VII

Pride

He clicked the compile button with the mouse and immediately his computer sounded off with the usual annoying beep. "Fuck." he muttered under his breath. He was getting infuriated trying to make the program work using a new programming language his firm developed. Even the compiler program which puts everything into order seemed to be against him. What was more annoying is the program wouldn't tell him where the issue in the code was present. The technicians assured him the particular feature would be available in the next update. Anger was swelling up within him to the point of tossing the mouse through the screen of the monitor flashing its little red icon of an error message.

Jason DeLance sat back in his office chair trying to center himself. He thought this new compiler and programming language was a joke. Unfortunately, it's what the client wanted. Greg Carson was paying good money for this software to be completed using this new language in a compiler that seems more riddled with flaws than benefits. Jason's firm assigned the task to him as the more experienced developer. It was a project he knew in his heart he could handle. After all, he was the best programmer in the region, according to the accolades and awards proudly presented on his office shelves.

He took his glasses off and rubbed his burning eyes. Jason had been staring at the computer screen for several hours trying to track down the so-called error the compiler insisted was present. The office itself had grown dark as the sun had set several hours before. Only the light from his monitor and the flashing green indicator of his wall-mounted security camera prevailed in the darkness. He glanced at the corner of his monitor's display at the clock. The digital display read eleven-forty-three, and it was well past his normal bedtime. Putting his glasses back on, he clicked the save button. It was a pain to transport the files back and forth on a USB drive, but the company wanted isolated computers working on the software. After all, a computer not connected to a network is far less likely to be hacked.

Standing up from the chair, Jason's knees popped simultaneously. His back was sore and his neck was tense. At first, he thought age was creeping upon him. He just turned forty-five a few months ago, and his body was reminding him the years were starting to catch up. As his muscles seemed to scream in agony, Jason was convinced stress was adding to his issues. He made his way over to the minibar lining the side of his office. Tapping a switch on the wall, the lights of the countertop came to life. He needed something strong to wash down the frustration of the inadequate program and reached for the scotch.

Sipping from his glass, Jason glanced around the dimly lit room. It was a shrine to his ability for developing software. Plaques, trophies, certificates and more filled the walls as a testament to how good he was. Throwing a glance back at his monitor, he mumbled, "And it all comes crashing down because of a piece of shit program." He gulped the last swallow of scotch and slammed the glass down to the point where he immediately thought he broke it. Tapping the light switch for the bar, he left the room and made his way to an empty bed. Jason was rolling up on the 50-year old mark and still slept alone. Then again, he had no desire to find love outside of his computer. Still, he often imagined what it would be like to snuggle up to a warm body at night. As he pulled the sheets over himself, he whispered to the dark,

"Maybe I'll get a cat."

Every other morning, several guys from Cellcorp, the company Jason worked for, gathered to play a quick game of basketball. Most of them found it helpful to get the blood pumping before work as it helped with focus and concentration. Being in as good of shape as Jason was, he often played with them, even though they were all 15 to 20 years younger. In Cellcorp, Jason was often referred to as, "Old Man."

David, one of the younger members of Cellcorp, had as much energy in the office as he did on the court. While his skill wasn't as nearly as defined as Jason's, he made up for it in enthusiasm.