Within Acceptable Tolerances (iii)

Every summer since going away to college in Florida, Thom found work in one of several nearby tourist attractions and had not gone home to North Carolina. The money was enough to live on, but not enough to generate savings. Even though it was anticipated to be a boom summer season because of the Bicentennial, Thom’s income was not likely to increase and neither would his savings. So he went home to live with his parents and save some money.


He had was able to save just about all of the nearly $100 a week he made. There was no room or board, and he had lost touch with most of his high school friends in the years he’d been away, so there really was no social life. He spent his whole week working at the machine shop and on weekends would go to the movies in Greensboro, matinees usually because of the smaller attendance, and then spend the evenings at home watching television or reading.

Thom as spending each day as a means to an end. He was not there for any reason than to accumulate cash and leave at the end of the summer. That’s why he could have told you, easily, that he was having lunch on day thirty-nine and that he would have to be there only anther twenty six days. Each day, at the end of the day, he marked another day off the calendar before he drove the nearly 30 miles home from the shop. to work that morning. The route had become familiar to him, driving it to and from the shop five days a week for the last five weeks and a day.