It’s Saturday night, no task analysis for the weekend. At precisely 6 pm, he washes his hands for 30 seconds: three squirts of soap, medium water flow, dried with a bleached white towel…off to his gaming room, routine in place.
Ulysses crouches over his desk, anticipating another gaming marathon night. Gaming chair perfectly adjusted; headset slightly pinching the earlobes; Monster drink sits at exactly a 45-degree angle to his laptop. A bowl of Fritos Corn Chips, seven shakes of extra salt, filled to the container’s lip. 50 chips: no more, no less.
Opens up Minecraft, hums along to his favorite artist, Tom Petty, now playing over the Bluetooth speakers. He takes one sip of his drink and munches exactly three unbroken chips when…a text vibrates his cell. It’s best friend China:
“Uly…the open mic at the teen center has a 15-minute slot available. I got a band together–we got three weeks to practice, right before school starts. Please, please, please join us as lead singer. We’ll cover all those Petty songs. We’d be Free Fallin’ without you.”
Two more sips, six more chips devoured. Uly rocks in place, remembering the last and only time he sang in public…