The Man Who Never Returned

Many years ago I wrote a short story about a man who was laid off but didn't tell anyone. He just continued getting ready for work in the morning and getting on with his regular commute as if everything was the same as before. 

Around a decade ago, I met up with a friend who had just retired. He had been employed for decades by a big agency downtown and lived way out at the edge of town. Recently, his wife had died; they'd been close. His children were grown up and on their own.

He told me he still commuted downtown every day like nothing had changed. He would get a cup of coffee at the same Starbucks he had patronized for years, and then he would sit alone for hours, reading the morning newspaper.

The only difference, he told me, is that rather than buying the paper at a newsstand before his commute he now picked it up free from the trash receptacle where he used to discard his on the way to the office.

I didn't tell him about the man in my story. But I was glad his newspaper now was free. And that it was getting reused.

After I left him at the coffee shop, I remember that it was a warm day and that there was a liquor store nearby. I also felt like it would be a really good idea if I could meet somebody who might become my girlfriend. 

There is a certain amount of wisdom in the old saying that the main way to succeed in life is just to show up. So you might say my friend was being successful by showing up even though that was no longer required.

I suppose that description fits me as well. Since my retirement 18 months ago, I'm working more steadily than ever, in fact I've expanded my work week to seven days from the standard five.

That is, if you consider writing as work. In my case, companies paid me mainly not to write but to manage other people who wrote. My chief function, I guess, was to help other people be productive, to overcome obstacles and achieve success in the eyes of those who ran the enterprise. I'm not sure anyone really cared whether I was a good writer or not.

The one good habit I formed over that half century was to get up and be ready for another day of gathering the news.

I still do that. 

There must be many different types of retirement. Because some people hate their work but love the money they make. Some people love their work and don't care much about the money.

Most people probably fall somewhere in between. I've always wondered whether people whose work is essentially making this world a worse place stay that way after they retire.

Of course, things aren't really that simple. One man's sin may be another's virtue. Who am I to judge?

There also are people who work to make the world a better place. And I've noticed that those people never actually retire.

***

Today is Sarah's birthday. She is a wonderful writer, designer, daughter, sister, mother and friend. She is raising her three young boys, my grandsons, into men.

The news:

 * Pandemic Relief Bill Fulfills Biden’s Promise to Expand Obamacare, for Two Years -- With its expanded subsidies for health plans under the Affordable Care Act, the coronavirus relief bill makes insurance more affordable, and puts health care on the ballot in 2022. (NYT)

*Airlines and public transit agencies say $1.9 trillion relief plan would prevent deep cuts and job losses (WP) * The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released long-awaited safety recommendations for Americans who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Here's what it means for families trying to navigate this next stage of the pandemic — and it's good news for grandparents hoping to see their grandkids. [HuffPost] * Humans have degraded or destroyed roughly two-thirds of the world’s original tropical rainforest cover, new data reveals – raising alarm that a key natural buffer against climate change is quickly vanishing. (Reuters) ‌ * In Nepal and Across the World, Child Marriage Is Rising -- The pandemic has worsened economic distress and other factors that lead to such unions. Studies show a clear link between marrying early and dying young. (NYT)

* Democracy is on trial in Hong Kong — and China is fixing the verdict (WP)

* Myanmar media defiant as junta cracks down (AP)

* White supremacists and other extremists are expected to further their ideologies by increasing their "affiliation with military and law enforcement entities," the FBI wrote in a report seen by ABC News. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) accused the FBI of not leveling with the American people "about organized racist infiltration of law enforcement." [HuffPost]

* In a new filing, federal prosecutors allege that Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes was in direct contact before and on Jan. 6 with individuals who stormed the Capitol. (NPR)

* Amazon fights aggressively to defeat union drive in Ala., fearing a coming wave (WP)

* Petaluma is thought to be the first city in the country to ban the construction of new gas stations. Other cities are looking to it as a model. [Petaluma Argus-Courier]

* The Officers Danced at a Black Lives Matter Rally. Then They Stormed the Capitol. -- What appeared to be racial progress in rural Virginia turned into bitter conflict over a Confederate statue, the election and the Capitol riot. Now, people there foresee “a very dangerous time.” (NYT)

* After year of isolation, vaccinated older Americans start to reclaim their lives (Reuters)

* The Metropolitan Museum is selling art to survive the pandemic. Critics say it’s a dangerous precedent. (WP)

* Remote C.I.A. Base in the Sahara Steadily Grows -- The agency has been conducting surveillance flights from the base, which has grown since 2018. Any drone strikes would be limited while the Biden administration carries out a review. (NYT) 

***

M.T.A.

Well, let me tell you of the story of a man named Charlie
On a tragic and fateful day
He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and family
Went to ride on the MTA

Well, did he ever return?
No he never returned and his fate is still unlearned (what a pity)
He may ride forever 'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned

-- Jacqueline Steiner and Bess Lomax Hawes

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