Ergo, the Ogre

Welcome to the daily Three Things Challenge.
Use your imagination and creativity using one, two or all three words that may or may not be related. There are no restrictions regarding length, style, or genre, though please keep it family friendly.

Tag your responses with 3TC, #threethingschallenge or TTC, and you can add Di’s logo if you wish.

Looking forward to reading your responses.

Joe was disappointed in nearly every aspect of his life. His MBA had landed him a mid-level management job in a prestigious company, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t at all what he thought it would be. The first part of the day consisted of Joe fighting to stay awake as he endured humdrum meetings about nothing. After lunch, which he ate alone, he had the task of looking busy when there was nothing to do. That part was exhausting.

Eventually, it was time to go home. When he arrived, the house was always empty. His son and daughter were at soccer and cheerleading practice, respectively. His wife was usually at some sort of meeting or playing Mahjong with her friends. His dinner was always in the freezer waiting for him to stick in the microwave.

Yep! I am living the dream, alright!

As Joe ate his boring dinner alone — macaroni & cheese, usually — he thought about the choices he’d made and what he should’ve done differently.

First off, he should’ve stayed in Art school. That’s where his interest lies, not in business. He hated business. Then, he should’ve waited until he met someone with whom he fell in love to get married. They were both too young, and she’d gotten pregnant with his child. So that was that.

And now what to do?

The kids were nearly grown, and Joe and his wife barely saw each other. When they did spend time together, it was awkward; neither had much to say. They had nothing in common.

That night, Joe fell asleep on the sofa, as usual, and woke up there also. He didn’t hear his wife, or the kids come home. In fact, everything looked the same as it did before he fell asleep.

That’s weird…

So, Joe decided to investigate. He looked in their bedroom and the bed hadn’t been slept in. He opened the closet door and all of his wife’s clothes were gone. Same thing with his daughter and son. They were gone. His family had left him.

All’s well that ends well; whatever that means. Joe smiled.