Maurice Finds Internet Freedom

Maurice Lipton wasn’t happy with his job. For a start, he disliked his boss intensely and hadn’t had a salary increase or promotion in five years. What is more, his neighbour, Barry, was earning a six-figure income working at home on the internet.
As a result, Maurice was unhappy, depressed, moody and taking his frustrations out on his lovely wife, Sarah and their two young kids. He had to do something about his situation, but with an expensive mortgage and high school fees, what was he going to do? He felt trapped.
Clearly, he had to talk to his boss and ask for a raise, otherwise his life would never improve. He walked into his boss’s office first thing Monday morning so that he could catch his boss before any meetings or phone calls.
By and large, his boss was sympathetic and listened to Maurice’s situation. As far as his salary was concerned, there was nothing his boss could do. His hands were tied, and if Maurice wasn’t satisfied with his current position and salary, perhaps, said his boss, he should look elsewhere.
Naturally, Maurice was devastated. On the one hand, he was trapped in a job he hated and on the other hand, there seemed to be no future prospects if he stayed in his current position.
He was thinking of his depressing situation as he pulled his car into his drive that same evening. His neighbour, Barry, was playing with his son in the front garden as usual. Furthermore, there was a brand new Porsche 911 GTS in the driveway.
Barry waved and walked over to Maurice for a chat. ‘How’s it going?’, asked Barry with a wide, relaxed grin. ‘Oh, not too good”, replied Maurice, sadly.
Of course, Maurice didn’t tell Barry everything. After all, he respected Barry and didn’t want to weigh him down with his problems. Consequently, the conversation moved inside to Barry’s lounge and after a couple of stiff whiskies, Barry understood the problem. Besides lending Maurice a sympathetic ear, Barry also offered a solution.
Clearly, Maurice couldn’t hand in his notice immediately. After all, he had bills to pay and a family to support. So, Barry suggested that Maurice stayed in his job, while working for him on his internet business in the evenings and at weekends for 6 months. Barry needed help and Maurice could earn some extra money in the meantime. As for his job, he could leave after 6 months and work with Barry full time, if the both agreed it was mutually beneficial. Naturally, Maurice would need to be earning close to his present salary, but Barry didn’t seem to think that would be a problem.
On the whole, Barry’s idea solved all Maurice’s problems. Maurice handed in his notice six months later and he’s more than happy working as Barry’s customer service manager. As a result of Maurice’s more flexible work schedule, he can often be seen playing ball games with his, and Barry’s, children in front of his house.