It was the 50’s and the road had just begun. Mill decided to start working as an active member of society as a salesperson. Brad thought it’d be best to go through university in order to start a career as a lawyer. Unfortunately for Brad, this came with a downside of being in a hefty amount of debt compared to Mill. Neither knew what their salaries would end up as. Of course they both knew there was some possibility to make more later on. As Mill got his first job, he was happy to find out his salary would be 50k per year. His choices were limited and he couldn’t do much about it but just continue on with what he knew. Brad had yet to earn anything. It always begins with that first choice of choosing our futures.
As the wheel of time spun, Brad found himself needing to pay for his books and school supplies — nearly 5k out of his pocket. He was so close to getting that 20k scholarship he had been eyeing. It would’ve done him so much good making a dent in that debt he put himself in. Mill on the other hand decided he’d adopt a little pet, a dog he named Rascal. Rascal sat nicely beside him in his favorite orange car. A car that was fully insured the second he could. Life felt good thus far for him. While Brad was stuck in the middle of a term paper, ruining the sleep he desperately needed.
The 60s rolled around, and Brad was ready to obtain his degree and go out into the world. He went and searched for a job within his field. His chosen salaries ranged from 70 to 100 thousand a year. Of course he’d choose the one that doubled Mill’s salary. Nothing could stop Brad for he felt at the top of the world, getting as far as he could, as fast he could. That was until he was abruptly stopped from his front tire going flat as a pancake. But he couldn’t stop thinking of what he could accomplish with this new salary. Stocks sounded like a good idea. He bought the luckiest one he could think of. Not much later he quickly married and bought a nice Tudor house he spent 180k for.
Mill wanted to save up his money for more practical things like a future house and house insurance. His practical side attracted a charismatic woman who would ride in his passenger seat beside him and Rascal for the rest of their lives. His in-laws loved him and enjoyed any and every visit. Especially when he bought a nice home spending 40k from his own pocket, it wasn’t the most extravagant home, but it was fully theirs.
Misfortune still followed Brad when he crashed his car, costing him 15k in damages. He hadn’t bought the insurance that would’ve helped for this situation. He never thought it would happen to him. The luck, or lack thereof, wasn’t something he had factored into his Life. He was earning a high amount but why didn’t it feel like it? He had a beautiful house, a beautiful wife and, with time, some beautiful children. The porcelain pig of the Bank spewed out his salary every pay day, yet Brad felt he had to shove it back into the bank at every turn. And thus, Life continued on.
Mill and his wife tried so many times to have children, even spent 5 grand in decorating the nursery. All that time of selecting the perfect bassinet, the jungle theme they debated over. It was all for naught. He was devastated for not being able to be a father, a dream he never knew was inside of him. Maybe it was a small blessing in disguise when he was suddenly fired from his job. He was forced to leave sales but found a new home in artistry. The pay was much less, but with some luck and smart choices, he had a feeling he was gonna come out on top.
A lack of insurance can do a lot of damage to someone’s expenses, and it affected Brad heavily. With the constant misfortunes of Life, and those stocks he invested in doing nothing for him, he couldn’t muster the desire to pay a full coverage on his house insurance. He kept afloat most times, but the damages to his house set him back a full 40k. Life kept throwing him curve-balls.
In the 70s, Mill had enough to comfortably treat his wife and he to a tropical vacation, away from the everyday stress. Beautiful blue skies, picturesque beaches with the sapphire-like ocean greeting them every morning. Took 25k from his account, but it was well worth it. The CPR class he took was an experience he’d never forget. Though he also never had a need for it.
It finally happened. The stock Brad bought was finally giving him a return! A sum of 10k was promptly added to his dying account. Maybe there was some hope for him left for his future. As long as his luck could keep up.
The 80s came, and with it a new best seller by Brad. The book quickly rose in fame and he found an extra 80k in his account. His luck was finally turning for the better. The lack of stress from the finances allowed Brad to spend more time with family, having weekly games for them all to play despite the schedule conflicts. Life was getting better. He even engaged in more family events like ball games, picnics and mini vacations.
Mill’s Life was doing just as well, his salary had increased significantly despite just being a simple artist. There was a time he had been given a chance to attend night school, though he thought it would be a waste of money and decided otherwise. He preferred giving his time to help the homeless and spend quality time with his wife and in-laws. He also found a newfound passion for recycling. One time he even returned a lost wallet, just because.
In the 90s, Brad’s expenses were growing and doing much better than before, despite losing his previous salary to a slightly lesser one. His home and auto were fully insured, and he felt secure in being able to spend more to do more - even when retirement felt closer to each and every motion of the wheel. He spent nearly 35k in order to help sponsor a golfing tournament going on in his local area.
Mill decided on using some of his art connections in order to help begin an art exhibit for local artists. As a more established artist, he felt it was important to uplift the community by spotlighting under-appreciated work. It took a toll on his money, taking over 100k from him, but the experience of it was more important to Mill. Learning new skills was always embraced by Mill. So when the opportunity to learn sign language arose, he took to it. But if he was any good at it was another story.
The beginning of the new 21st century had finally arrived especially after many were concerned about the malfunctioning of modern computers. Thankfully nothing life changing occurred on a global scale, just more Life. A new beautiful child was born into Brad’s family, a healthy grandchild he was ready to hold and love. Brad couldn’t wait till the two went fishing together.
More vacations awaited Mill and his wife, childless but still full of Life. They decided to visit the Grand Canyon together. The heat was something undesired for the two, but with some water they trudged on, enjoying every moment of the experience together. Over the years the two took up hiking together and loved spending it in nature. They supported the Wildlife Fund, giving what they could, when they could. And on Arbor day they planted a tree near their home.
Work stressed Brad less and less as he was nearing retirement. So as a final hurrah Brad thought how wonderful it’d be to go on a luxury cruise with his entire family. Sit around, relax, lounge, and just have some quality time together, especially with the grandchild around. Sip on some piña coladas, eat some fresh seafood and take a dip in the family-fun pool.
Then the time came, the day to finally retire. Both Mill and Brad independently decided how nice it’d be to get a nice family portrait to commemorate the journey that brought them to this moment that many dream and strive for. Brad stood beside his wife and had his children and grandchild nearby, while Mill and his wife held hand in hand. Never did a smile leave their face as they bore witness to the sum of their Net Worth.
They all sailed into the sunset and then the credits rolled.
Two siblings stepped away from their Windows 98 Computer, bought by their parents some Christmases ago. Their latest round of the CD-ROM Game of Life just concluded as Tamara lost against her younger sister, Dolly. They played this together often as they loved the cheeky animations, quirky jokes and character designs. It showed the young women just how colorful and difficult life could be. And maybe the need to laugh at some of your misfortunes to keep the morale up.
Maybe Tamara should've bought the insurance quicker, it would've put her in debt at the time, but it would've saved her in the long run. Maybe Dolly should have gone back to night school, but she was content with the job she had. There are so many "What Ifs" one could ask themselves about the decisions they've made about their Life. So many Lives played and not 1 "correct" answer to be given.
Much like the game, Life is a journey and sometimes there are things that don’t go as planned, and you won’t always get what you hoped for. There are different kinds of roads taken and stops made. Though Mill and Brad were just characters stuck inside a game, it didn’t mean one life was any less than the other’s. No matter who earned how much more over the other, the fun of Life is just the game itself. Life means stakes, it means luck and it means planning. The best part of Life? Not going through it by yourself.
“Wanna play again?” asked Dolly.
“Of course,” Tamara answered.
The Wheel of Life spun once more.