WA 6: FINAL

As I survey this old town, memories flood my head: the place where I first worked, the lumber yard. This is where old mister Karlstad sold lumber for some forty years. I remember his funeral, there were more people than I expected, but most of all I remember the way he looked: completely calm and at peace, something I'd never seen in those hard days moving lumber. Past that old place lies the baker, the electrician, the grocer, and Strom's Tavern. Most of the other places have either been abandoned or replaced since I left almost ten years ago.

Now that I look back on it, those days were probably the hardest and the best. Working full time and going to college everyday was a challenge, but definitely a rewarding one. Mister Karlstad taught me, by example, to always be optimistic, "Work hard," he said, "for the reward for good work is well being." So I did. Paying as I went through college, I became my ideal: the self-made man.

One of my most vivid memories was of the day before I left. You see, I had finally gotten the job offer I'd been waiting for, on the West Coast. But before I went to catch my plane, I stood in the exact spot I stand now. One last look at the place where I'd started: the old bridge, strangers walking by, slow traffic, the wind, and that skyscrapered skyline. I felt like I was leaving a good freind. After a final panoramic view, I hailed a taxi, "North Airport, please" was all I said as I was whisked away to a new life.

I'd never had any family, so leaving was harder than I thought, but I didn't let it show. I fought the pain and kept my resolve, "Onward and upward," I thought, "Never look back." And I didn't, until today.

In these ten short years I've been lucky, amassing a moderately large sum, and living well, alone with my thoughts. Working my way up the ladder, I've been successful. Lessons I learned early on have helped me tremendously, and I have a reputation for getting the job done with no nonsense, an attitude I attribute to mister Karlstad. But this is what I've been saving for: I've always wanted my own business, and I plan to have one, here where I started, I'm going to give back to the city I grew up in, where I learned how to live. This will be my greatest endeavor, but I'm confident that it'll be worth while. For the future I can only see progress, I've made it this far haven't I? In this land of enterprise, I intend to leave my mark: I am Mr. Robert Saito, businessman.