The Man Who Lost His Job and Family in a Single Word
Facilities for welfare recipients are home to people who have lived truly diverse lives.
People who lost their jobs due to illness.
People whose companies went bankrupt.
People who fell into ruin due to debt.
And the person I am introducing this time is—
**"The man who destroyed his life through golf."**
The protagonist is 49 years old.
A former salesman.
His sales performance was not bad, and he was good at building relationships with clients.
At his company, he was valued as a "corporate golf entertainment specialist."
He himself even used to say,
"Business deals are made on the golf course!"
as his catchphrase.
However, that day was different.
In fact, the night before,
he had a huge fight with his wife.
The cause was a common one.
"Golf again?"
"It's for work!"
"You think you can get away with anything just by saying it's for work!"
Shut up!
I'm done with you!
Slam!
The front door closes.
A sleepless night.
Maximum irritation from the morning.
And then, a business golf outing.
The worst possible condition.
The opponent is a department manager from a major client.
From the company,
Don't upset him at all
I was strictly warned.
However, the incident happened on the 9th hole.
The manager's ball went into the woods.
Everyone looked for the ball.
Found it!
The moment I said that.
The protagonist's eyes narrowed.
(...He just took that out of his pocket, didn't he?)
As a salesman, I should have just laughed it off.
However, the anger from the fight with his wife still lingered.
And he shouted.
Manager, you just laid that egg, didn't you?
The room froze.
Even the wind stopped.
Not even a crow cawed.
Only the caddy looked up at the sky.
The manager gave a bitter smile.
No, no, it was there from the beginning.
Normally,
Haha, I must have misread that!
would be the end of it.
However, the protagonist,
had broken brakes.
No! You definitely took it out of your pocket, didn't you!
As a salesman, I cannot stay silent about this!
Golf is a gentleman's sport!
He began his passionate speech.
Even though it was a business entertainment event.
And then, at the next hole.
The department manager moved the ball slightly with his foot from the rough.
In that instant.
The protagonist,
shouted at the top of his lungs.
“Are we playing soccer?!”
It echoed all the way to the next hole.
Even strangers laughed.
Only the department manager didn't laugh.
Lunchtime.
The atmosphere was like a funeral.
No one ordered beer.
Only the protagonist was full of a sense of justice.
His boss was drenched in cold sweat.
Then, back at the office.
He was called to the president's office.
“What you said is correct.”
The protagonist felt a little relieved.
But the words that followed were harsh.
“However, we don't need employees who publicly execute clients during business golf.”
The business deal was scrapped.
A multi-million yen contract vanished.
The whole company was in an uproar.
The result.
The protagonist, resigned.
No, basically fired.
Not just his golf life, but his corporate life was over.
He struggled with his job search as well.
The interviewer.
Why did you leave your previous job?
The protagonist.
I couldn't tolerate cheating in golf!
The interviewer.
I see.
Finished.
Five minutes.
The fastest in history.
Zero income.
Unable to pay the mortgage.
His wife reached her limit.
You are right. But I cannot live with you anymore.
Divorce finalized.
My life wasn't just a double bogey; I hit out-of-bounds on all 18 holes.
And a few years later.
I arrived at the welfare recipient facility.
My belongings were just three cardboard boxes.
I still had my golf bag, though.
A facility staff member asked.
What are your hobbies?
The protagonist looks into the distance.
...It used to be golf.
The other residents who heard that were very curious.
Why did you quit?
The protagonist replied.
I couldn't stand the cheating.
Then, an old man who used to be a taxi driver said one thing.
Around here, toilet paper moves to the next room on its own.
The protagonist.
Huh?
Pudding in the fridge disappears, too.
Detergent goes missing as well.
"They say nobody knows."
The protagonist stands up.
"That is unforgivable!"
He patrols the entire facility.
Just like a golf course marshal.
In front of the shared refrigerator,
someone picks up another person's yogurt.
The protagonist:
"Is this soccer?!"
No.
That is not soccer.
They just held a yogurt.
In the laundry room,
to someone who used another person's hanger,
"You're too far from your mark!"
It makes no sense.
In the cafeteria,
to a man who put his post-meal banana into his pocket,
"You've laid an egg!"
The people around him burst into laughter.
He was the only one with a straight face.
Before long, at the facility,
they started calling him this behind his back.
“Mr. Rulebook”
He wouldn't let any cheating slide.
But somehow, you couldn't hate him.
The facility director said with a wry smile,
“In this world, there are people who cheat, and there are people who can't stand it.”
“What's important isn't brandishing what's right.”
“It's about communicating in a way that makes both the other person and yourself laugh.”
The protagonist gave a slightly embarrassed smile.
“I see...”
From that day on, whenever someone at the facility cheated a little,
instead of yelling, he started saying this with a smile:
“Hey, that's going to be an out-of-bounds in life!”
Then, laughter would erupt from those around him.
Perhaps thanks to that laughter, the cheating gradually decreased, strangely enough.
Even if you go out-of-bounds once in life, it doesn't necessarily mean the game is over.
Taking a mulligan hurts, but if you can hit the next shot straight, the view changes surprisingly well.
At the very least, in this facility, someone is shouting while laughing again today.
“It was soccer, after all!”
And in the cafeteria, only peaceful laughter echoes.
