I’m David Hartley, a machinist by trade.  It’s a highly skilled profession, and I was pretty good at it, even if I do say so myself.

I’m divorced now.  I got married when I was quite young at 18, way too young to be a husband, and be responsible for someone else.  We had a kid, a boy, Jason, but he was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was 7.  He was playing in the road outside our house, as he always did, and a car came through driving way too fast.  He never stood a chance.

They caught the driver; a neighbor thought fast enough, and got the plate number.  He went to prison for 20 years, but it didn’t bring Jason back.  The grief destroyed our lives, and our marriage.  Janie moved away after the divorce, and we lost touch; not that there’s any reason to do so.  Life goes on.

I never re-married.  Never wanted to, and I have no regrets about that.  I think about Jason sometimes; how he might have grown up, what he might have become, but it’s all wishful thinking, pointless, and a waste of time.

I go to my local bar, and have a couple of drinks most nights.  I chat to the other regulars, but we never socialize outside of the bar.  I don’t really have any friends, or any hobbies, but I do like to settle down with a good book.  I like thrillers.  In fact I’ve just finished the best thriller I’ve ever read. ‘I am Pilgrim’ by Terry Hayes.  It’s an incredible story.  His second book ‘The Year of the Locust’ came out a while back, but I haven’t read it yet.  I’m going to though.

I replied to the advertisement just because.  I’ve got nothing to lose.