Contentment

Prologue Mike Weston kept his head down as he made his way toward his locker. He desperately needed to avoid drawing attention to himself. The past six months had been hell for him. He just started his first year as a freshman in high school, but the popular kids immediately targeted him, especially the jocks. One of them in particular, Ian Davis, seemed to enjoy tormenting him. Mike was often pushed down to the ground, supposedly by accident, and his books and papers would end up scattered all over the place. Ian also called him names that always reminded him of his less than ideal body weight or brought attention to the zits on his face. Mike was angry at himself though, because he stared at Ian any chance he could. The senior quarterback was gorgeous, especially when he smiled at his adoring fans. Ian’s muscles were well-developed, from the broad chest and toned arms to the hardness of his thighs and calves. The girls loved him and the boys wanted to be him. Some boys probably wanted to be with him as well. Mike had tried hard to keep his s****l preference under wraps. He was already targeted for being short, chubby, and awkward. He did not want to give his bullies additional ammunition. He was grateful at least he was smart. His academic results put him in the top three percent of the student population in his level. Mike’s parents had enrolled him in a private school so he took full advantage of all the extra-curricular activities available to the students. There were choir practices on Mondays and Wednesdays, which he enjoyed tremendously. In addition, he also participated in one of the less popular extra-curricular activities: archery. It was held every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. The only day he went straight home when school hours were over was on Friday. Besides, his tutor would come to his house for two hours every Friday for Chinese language lessons. His weekday schedules were packed full of various activities. In spite of all the bullying he’d to endure, Mike loved attending classes in school, especially on Fridays when he’d Home Economics. He figured it was a practical skill, which would benefit him in the future. For the last six months they had learned basic skills like sewing buttons on your shirt and creating simple dishes. The students had been informed they would be taught how to create more complicated dishes and bake a few cakes with more difficult recipes for the upcoming semester. He was looking forward to those lessons. Unfortunately, the bullying had escalated and Mike seemed to be a favorite target. “Hey, look at that walking lump of fats. Are you sure that small cake is enough to fill you up?” He continued walking down the hallway, pretending not to hear the insults directed at him. He might have been thoroughly humiliated, but he’d his pride. “Maybe he needs to beg the others for an extra slice…or ten.” The taunting was followed by a loud, raucous laughter. Naturally, Ian Davis was a part of the group shaming him in front of the entire student body as they stood by the lockers next to the Home Economics classroom. “Hey, Fatso. Need some lard to wash down those cakes?” Mike tried his best to ignore them, but he didn’t notice Ian’s leg stretched out to trip him. He toppled ungraciously and landed face down on his cake. His glasses were completely smeared with butter cream and chocolate filling. Some of the kids looked at him with sympathy, but they were too terrified to help him for fear of being targeted next. Others just laughed at his predicament. Ian naturally looked smugly at him. He stood up slowly and picked up whatever was left of his cake so he could throw it in the trash can. He then made his way to the bathroom to clean up, totally humiliated and embarrassed. He’d tried reporting the bullying to the teachers, but that only caused the bullies to step up their games. Life continued to be difficult for the rest of his time in high school. Even after Ian Davis had graduated, the other jocks continued with the tradition of bullying the usual targets, including Mike. He was truly relieved when he eventually got into college. He was the salutatorian in his graduating class so he’d plenty of choices when it came to his college selection. He surprised everyone, including his parents, when he decided to attend an unknown university, S.A.B.S.S. University, which actually stood for Secret Agents Basic Survival Skills, for the next four years. He majored in Business Management, but all the recruited undergraduates were also given some form of weapon and combat training. He started interning for the organization after his freshman year. He was determined not to be picked on ever again. His resilience paid off because he rose through the ranks very quickly in the next three years. He worked part-time for the same organization while he took his Master’s and PhD, completing both programs in less than three years. Upon completion of the program, he became the youngest director within the organization with several successful assignments under his belt. He was more than ready to take his place as a full-time employee. He would be placed in the San Francisco branch, much to his relief. High school years might have been horrible, but that city was still home sweet home. Besides, he missed his parents, Nathaniel and Susan Weston, even if their parent-child relationship was not overly intimate. When he’d received the news of his placement, he decided to inform his parents first. His mother picked up on the first ring. “Mom, it’s Mike. How are you?” “Mike, honey! I’m so happy to hear from you. I wish you would call us more often. We’ve seen so little of you over the last seven years.” “Well, you and Dad will get to see me more often beginning next week. My company has a branch in San Francisco and I’m starting there. I’ll be seeing you soon.” “Oh, honey! That’s so wonderful! Do you want us to fetch you from the airport?” “No thanks, Mom. The company arranged everything for me, including my accommodation.” “That’s really great. You’ve got to come home for dinner more often then. We miss you, Mike. You’re our only child and your dad misses you terribly even though he doesn’t tell you that openly. You know how he is.” “Yeah, I know. I miss you both, too. Where’s Dad?” “He’s not home yet. It’s Friday and you know he always meets up with his college buddies for a couple of drinks before coming home.” “Right. Mom, listen. I’ll give you a call when I’ve settled into my new place and we can have dinner together.” “Sounds good, honey.” “Tell Dad I said ‘Hi,’ and I’ll see you both soon. Bye, Mom.” “I will. You take care now. Bye.” He wished he could tell his parents everything, but the company policy stated that “Discretion is of the utmost importance” or some similar crap like that. He hated to agree with it, but he could see the validity in that particular rule. Some of the assignments could be downright dangerous. The less they knew about the organization, the better off they would be. In this case, ignorance was definitely bliss.