Jim closed his check book with a sigh and sipped on his coffee. It's been a rough year. He thought back to the early days when he first started his business. Such high hopes. But competition's stiffer now. Costs are rising. Still, he's thankful. He's survived. He and his family are doing well.

He thought back to when he and Ann first married. They were so young. What did they know about the responsibilities of married life? Oh, nobody could tell them, of course. She was so beautiful. Still is. It all seems like a dream now. But they've survived too ” as a couple. Some of their friends didn't.

He thought of their first car ” a far cry from the plush foreign job he's driving now. He remembered the time it broke down on the highway late at night. By the time he came back to retrieve it, it …