I had never understood the world

people work all their lives to acquire material goods and experiences, but it never amounts to much in the end.

it doesn't matter one bit whether you are rich or poor. Nor whether you worked for that wealth or were born into it, everyone dies in the end.

I really had trouble seeing any purpose to living, but like everyone else in the world I kept moving. I allowed discovery to drive me forward.

that doubt was why I enjoyed the night sky so much. The sky is a treasure trove of undiscovered mystery. A literal infinite void of potential.

it's a real shame that I will likely never be able to explore it. Very few people get to actually find something new in today's age. 

I glanced down at my watch, "three A.M. better hurry home before my dad wakes up"

my dad who worked as an advisor for a tech firm was almost never home generally leaving as early as 4:00 A.M. to go fix some problem that cropped up overnight. When he did have moments of reprieve he always joked that he wished he could have "advised his younger self" not to take this job.

My mom left when I was a baby, while my dad barely ever talks about it from what I could gather from talking to his relatives at Easter and other holidays he was the only one who did not see it coming. Apparently, she was constantly asking for more, never being happy with what was given to her. But he loved her too much to see her for what she really was.

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despite my dad often being busy I lived a relatively good life up to this point, I was never neglected, in fact my dad's busy schedule complimented my own self-reliant streak pretty well. 

rounding the corner onto my block I nearly had a heart attack when I saw my dad's car missing from the driveway, he always checks in on me before he leaves for work so he would know I had been out again... if he was even in the country that is, I nearly cursed out loud for my stupidity, my dad was currently on a business trip to London for work. Although he mostly worked from an office in Seattle he takes a trip to the company's branch office in London every year. 

crisis avoided I started slowly making my way up my driveway as to not wake anyone up who would know I shouldn't be outside at 3:30 A.M. and pulled a key out of my pocket. I went to stick it in my door when something weird caught my eye.

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