This story is fantasy but little tidbits are true. One thing that is not true is I never started smoking but after all this is a fantasy story. Some of this is how I wish things turned out. I went to high school in Southern Indiana graduating in 1978. I was not too keen on college so I took some vocational training in high school. I actually graduated a semester early which you could do back then. I don’t think it’s an option anymore but not sure. My graduation was delayed about a month due to the worst winter this area has ever had to this day. After graduation I took a job in my chosen field while taking the last semester of the vocational education at night. That created some problems. I was staying up later then I was used to so I did a couple of things to stay awake. I had to learn to drink coffee which I never liked the taste of. Despite growing up with parents that smoked cigarettes I had never even tried smoking until I turned 18 which was very late back then. Most high schools had student smoking areas and teachers were allowed to smoke in the teachers lounge. A coworker suggested smoking would be one way of helping me stay awake. I only smoked in the designated area at the vocational school and at work and only about 3 or 4 a day. I had gave my parents so much grief about smoking growing up there was no way I was telling them and with them being smokers I had no trouble hiding the smell though they probably wouldn’t have cared anyway. I literally had to “learn” to smoke with the help of my coworker. I completed the semester and the company I worked for called me into the office so I was scared they were going to let me go but that was not the case. Indiana had some strange laws at the time. The machine I had been really good at in training a person had to be 21 to operate and I was 18 going on 19. The company had a location in Nashville Tennessee and they wanted me to transfer there. I could do the job I had over 2 years to go in Indiana. I would be making more money the either my Dad a welder or my Mom a U. S. Census Bureau supply tech. I had one concern from what my parents had told me. I had been told several times after graduation I could live at home rent free as long as they lived but if you move out you are not coming back. I was offered the deposit and getting the electric turned on if I moved to an all electric apartment. I finally decided to take the offer after some serious thinking. One thing to note my Dad pulled me aside the night before I was leaving and told me if it doesn’t work out you can come back as long as he was living. I was told as an only child I will own the house one day. The school year ended in early June and I had intended to quit smoking then but living with smokers I found myself craving a smoIke. I continued smoking without my parents knowledge while away from home. I worked in Southern Indiana until August when the plant shut down for a weeks vacation. My apartment was ready and on Sunday during that week I made the 3 plus hour drive to Nashville and was living on my own less then 2 months before turning 1 9. My parents had bought me a car when I was 17 but working that one semester I saved up enough case to buy a good used car. My Dad a few years back “moonlighted” at a service station (younger members if you don’t know what that was google it) and could do almost anything to cars of that era. He checked the car over good before I bought it and while I was in school at night had me take either his truck or my Mom’s car so he could give a good going over. Once I got to Nashville I had get a physical before I started work. I passed but I was told I really should get my eyes examined. Shortly after turning 18 the past October I got an eye exam without my parents knowledge. I was given a prescription for glasses and was told that they would really help with night driving. I chickened out and did not get glasses at that time. I was told by the MD. I was very borderline on passing the Tennessee drivers license vision screening. I was told I would have to wear safety glasses and a prescription was needed they would pay for that. I still had the prescription from the year before but I decided go get another exam. I got the exam and as expected I needed glasses this time for full time wear. I found optical store that made glasses the same day and had 2 pair made one being safety glasses and the other being the popular at the time photo chromic glasses. I was in an area nobody knew me so I started wearing glasses full time right away. I did not get the headaches some people get the first time wearing glasses. I have never been into country music but I did that spring start going to the races at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway. The one thing I missed about going to the races is the track had stopped running figure 8 some years before I moved to the area due to a driver getting killed. I did make the trip to Indianapolis every September for the 3 hour figure 8 endurance race which after a slow start has started drawing in the neighborhood of 10,000 fans. Another thing that happened is not living with smokers anymore I quit about 2 weeks after I got there. I had 30 years in by 2008 and was able to retire with a pension. I still work part time after moving back to Southern Indiana. I was told at last years eye exam I have the very start of cataracts and they will need to be removed in the future.