The Breakfast Club for 40-Somethings

Chapter 5Jasper

The clock moved slowly toward 3 pm — too slowly for Jasper’s liking. He was sitting in the showroom of his new job where he was supposed to be selling cars, both new and used. But nobody was in sight to sell to — and he was damned if he was going to go out and pace the lot like some of the old-time desperadoes. The only time Jasper did go out to the empty lot was to sneak in a cigarette. He knew all too well he was not supposed to be smoking out there, but if he went more than an hour without a cigarette, he felt agitated.

Smoking was a habit he’d picked up in high school and had never been able to kick. He had tried the gum, the patches and just quitting cold turkey, but none of it had stuck. He was smart enough to know the health risks — after all, who didn’t? Rotting limbs, bulging eyes and warnings were plastered on every packet. But still, he kept smoking.

The one concession he did make was to move to roll-your-owns. These turned out to be more cost-effective than the $30 (and then some) packets he used to smoke — and for Jasper, anything that was cheaper was better.

He usually lived week to week — sometimes month to month when a job paid monthly. He hated those jobs, however, because he usually went through the bulk of his pay in the first ten days, and spent the rest of the month showing up at the pub for someone else’s shout, and borrowing $50 off his mum.

He was hopeless with hanging onto money — it seemed to slip through his fingers like water. He ...