and weekends are part of the problem. I’m too busy working then to make sure that I keep my job. I can’t do anything else, including spend time with the family that I am trying to provide for. As for my age… 44 is just a number,” he fidgeted with his jacket edge under the desk.

The words stuck a little in his throat. Hopefully the more he said them, the easier they would slide down. He wasn’t lying, but at the same time he wasn’t stupid enough or young enough to be fearless, he just clung to the belief that the Universe had a better purpose for his life, and it included happiness. Adventure awaited and there wasn’t any space for fear on this journey, so he had to overcome it.

Fake it ‘til you make it they say.

by Debbie Gravett © 2019.07.01

FFFC: Challenge #19
Image by Andrew Neel@pexels.com