He might not be that old but he sure felt it, and he felt washed up. Ben was just a guy trying to get through life. There was nothing great about him. That was the image he had made for himself and settled into it. It was safer that way.

Scoffing at the mention of family, he got up from his seat to walk back inside. “What family,” he mutters. “In case you haven’t gotten the memo, they’re all dead. What they would think hardly matters.” With that he goes about cleaning up his pot and utensil.